Brittney Morris’ debut novel, SLAY is an absolute must-read. I devoured the book in a day because it was so good I couldn’t put it down. Brittney recently announced her next book, The Cost of Knowing and once you read her thread discussing this upcoming book, you will want to add this to your TBR immediately. Brittney’s powerful words speak for themselves and do not require any additional commentary, so without further ado.
Here’s Why You Should Read The Cost of Knowing by Brittney Morris
It feels weird announcing ANYTHING right now, but especially something I’m excited about and proud of, and ESPECIALLY especially something that took everything out of me emotionally, just to get it on paper. But here’s why I’m talking about it now…
— Brittney M. Morris (Xenobiologist 🚀) (@BrittneyMMorris) June 5, 2020
This title sums up the half of being Black that SLAY didn’t cover: the weight of our history and our future. The toll it takes spiritually just to exist as a Black person in America. The toll most non-Black people don’t seem to know about.
— Brittney M. Morris (Xenobiologist 🚀) (@BrittneyMMorris) June 5, 2020
I’m NOT talking about overt racism: the hand motions, the slurs, the comparisons to animals, the threats, or even the microaggressions.
— Brittney M. Morris (Xenobiologist 🚀) (@BrittneyMMorris) June 5, 2020
I’m talking about waking up every day with the knowledge that the trauma our ancestors suffered through—the fire hoses, the dogs, the assassinations, the arrests, the lynchings, and the segregation—was endured for OUR benefit, so we could have a chance at a better life.
— Brittney M. Morris (Xenobiologist 🚀) (@BrittneyMMorris) June 5, 2020
Having that trauma in our history can bring the notion that if we don’t make something of ourselves, we’ll be wasting the sacrifices of a whole lotta people who had us on their mind even as they offered their wrists up to be handcuffed.
— Brittney M. Morris (Xenobiologist 🚀) (@BrittneyMMorris) June 5, 2020
It’s walking around seeing our future spelled out on the news. Being Black in America means knowing if we’re not careful, our lives could end w/a nervous white woman’s phone call, an angry white man’s shotgun, or a cop’s bullet (or knee). And by “careful,” I mean “nonexistent.”
— Brittney M. Morris (Xenobiologist 🚀) (@BrittneyMMorris) June 5, 2020
And that’s only IF we skirt the other statistics: the school to prison pipeline, mass incarceration, high blood pressure, maternal death, and countless other things that the world tells us we might be destined for.
— Brittney M. Morris (Xenobiologist 🚀) (@BrittneyMMorris) June 5, 2020
Sometimes waking up Black is dope as anything. I LOVE my skin. I love my hair. I love my culture. I love my people. But it’s a lot to carry sometimes.
— Brittney M. Morris (Xenobiologist 🚀) (@BrittneyMMorris) June 5, 2020
Intergenerational trauma is not to be born alone. This book focuses on the importance of healing in the Black community, especially among Black men and boys, and how we can invite them into mental health conversations in a way that’s accessible and intersectional.
— Brittney M. Morris (Xenobiologist 🚀) (@BrittneyMMorris) June 5, 2020
How do you invite someone to open up about their deeply-seeded trauma when they may have had to be the “man of the house” since childhood, and all their life they’ve learned to suppress their emotions? Where does one even begin unpacking all of that? It can feel impossible.
— Brittney M. Morris (Xenobiologist 🚀) (@BrittneyMMorris) June 5, 2020
My second book, therefore, is a love letter to Black men in particular, especially the ones who had to grow up too fast in a world where they were born sandwiched between the trauma of our past and the anxiety of our future.
— Brittney M. Morris (Xenobiologist 🚀) (@BrittneyMMorris) June 5, 2020
A love letter that says, “It’s okay to still be learning who you are,” “It’s okay to not know how to open up,” “It’s okay to feel like it’s too much,” “It’s okay to feel like your very existence is costing you peace,” and “You shouldn’t have to bear that cost alone.”
— Brittney M. Morris (Xenobiologist 🚀) (@BrittneyMMorris) June 5, 2020
Two brothers are cursed. Alex can see the future. Isaiah can see the past. When Alex, the older, sees a vision of Isaiah dying in a few days, cue a race against time to track where this family curse came from & figure out what it means to be a Black boy in the present.
— Brittney M. Morris (Xenobiologist 🚀) (@BrittneyMMorris) June 5, 2020
Introducing, THE COST OF KNOWING. Spring 2021.
Goodreads: https://t.co/xILuK3ouX5 pic.twitter.com/ITN6dzVoX4
— Brittney M. Morris (Xenobiologist 🚀) (@BrittneyMMorris) June 5, 2020
Now, check out the cover and read an excerpt from The Cost of Knowing that EW exclusively revealed.
.@BrittneyMMorris‘ next book, ‘The Cost of Knowing,’ follows a 16-year-old struggling to keep up with the demands of his part-time job, his girlfriend, and his little brother. Oh, and he can see into the future. https://t.co/BVevv7lPyM
— Entertainment Weekly (@EW) July 20, 2020
Let’s take a look at the cover a little bit closer!
This cover is breathtaking. Also, the symbolism of the brothers each looking a different direction to show their abilities to see both past and future is just so perfectly illustrated by artist Alvin Epps.
