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A broken people's playlist : stories (from songs)  Cover Image Book Book

A broken people's playlist : stories (from songs) / Chimeka Garricks.

Garricks, Chimeka, (author.).

Summary:

"A fresh, crackling, interlinked collection of short fiction, set among the denizens of Nigeria's Port Harcourt and inspired by a playlist of beloved pop songs. A Broken People's Playlist is the soundtrack of life, comprised of twelve music-inspired tales about love, the human condition, micro-moments, and the search for meaning and sometimes, redemption. It is also Chimeka Garricks's love letter to his native city, Port Harcourt, the setting of most of the stories.In these loosely interlocked tales, Garricks introduces a cast of indelible characters. There is a teenage wannabe-DJ eager to play his first gig even as his family disastrously falls apart -- who reappears many years later as an unhappy middle-aged man drunk-calling his ex-wife; a man who throws a living funeral for his dying brother; three friends who ponder penis captivus and one's peculiar erectile dysfunction; a troubled woman who tries to find her peace-place in the world, helped by a headful of songs and a pot of ginger tea. No matter how sad or dark, the tales in A Broken People's Playlist brim with life-affirming humanity and empathy. Each character, despite their circumstances or deeds, is deserving of some kindness, forgiveness, and love. As Garrick explains, "I like to think that the stories are a strong reminder of what it means to be human, flawed, complicated, ugly-beautiful, sometimes doomed but mostly, hopeful for redemption.""-- Provided by publisher.

Record details

  • ISBN: 9780063268180 (hardcover)
  • ISBN: 0063268183 (hardcover)
  • Physical Description: 212 pages ; 22 cm
  • Publisher: New York, NY : Harpervia, an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers, 2023.

Content descriptions

General Note:
Originally published as A Broken People's Playlist in Nigeria in 2020 by Masobe Books.
Formatted Contents Note:
Track list. Lost stars (Adam Levine) -- Music (Erick Sermon & Marvin Gaye) -- Hurt (Johnny Cash) -- Song for someone (U2) -- In the city (Brymo) -- I put a spell on you (Nina Simone) -- I'd die without you (P.M. Dawn) -- Beautiful war (Kings of Leon) -- River (Leon Bridges) -- Love's divine (Seal) -- Desperado (Eagles) -- You suppose to know (Bez ft. Yemi Alade).
Subject: Port Harcourt (Nigeria) > Fiction.
Genre: Short stories.
Linked stories.

Available copies

  • 1 of 1 copy available at Kenton County.

Holds

  • 0 current holds with 1 total copy.
Show Only Available Copies
Location Call Number / Copy Notes Barcode Shelving Location Status Due Date
Covington Branch GARRI C (Text) 33126025073069 Adult Fiction Available -

  • Baker & Taylor
    An interlinked collection of short fiction is set among the denizens of Nigeria's Port Harcourt and inspired by a playlist of beloved pop songs.
  • Baker & Taylor
    An interlinked collection of short fiction is set among the denizens of Nigeria’s Port Harcourt and inspired by a playlist of beloved pop songs. 25,000 first printing.
  • HARPERCOLL

    "A dozen interlinked, music-oriented stories set in Port Harcourt, Nigeria, where Garricks was raised... Each songlike story feels like a breakout hit encapsulating the brokenness and the beauty in life’s soundtrack."—Booklist, starred review

    “Beautifully woven . . . a magical delight.”—Hari Kunzru, author of White Tears

    A Broken People’s Playlist is set to the soundtrack of life, comprised of twelve music-inspired tales about love, the human condition, micro-moments, and the search for meaning and sometimes, redemption. It is also Chimeka Garricks’s love letter to his native city, Port Harcourt, introducing us to a cast of indelible characters in these loosely interlocked tales.

    There is the teenage wannabe-DJ eager to play his first gig even as his family disastrously falls apart—who reappears many years later as an unhappy middle-aged man drunk-calling his ex-wife; a man who throws a living funeral for his dying brother; three friends who ponder penis captivus and one’s peculiar erectile dysfunction; a troubled woman who tries to find her peace-place in the world, helped by a headful of songs and a pot of ginger tea.

    Infused with the author’s resonant and evocative storytelling, each page holds “the depth of a novel” (Hari Kunzru); a character, a moment that will—like a favorite song—long linger in the heart and mind.


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