What a crazy month it’s been! Ever since COVID-19 began, every month has felt like a decade but this month, with all its political upheaval and powerful protests, Book-Twitter exploding, and everything else going on in the world, July had enough happening that future children will probably need an entire semester to cover these four weeks in history class in a few decades’ time.
For that reason, we decided to join in the millions of people trying to educate themselves and opted for A Phoenix First Must Burn, a collection of short stories featuring Black women and gender nonconforming individuals. The short stories gave our fellow members a short reprieve from the mess that is the outside world yet simultaneously helped us to educate ourselves and diversify our reading.
As with any anthology, there were some in our group that adored every single short story, others who decided to stick to those stories from authors they’d read and loved in the past, while the rest went about it randomly and let fate (and in my case: a pair of dice) decide which story to read next. It’s the beauty of anthologies that you get to encounter new voices that you might not have picked up on your own, like an all-you-can-eat buffet. There are those who will only put that on their plate that they’re familiar with and those who think, hey, if I can try it all, I’m going to go for it!
From folktales to science fiction, magic and epic journeys, A Phoenix First Must Burn is an amazing anthology of stories full of love and strength, family, and friendships that hold strong in the face of adversity. Like the phoenix rising from the ashes, these characters have a lot to face and fear but they emerge, though battered and bruised, victorious at the end.
It certainly gave us all a boost of motivation and encouraged us to go out there and make this world a better, more inclusive place, until all phoenixes are equal.
Sixteen tales from loved household names of fantasy like Dhonielle Clayton and Danielle Paige to acclaimed contemporary authors like Elizabeth Acevedo and Amerie, all the way to unforgettable and surprising tales from Somaiya Daud, Justina Ireland, Ibi Zoboi, and so many more, this anthology has something for everyone!
Thinking of joining the official The Nerd Daily Book Club? Head on over to our Goodreads page and come chat! Our August pick is Ismée Williams’ phenomenal novel This Train Is Being Held and we’ll even have a live show with the author herself at the end of the month!
