The Fugitivities, Jesse McCarthy
The Fugitivities, Jesse McCarthy
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The Fugitivities

Author: Jesse McCarthy

Narrator: Corey Allen

Unabridged: 10 hr 44 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Publisher: Recorded Books

Published: 06/08/2021


Synopsis

A singular and powerful debut novel about a young black American learning the difficulties of forming your own identity when society has already assigned you one.

Like most recent college graduates, Jonah Winters is unsure of what’s next. A young black American raised in France and living in New York City, he tries on a couple of careers only to find that nothing feels right. And as Jonah struggles to
envision his future, he feels pressured by his friends and family to put the struggles of his community before his search for self.

But then a chance encounter with an ex-NBA player with his own regrets inspires Jonah to take his life into his own hands. Deciding to leave the country entirely, he sets off for Brazil. And as he makes and breaks friendships on the way,
reflects on his past relationships, and learns to rely on himself, Jonah slowly forms an understanding of self, community, and freedom that is rarely afforded to young black men.

About Jesse McCarthy

Jesse McCarthy is assistant professor of English and African American studies at Harvard University. He is an editor at the Point and has written for n+1, Dissent, the Nation, and the New Republic. He lives in Cambridge, Massachusetts.


Reviews

Goodreads review by Basia on July 31, 2021

Wowed by Jesse McCarthy's essay collection, Who Will Pay Reparations on My Soul, I came into The Fugitivities with very high hopes. Ultimately my expectations were not exactly unmet, but not surpassed either. This novel has the same intelligent scope as McCarthy's essay collection, but in a way, thi......more

Goodreads review by Theodore on August 11, 2022

I do intend to write out more detailed thoughts on this. I'll just simply state that McCarthy has style. I hope he writes a plethora of novels.......more

Goodreads review by Gloria on June 20, 2021

Fugitivities follows Jonah on a spontaneous trip to South America with his friend Octavio. This is a modern take on the expat novels that jaunt around postwar Europe. The coincidental encounters (typical of this genre) are all fairly enjoyable to read in this iteration. Jonah gains new perspectives......more

Goodreads review by Naeem on December 30, 2022

I read this novel a largely successful attempt to overcome two problems: (1) the U.S.-centricism of black U.S. literature, meaning, that this literature tends to avoid the rest of the world; and (2) how to say something about blackness in the U.S. when a writer becomes of aware of such US-centeric t......more