A Change is Gonna Come

This book is a stunner! Twelve fresh, fun and beautifully written YA short stories by new and established BAME authors, written around the subject of change. 

I forgot how much I love short stories. The immediacy, the focus, the variety. I first fell in love with short stories reading Jon McGregor and then Lucy Wood’s Diving Belles. I loved them for the strength of their writing. Then I devoured anthologies, loving the way the format was like a party; a way to meet lots of different authors and voices and see who I’d like to stay in touch with. A Change Is Gonna Come is the best of both. It celebrates strong, beautiful, passionate writing. The stories are as diverse as their authors and I relished the time I spent with them. 

I have discovered new authors – ‘Marionette Girl’ by Aisha Bushby is a beautiful story of a teenaged girl living with severe anxiety, Yasmin Rahman writes of bravery and the confidence found from an inspirational role model, and Phoebe Roy’s ‘Iridescent Adolescent’ is stunning magical realism. I’ve read authors that are established but new to me – Nikesh Shukla’s ‘We Who?’ is a passionate and painful exploration of friendship struggling through the friction of post-Brexit racism. And I’ve enjoyed new work by authors I already loved – Tanya Byrne’s love story ‘Hackney Moon’ with it’s unusual narrative perspective and stunning writing held my heart.

A Change is Gonna Come is a showcase and a celebration of BAME voices. It has opened my eyes to other cultures, experiences and thoughts. It has inspired me to read more widely and further outside of my comfort zone. Because beauty and passion lay there and I want more.

You can get your copy here.

Source – e-copy kindly sent for review by the publisher