Mama Said: Stories

In Mama Said, Kristen Gentry explores the complexities of Black family life, following JayLynn, Zaria, and Angel as they navigate the challenges of drug addiction and its impact on their relationships. The stories showcase the joy, humor, and love that coexist with the trauma, separating from stereotypes and highlighting the lasting ties between daughters and their mothers.

Format: Paperback / softback
Length: 288 pages
Publication date: 31 October 2023
Publisher: West Virginia University Press

Mama Said is a collection of linked stories set in Louisville, Kentucky, a city with a rich history steeped in tobacco, bourbon, and gambling. The indulgences that can quickly become gripping and destructive vices are portrayed in the stories. The collection evokes Black family life in all its complexity, following JayLynn, along with her cousins Zaria and Angel, as they come of age struggling against their mothers drug addictions.

JayLynn heads to college intent on gaining distance from her depressed mother, only to learn that her mother's illness has reached a terrifying peak. She fears the chaos and instability of her extended family will prove too much for her boyfriend, whose idyllic family feels worlds apart from her own. When bats invade Zaria's new home, she is forced to determine how much she is willing to sacrifice to be a good mother. Angel rebels on Derby night, risking her safety to connect with her absent mother and the wild ways that consumed her.

Mama Said separates from stereotypes of Black families, presenting instead the joy, humor, and love that coexist with the trauma of drug abuse within communities. Kristen Gentry's stories showcase the wide-reaching repercussions of addiction and the ties that forever bind daughters to their mothers, flaws and all.

Weight: 320g
Dimension: 127 x 203 x 19 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781952271984