N. K. Jemisin's The City We Became is a science fiction novel that unpacks the complex permeation of racism in American culture and the movement to dismantle it, by framing it as an archetypal fight of good versus evil. The third-person narrator follows the avatars of New York City's boroughs as they battle against the Enemy, a Lovecraftian monster, and unite to save their city from obliteration. Jemisin explores themes of racism, white privilege, and insurgence throughout the novel.
