"The magic here is not the supernatural kind, but rather an attention to the grace of the ordinary. It is the magic of watching these women come into their power."- New York Times
"The magic here is not the supernatural kind, but rather an attention to the grace of the ordinary. It is the magic of watching these women come into their power."-New York Times
"The magic here is not the supernatural kind, but rather an attention to the grace of the ordinary. It is the magic of watching these women come into their power."- New York Times
"The magic here is not the supernatural kind, but rather an attention to the grace of the ordinary. It is the magic of watching these women come into their power."-New York Times
A GMA Buzz Pick!
A Most Anticipated Book by Essence The Millions Atlantic Journal Constitution Bustle BookPage Nashville Scene A Best Book of February by Washington Post NylonIn this glittering triptych novel, Suzette, Maple and Agnes, three Black women with albinism, call Shreveport, Louisiana home. At the bustling crossroads of the American South and Southwest, these three women find themselves at the crossroads of their own lives. Suzette, a pampered twenty-year-old, has been sheltered from the outside world since a dangerous childhood encounter. Now, a budding romance with a sweet mechanic allows Suzette to seek independence, which unleashes dark reactions in those closest to her. In discovering her autonomy, Suzette is forced to decide what she is willing to sacrifice in order to make her own way in the world.Maple is reeling from the unsolved murder of her free-spirited mother. She flees the media circus and her judgmental grandmother by shutting herself off from the world in a spare room of the motel where she works. One night, at a party, Maple connects with Chad, someone who may understand her pain more than she realizes, and she discovers that the key to her mother's death may be within her reach.Agnes is far from home, working yet another mind-numbing job. She attracts the interest of a lonely security guard and army veteran who's looking for a traditional life for himself and his young son. He's convinced that she wields a certain "magic," but Agnes soon unleashes a power within herself that will shock them both and send her on a trip to confront not only her family and her past, but also herself. This novel, told in three parts, is a searing meditation on grief, female strength, and self-discovery set against a backdrop of complicated social and racial histories. Nobody's Magic is a testament to the power of family-the ones you're born in and the ones you choose. And in these three narratives, among the yearning and loss, each of these women may find a seed of hope for the future.“"With Nobody's Magic, Destiny Birdsong has given us a devastatingly beautiful, sexy, searing gift. I fell in love with the women Birdsong conjured so brilliantly. These are stunning, irresistible stories of Southern Black womanhood that I will return to again and again." -- Deesha Philyaw, author of National Book Award 2020 finalist The Secret Life of Church Ladies”
"Destiny O. Birdsong is so amazing at creating distinct voices and experiences, even as she weaves common threads through all of the stories. There's romance and a familial drama and examinations of identity, and though there's nothing quite supernatural, it creates a magic entirely its own."--Kevin Wilson, author of Nothing to See Here
"Reading Negotiations is like walking into a boxing match with an indefatigable fighter; you will be struck, and it will hurt. But for all of its ferocity in how it grapples with womanhood, sexuality, assault, and race, this collection is also full of wonder. Of forgiveness. Of tenderness, the like of which, ultimately, delivers the most powerful sucker punch."--Elizabeth Acevedo, National Book Award winning author of The Poet X (praise for Negotiations)
"Birdsong portrays her main characters as individuals with their own heart and soul, searching for family, love, acceptance, and independence."--Library Journal (Starred Review)
"Birdsong's experimentation with form disrupts ideas about what can be accomplished in the space of a novel, and whose story that novel can be. She gives other debut novelists permission to paint beyond the edge of the canvas."--Electric Literature
"Birdsong has brilliantly crafted three coming-of-age stories that glimmer with passion and purpose."--Atlanta Journal-Constitution
"Birdsong's writing is spellbinding and had us completely losing track of time each time we sat down to read."--Greatist
"It is a book that transfixes and mesmerizes, so much that you find yourself staying up until the wee hours of the morning so enthralled you can't put it down."--Electric Literature
"[Birdsong] hasn't just written good stories, but searing ones with unforgettable characters. These three women are so distinct and real they will undoubtedly be remembered by readers years later, the hallmark of iconic characters. Readers will come to love and know these three women so deeply, they'll immediately recognize Nobody's Magic's characters if they see a Suzette & Maple & Agnes t-shirt--and likely want one, too."--Chicago Review of Books
"A powerful portrait of womanhood and the beautiful mess that comes along with it.... It's a stunning read."--Associated Press
"Birdsong's novel is a searing meditation on grief, female strength and self-discovery and is perfect for fans of the film Moonlight by Barry Jenkins."--Good Morning America, GMA Buzz Pick
"Destiny O. Birdsong brings poetic beauty to her first novel, Nobody's Magic... The book is a feat of voice and storytelling."--Shondaland
"Hopeful and powerful."--Ms. Magazine
"The characters personalities are so distinct and written so realistically, you'll feel like you've been invited into a friend's life, and you're rooting for them to make it."--BookRiot
"The region is vividly portrayed, the voices so startlingly real you'll think the characters are sitting right next to you. Sexy, gritty, unapologetic, this one will be talked about all year."--Parnassus Musing
"Birdsong's prose sings with a poet's sensibility, so each story is carried along with pitch-perfect rhythm and nuanced understanding of human foibles. In the end, Agnes, Suzette, and Maple are true to themselves, stepping into their own power and defying predictable solutions."--Chapter 16/Humanities Tennessee
"Bold."--Nylon
"With voices that are appealingly modern and distinct, the three women face hardships complicated by a history of racial and social injustice."--The Washington Post
"The magic here is not the supernatural kind, but rather an attention to the grace of the ordinary. It is the magic of watching these women come into their power."--New York Times
"Birdsong imbues the characters with palpable emotions and crafts spot-on dialogue, conveying vernacular speech with layers of pathos and wit. It's a stunning achievement."--Publishers Weekly (Starred Review)
"Masterfully crafted... Nobody's Magic is worth reading simply to spend time with these women, but the thoughtful and unexpected way that Birdsong combines their three unique stories into one is what makes the book unforgettable."--BookPage
"With Nobody's Magic, Destiny Birdsong has given us a devastatingly beautiful, sexy, searing gift. I fell in love with the women Birdsong conjured so brilliantly. These are stunning, irresistible stories of Southern Black womanhood that I will return to again and again."
--Deesha Philyaw, author of National Book Award 2020 finalist The Secret Life of Church LadiesDestiny O. Birdsong's writing has appeared in The Paris Review, African American Review, and Catapult, among other publications. She has received the Academy of American Poets Prize and the Richard G. Peterson Poetry Prize. Her critically-acclaimed debut collection of poems, Negotiations, was longlisted for the 2021 PEN/Voelcker Award and published by Tin House Books.
A GMA Buzz Pick! A Most Anticipated Book by Essence The Millions Atlantic Journal Constitution Bustle BookPage Nashville Scene A Best Book of February by Washington Post Nylon In this glittering triptych novel, Suzette, Maple and Agnes, three Black women with albinism, call Shreveport, Louisiana home. At the bustling crossroads of the American South and Southwest, these three women find themselves at the crossroads of their own lives. Suzette, a pampered twenty-year-old, has been sheltered from the outside world since a dangerous childhood encounter. Now, a budding romance with a sweet mechanic allows Suzette to seek independence, which unleashes dark reactions in those closest to her. In discovering her autonomy, Suzette is forced to decide what she is willing to sacrifice in order to make her own way in the world.Maple is reeling from the unsolved murder of her free-spirited mother. She flees the media circus and her judgmental grandmother by shutting herself off from the world in a spare room of the motel where she works. One night, at a party, Maple connects with Chad, someone who may understand her pain more than she realizes, and she discovers that the key to her mother's death may be within her reach.Agnes is far from home, working yet another mind-numbing job. She attracts the interest of a lonely security guard and army veteran who's looking for a traditional life for himself and his young son. He's convinced that she wields a certain "magic," but Agnes soon unleashes a power within herself that will shock them both and send her on a trip to confront not only her family and her past, but also herself.This novel, told in three parts, is a searing meditation on grief, female strength, and self-discovery set against a backdrop of complicated social and racial histories. Nobody's Magic is a testament to the power of family-the ones you're born in and the ones you choose. And in these three narratives, among the yearning and loss, each of these women may find a seed of hope for the future.
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