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Training school for Negro girls

by Acker, Camille, 1978-

Format: Print Book 2018
Availability: Available at 7 Libraries 7 of 10 copies

Available (7)
Location Collection Call #
CLP - Allegheny Regional Fiction FICTION Acker
Location  CLP - Allegheny Regional
 
Collection  Fiction
 
Call Number  FICTION Acker
 
 
CLP - Carrick Fiction Collection FICTION Acker
Location  CLP - Carrick
 
Collection  Fiction Collection
 
Call Number  FICTION Acker
 
 
CLP - East Liberty African American Fiction FICTION Acker
Location  CLP - East Liberty
 
Collection  African American Fiction
 
Call Number  FICTION Acker
 
 
CLP - Sheraden Fiction Collection FICTION Acker
Location  CLP - Sheraden
 
Collection  Fiction Collection
 
Call Number  FICTION Acker
 
 
CLP - Squirrel Hill Fiction Collection FICTION Acker
Location  CLP - Squirrel Hill
 
Collection  Fiction Collection
 
Call Number  FICTION Acker
 
 
CLP - Woods Run African American Fiction FICTION Acker
Location  CLP - Woods Run
 
Collection  African American Fiction
 
Call Number  FICTION Acker
 
 
Penn Hills Library Fiction ACK
Location  Penn Hills Library
 
Collection  Fiction
 
Call Number  ACK
 
 
 
Unavailable (3)
Location Collection Status
CLP - Hill District African American Fiction CHECKED OUT
Location  CLP - Hill District
 
Collection  African American Fiction
 
Status  CHECKED OUT
 
 
CLP - Main Library First Floor - Display CHECKED OUT
Location  CLP - Main Library
 
Collection  First Floor - Display
 
Status  CHECKED OUT
 
 
Mt. Lebanon Public Library Fiction CHECKED OUT
Location  Mt. Lebanon Public Library
 
Collection  Fiction
 
Status  CHECKED OUT
 
 

Summary

When you're black and female in America, society's rules were never meant to make you safe or free. In this "flawlessly executed work [that] reinvigorates the short fiction genre," Camille Acker's relatable yet unexpected characters break down the walls of respectability politics, showing that the only way for black women to be free is to be themselves (BUST).

In her debut short story collection, Camille Acker unleashes the irony and tragic comedy of respectability onto a wide-ranging cast of characters, all of whom call Washington, DC, home. A "woke" millennial tries to fight gentrification, only to learn she's part of the problem; a grade school teacher dreams of a better DC, only to take out her frustrations on her students; and a young piano player wins a competition, only to learn the prize is worthless.

Ultimately, they are confronted with the fact that respectability does not equal freedom. Instead, they must learn to trust their own conflicted judgment and fight to create their own sense of space and self.

"A timely, welcome book."--The Millions

Contents
Who we are
Cicada
Everything she wants
Strong men
Final draft of college essay
The ropes
All the things you'll never do
Mambo sauce
Training school for negro girls
Now, this
You can leave, but it's going to cost you.
Published Reviews
Booklist Review: "Acker brings keen observation of black culture, the lives of black women, and the city of Washington, D.C., to her first short story collection. The first section offers stories of young black girls navigating childhood; the second progresses easily into tales of women from youth into middle-age, with the total presenting a tableau of the lives of black women set against the backdrop of the African American social culture of the nation's capital. Among the depictions: a serious young girl stepping out beyond her neighborhood in a piano competition; a teenager who wonders if she is seeing in her beloved brother, like so many others, the tremor of their own defeat. The women navigate social mores, gentrification, and their own insecurities: a teacher who grew up in D.C.'s Southeast neighborhood struggles with her own biases; an adult daughter and her father ride around at night, covering the streets of the city with music and memories as they discover the things they have in common, including infidelity. Beautifully rendered characters struggle to find a sense of themselves in their complex lives.--Vanessa Bush Copyright 2018 Booklist"
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Publisher's Weekly Review: "This sharp and sensitive collection, Acker's debut, traces the lives of black women and girls in Washington, D.C., across different neighborhoods, socioeconomic statuses, and decades. In "Cicada," young Ellery impresses the crowd and emerges victorious at her piano recital, only to be brought back down to reality afterward, noticing the differences between her family and those of the players around her. "All the Things You'll Never Do" follows a power-obsessed TSA agent-who has never been on an airplane-from her work shift to the bar, where she attempts to feel superior to everyone around her. The heartrending "Now, This" chronicles the daily drudgery of Rae, nearing menopause and haunted by failed relationships, as she decides whether or not to lower her standards for a new romantic possibility. Acker's eye for simple details illuminates: A young girl notices how "[Her mother] always knew how much things cost without looking at price tags," and a game of double Dutch threatens a teacher as she watches-"The ropes would savage you. It was hard to see the escape route and how to land unscathed." Grappling with ideas like gentrification and social-climbing through the fine-tuned eyes of her characters, Acker never oversimplifies or neatens the complexities that make up life. (Oct.) © Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved."
(c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
Additional Information
Subjects African American women -- Fiction.
African American girls -- Fiction.
Washington (D.C.) -- Fiction.
Short stories.
Publisher New York :2018
Edition First Feminist Press edition.
Other Titles Short stories.
Language English
Description 219 pages ; 21 cm
ISBN 9781936932375
1936932377
Other Classic View