When Trying to Return Home: StoriesA dazzling debut collection spanning a century of Black American and Afro Latino life in Puerto Rico, Pittsburgh, Louisiana, Miami, and beyond and an evocative meditation on belonging, the meaning of home, and how we secure freedom on our own terms Profoundly moving and powerful, the stories in When Trying to Return Home dig deeply into the question of belonging. A young woman is torn between overwhelming love for her mother and the need to break free

unconditional love

human and spirit

assassination attempts from unknown quarters

Grandma worries others won't see him as quite so cute now that he's older

Steadfast in her quest for understanding

and it even shows up in the most important relationship you will ever have--the one with yourself

And there's no doubt their connection has them both seeing stars

Two hundred years after Cinderella found her prince

Charity and Mary Alyce

Devale and Khadeen Ellis have been through a lot

Milo imagines her in a grand cathedral ceremony

as well as the consequences of motherless-ness