The Black Girl Survives in This One - by Desiree S Evans & Saraciea J Fennell (Hardcover)

About the Book

Book Synopsis

INSTANT INDIE BESTSELLER!
Locus Award Winner
Ignyte Award Finalist

"This anthology makes a statement: Black women belong in horror...Projects like this -- brave, necessary -- celebrate Black women, and will hopefully inspire the future of the genre." --The New York Times Book Review

A YA anthology of horror stories centering Black girls who battle monsters, both human and supernatural, and who survive to the end

Be warned, dear reader: The Black girls survive in this one.

Celebrating a new generation of bestselling and acclaimed Black writers, The Black Girl Survives in This One makes space for Black girls in horror. Fifteen chilling and thought-provoking stories place Black girls front and center as heroes and survivors who slay monsters, battle spirits, and face down death. Prepare to be terrified and left breathless by the pieces in this anthology.

The bestselling and acclaimed authors include Erin E. Adams, Monica Brashears, Charlotte Nicole Davis, Desiree S. Evans, Saraciea J. Fennell, Zakiya Dalila Harris, Daka Hermon, Justina Ireland, L.L. McKinney, Brittney Morris, Maika & Maritza Moulite, Eden Royce, and Vincent Tirado. The foreword is by Tananarive Due.

Review Quotes

INSTANT INDIE BESTSELLER!

Locus Award Winner

Ignyte Award Finalist

A Most Anticipated Book (Good Morning America, BookPage, Goodreads, Latinx in Publishing, School Library Journal, and more!)

A Kirkus Best Book of the Year

An IndieNext Pick

Featured on NPR's "All Things Considered"

"Some anthologies are more than the sum of their parts. The Black Girl Survives in This One is one of them. A wonderful young adult collection of uncanny tales, this anthology makes a statement: Black women belong in horror...Projects like this -- brave, necessary -- celebrate Black women, and will hopefully inspire the future of the genre." --The New York Times Book Review

"This book is going to make you feel things--namely, fear. You might also feel hopeful, considering this horror anthology features Black girls in stories that don't end poorly (for them). You'll see them fighting demons, witches, and generational curses, showing Black girls always know how to save themselves (and this world too). If that isn't enough to persuade you, they got the queen of horror herself, Tananarive Due, to pen the foreword." --Good Morning America

"The Black Girl Survives in This One is changing the literary horror canon...defying the old tropes that would box Black people in as support characters or victims...These are the kind of stories that stick with you long after you've read them...Each protagonist is totally unique and the overall cast of both characters and writers diverse... And even though we know the Black girl survives, the end is still a shock, because the real question is how." --Associated Press

"Horror has not traditionally been kind to characters of color. Evans and Fennell's anthology is sure to become a key text in the Black horror renaissance working to correct that injustice...A sprawling survey of horror's various subsections, every one refreshed by the Black female gaze...The best of [the stories] pose a question that underlies the entire anthology: Is surviving the same thing as having a happy ending?" --Esquire (Best Horror Books of 2024)

"Modern horror audiences are lucky to witness all the fresh, exciting ways in which the genre continues to evolve, and The Black Girl Survives in This One promises to push the Final Girl trope toward new horizons that will thrill and terrify readers." --BookPage

"A long overdue YA anthology that puts the formulaic roles of Black characters in the
horror realm to rest...Each short story speaks to the strength, courage, and resilience of Black girls, showcasing their ability to navigate shadowy macabre, and transcends mere representation, emphatically commanding space in a genre for characters who have historically been omitted or expendable." --The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books

"Bucking old and tired tropes, here is an anthology of short horror stories for young adults all starring Black girls, and spoiler alert, they all survive! But just because we know that they live to see the next day doesn't mean there is any lack of suspense or terror." --BookRiot.com

"A love letter to the horror genre...The Black Girl Survives in This One ensnared me almost immediately." --Culturess

"Defying the genre's preference for centering white heroines, this collection features Black girls who are fighters and survivors, breakers of generational curses and slayers of evil. . . .This collection provides much-needed representation of Black girls who refuse to be martyrs, sassy sidekicks, or casualties on the path to a white character's inevitable triumph. An engaging volume that breathes necessary life into the horror genre, showcasing the best of what goes bump in the night." --Kirkus (starred review)

"Unforgettable...Using authentic voices to detail Black experiences through a horror lens, debut creator Evans and Fennell (Wild Tongues Can't Be Tamed) aim to ensure that Black girls survive their gruesome respective situations via a stellar lineup of 15 Black writers... Through vivid dialogue and descriptions of ancestral practices like hoodoo, Black culture remains at the forefront of each story." --Publishers Weekly (starred review)

"This short story collection delivers exactly what it promises--five chilling tales where Black girls survive heart-pounding encounters with werebeasts, demons, zombies, and MLMs...With an incredible lineup of Black YA authors...each story presents a quick but vivid portrait of a different Black girl who must use her strength and smarts to grapple with malicious forces, both supernatural and manmade...A rich short story collection for any teen horror fan, especially those who are tired of the same old tropes." --School Library Journal (starred review)

"Creepy space suits, revolutionary werewolves, dance parties you should NOT have in a cemetery, and fox hunts gone very wrong--this book serves up fifteen different flavors of horror in fresh, spine-tingling, frightful tales. But the best part? No matter how harrowing and creepy, through her own genius, wit, the ancestors, proper moisturizer, and whole lotta 'Nope!'--THE BLACK GIRL SURVIVES IN THIS ONE. Each and every time. And I'm here for it." --P. Djèlí Clark, author of Ring Shout

"Full of brilliant and bone-chilling stories that kept my eyes glued to the pages. The Black Girl Survives In This One is the anthology I've been waiting for." --Alexis Henderson, author of The Year of the Witching

About the Author

Desiree S. Evans (editor) is a writer from the Louisiana bayou. She currently lives in New Orleans, where she spins spooky and fantastical tales for kids, teens, and adults. Desiree holds an MFA in Fiction from the Michener Center for Writers at The University of Texas at Austin, as well as degrees in journalism from Northwestern University and international affairs from Columbia University. Connect with Desiree on her website at desiree-evans.com and on Instagram/Twitter at @literarydesiree.

Saraciea J. Fennell (editor) is a Black Honduran American writer, founder of The Bronx is Reading, and creator of Honduran Garifuna Writers. She is also a book publicist who has worked with many award-winning and New York Times bestselling authors. She is the editor of the nonfiction anthology, Wild Tongues Can't Be Tamed, and her work has appeared in Popsugar, Refinery29, and Culturess, among others. Sign up for her newsletter, Black Girl Dreaming, on Substack for more of her writing. She lives in the Bronx with her family and black poodle, Oreo.

Contributors:
Camara Aaron
Erin E. Adams
Monica Brashears
Charlotte Nicole Davis
Zakiya Dalila Harris
Daka Hermon
Justina Ireland
L.L. McKinney
Brittney Morris
Maika & Maritza Moulite
Kortney Nash
Eden Royce
Vincent Tirado
Tananarive Due (foreword)