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Title details for Wings of Red by James W. Jennings - Available

Wings of Red

by James W. Jennings
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An inventive and stylish debut written by a Black educator, Wings of Red is a  clear-eyed, funny, imperfect, and observant work of autofiction that grapples with the absurdity of the New York City educational system as a substitute teacher—that, in the end, reads as an ode to the city itself
June Papers is a twenty-eight-year-old MFA grad with a felony record, “the classic young, Black and gifted American misfit.” He’s also a substitute teacher. He’s also homeless. With dreams of becoming a writer, June endures a host of trials and dilemmas as he reluctantly realizes mentoring and teaching might actually be a path forward for him. 
Wings of Red is driven by June’s unique narrative style, a propulsive voice that intimately and vulnerably guides readers through the condemned external reality of a Black educator’s personal and professional world falling apart, and coming together again. 
Populated by a host of true-to-life characters who are attempting to realize their dreams despite precarious professional and financial realities, Wings of Red elucidates the fallacy of the American dream while serving as a reminder of how powerful and necessary autofiction can be. Directed at students and educators but written for any audience, Wings of Red is an inspiring and poetic tour de force and an unexpectedly necessary ode to New York City that features a texture, velocity, and immediacy that speaks to the author's authentic and lived perspective.

  • Creators

  • Publisher

  • Release date

    November 21, 2023

  • Formats

    • Kindle Book

    • OverDrive Read

      • ISBN: 9781593767105

    • EPUB ebook

      • ISBN: 9781593767105
      • File size: 1564 KB

  • Languages

    • English

  • Reviews

    • Library Journal

      June 1, 2023

      In Jennings's debut, a gifted young Black writer with an MFA degree and a felony record struggles with being unhoused even as he works as a substitute teacher in the New York City educational system. Slowly, he begins to recognize that teaching could be a way forward. Prepub Alert.

      Copyright 2023 Library Journal

      Copyright 2023 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

    • Booklist

      November 1, 2023
      Jennings explores the tribulations of a young Black writer as he navigates through a fictionalized New York City in this compelling debut novel. Having just gambled away his rent money, June Papers finds himself homeless and deeply dependent on sporadic substitute teaching assignments and the odd sale of his writings. He journals his way through the city, chronicling his days and their various ebbs and flows. "Once my muse, my lover, my home, and my dream, New City's now my mysteriously unyielding mentor." June identifies as one among many "scribes," transient and lost, perpetually having to choose between realizing his creative potential and surviving life in the city. The narrative voice is the main strength of Jennings' novel, pared down and energetic in the fast pace of June's mutable life, turning more reflective and philosophical as June directly addresses readers, sharing insightful musings about his circumstances. An unexpected optimism propels June forward and the reader along with him. This is a realistic, hopeful, and uniquely told story that will engage fans of Jason Mott, especially Hell of a Book (2021).

      COPYRIGHT(2023) Booklist, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

Formats

  • Kindle Book
  • OverDrive Read
  • EPUB ebook

subjects

Languages

  • English

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