Popular Culture

Throughout the collection, popular culture represents ways in which characters connect with identity, and more specifically with a sense of self. There are several references to characters whose external behavior is closely tied to popular culture, or becomes closely tied: examples include the title story. There are also several references to characters whose identity is entirely defined by their relationship to popular culture, and more specifically to social media. Particularly vivid examples include the trilogy of stories in the middle of the collection in which their central characters see themselves as completely defined by the reactions they get in environments like YouTube, Facebook, and Instagram. That trilogy includes "The Subject of Consumption", "Suicide, Watch", and "Whisper to a Scream".

Black Culture and History

As the book develops its overall thematic interest in day-to-day black life in America, it frequently offers references to black culture and...