James Hannaham Knihy

After more than twenty years in prison, a trans woman on parole spends a whirlwind Fourth of July weekend in Brooklyn, trying to reconcile with the son she left behind and reunite with a family reluctant to accept her true identity. Carlotta Mercedes has faced misunderstanding her entire life. Initially caught in a robbery gone wrong, she was known by her birth name in Fort Greene, Brooklyn, before gentrification changed the landscape. During her incarceration, she embraced her identity as Carlotta, but prison authorities rejected this, keeping her in an all-male cell block and subjecting her to abuse and solitary confinement. After five attempts, she finally gains conditional freedom and a bus ticket back to a transformed New York City, where she must navigate her past and present. Can she reconnect with her son and family while adhering to stringent parole conditions and staying out of jail? With the same vibrant energy found in Delicious Foods, this novel takes listeners through Brooklyn's streets during a dynamic holiday weekend. It offers an entertaining narrative and a memorable cast of characters while prompting reflection on the injustices of a prison system that continues to punish individuals even after their release.

A moving story of freedom, perseverance, and survival.

Exploring the complexities of morality and the human experience, this narrative offers a heartfelt and humorous glimpse into a character's internal battle to make ethical choices. Through a blend of wit and vulnerability, the story delves into the challenges of navigating life's dilemmas, highlighting the universal struggle to balance personal desires with a sense of responsibility. The journey promises to resonate with readers, inviting them to reflect on their own choices and the intricacies of doing what is right.

From a visual artist and award-winning writer, this book combines prose and images, drawing on the poetry of Fernando Pessoa and the history of air disasters to explore themes like con men, identity politics, leadership failures, privilege, the slave trade, and consciousness. In early 2017, during a flight from Cape Verde to Lisbon, the author began reading Richard Zenith's translation of Pessoa's works, reflecting on the recent presidential election and the prevalent notions of unfitness for service. He was struck by the opening line of Pessoa's poem, "I've never kept sheep/But it's as if I did," which resonated with his thoughts on colonialism and the racialized history of the slave trade. Pessoa's sole published book, Mensagem, celebrated European explorers, prompting the author to respond critically to his work. In Lisbon, he adopted a practice of reading a poem daily, meditating on it, and writing responses in various forms. This book emerges from that creative endeavor, seeking to engage with and reinterpret Pessoa's legacy while addressing contemporary issues.