Wings of Red

by James W. Jennings

An inventive and stylish debut written by a Black educator, Wings of Red is clear-eyed, funny, imperfect, and observant work of autofiction thatgrapples with the absurdity of life in New York City—that, in the end, reads as an ode to the place

June Papers is a twenty-eight-year-old MFA grad with a felony record, “the classic young, Black and gifted American misfit.” He’s also a substitute teacher. He’s also homeless. With dreams of becoming a writer, June endures a host of trials and dilemmas as he reluctantly realizes mentoring and teaching might actually be a path forward for him.

Wings of Red is driven by June’s unique narrative style, a propulsive voice that intimately and vulnerably guides readers through the condemned external reality of a Black educator’s personal and professional world falling apart, and coming together again.

Populated by a host of true-to-life characters who are attempting to realize their dreams despite precarious professional and financial realities, Wings of Red elucidates the fallacy of the American dream while serving as a reminder of how powerful and necessary autofiction can be. Directed at students and educators but written for any audience, Wings of Red is an inspiring and poetic tour de force and an unexpectedly necessary ode to New York City that features a texture, velocity, and immediacy that speaks to the author’s authentic and lived perspective.

Genres: Contemporary, Fiction

240 pages, Paperback

First published July 7, 2020

Reviews

[Kaitlyn · Rating 4 out of 5]

narration style and dry humor remind me of leon from the flatshare

[Beatriz · Rating 5 out of 5]

James W. Jennings created a thrilling book full of adventure, mystery and honesty. I really liked it! You keep connecting with all the characters which is not easy. It is very hard for an author to create empathy between the reader and the characters, but you can expect it in Wings of Red.
I recommend Wings of Red as it is a great novel for us to get to know June Papers a substitute teacher whose dream was to be a successful writer. However, life is unpredictable and he got stuck on another literature field: being a teacher. He could be saddened by it, but he decided to take a chance and be the best teacher possible. June gets to know his students and a great relationship between teacher and students emerge. It is really awesome to read on how a teacher can influence his students and vice versa.
James wrote a great book that brings awareness to really important topics such as racism and slavery. It is wonderful how the value of family gets a whole new perspective and by the end we can feel the love that June has for his students.
Too me this book is a must for this summer. You can expect a roller coaster of emotions and it is really short. Believe me when I tell you that it is addictive, I have read it in a couple days.

[Tina · Rating 4 out of 5]

Last month I read WINGS OF RED by James W. Jennings and I really enjoyed this debut novel! It’s about June, a young Black man, an MFA grad with a felony record who’s recently homeless and works as a substitute teacher. I loved how this book opens with the November setting which perfectly matched when I was reading this book. I loved the structured writing which has 12 chapters in each of the four parts. I loved how this novel is autofiction and Jennings draws on his own experiences as an artist and educator in New York City. The novel’s setting of New City adds a fictional element. I enjoyed how this story focuses on June’s survival in the everyday sense as he’s still working while homeless and taking it day by day, seeing friends and maintaining his artistic practice of journaling. The strong community he has with his friends, family and students is uplifting.

Thank you to Soft Skull Press for my gifted review copy!

[Thomas Rhodes · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.75

[Vaiishnavi · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wings of Red is a deeply thought-provoking novel written by James W.Jennings featuring a black substitute teacher named June Papers. Although June has always dreamed of becoming an established writer and succeeding in the writing industry, life had other ideas in mind. Instead of becoming a wildly successful author, he is pretty much homeless and the only minds he can enlighten are the students that he teaches as a substitute teacher. Just when he is given a way out of New York, he is brought back by the thought of his family, specifically his Nana and her financial struggles. As the days go by, he finds himself connecting more with his estranged family members, enriching the lives of his students and most importantly, desperately searching for his place and value in the world.

The writing style in this book is excellent, it covers important topics including slavery, racism, capitalism, lack of purpose in life and the importance of family. Apart from that, the character of the protagonist was fleshed out very well, he had a great narrative voice and an interesting story that will keep readers engaged. Moving on, there is also a massive character development for June and his perspective on his life that is enthralling to read about. However, I must admit that the book seems directionless in the first couple of chapters and it did not have a clear story. Although I understand that this book is meant for readers who enjoy reading books such as these, it will appeal to simple readers much more if there was clearer direction and well-explained characters. The ending, in particular, was nice but was a little disappointing as June accepts his role as a substitute teacher and learns that he can do good but even that seems like a waste of his potential. As a whole, this book was not my cup of tea but it was a valuable read nonetheless and I would recommend it to others.

[Antonia · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting but I wouldn’t read again

[Luke Patrick · Rating 4 out of 5]

I had the great pleasure of going to the book release party for “Wings of Red” at McNally Jackson in Seaport and I got to meet James W. Jennings. He’s the man.

I really enjoyed this book. It’s auto-fiction, which I also tend to write a lot of. The story is of June a substitute teacher who is homeless as he navigates life in New City, a stand-in for New York City.

Jennings writes about love, everyday life, and survival as it pertains to living in this city. The novel doesn’t rely on a traditional plot to keep everything moving, but rather follows June through the course of a lot of life events. Because doesn’t know where he’s going to stay on many of the nights it doesn’t lose the plot either. It meanders and the form matches the content where I think we see June meander a bit too.

There are plenty of minor characters, parties, students playing basketball, trips to Martha’s Vineyard where June is from that keep the pacing chugging along.

Jenning’s prose is well-done. The man can definitely write. He captures dialogue well and in moments captures the cultural moment of that 2010-2020 era flawlessly. You can tell that he loves and cares about culture and art. Not even mentioning how much he cares about humanity. The love pours out from the pages and it’s really beautiful to witness.

Here were some reasons I didn’t give it a full five stars.
-I found myself lost a few times. Specifically sometimes there were a lot of characters or the dialogue didn’t work. For every nine times the dialogue really worked there was one where it didn’t for me.
-I thought the ending didn’t full seal the deal for me. I was left wondering what it all means at the end of the day. And it’s not that I need meaning force-fed to me but I didn’t see the ending building or entering a new space or doing something different. The ending scene could’ve been at the beginning of the book and I don’t think it would’ve changed things for me.

But those are my thoughts I think you should check this book out. And definitely keep your eyes peeled for this guy I think he’s going to get better and better.

Thanks for reading.

-Luke

[K.E Wilhelm · Rating 3 out of 5]

Jennings does an excellent job capturing a dark and gritty cityscape while simultaneously portraying every day interactions that feel genuine. Characters that you root for and wonder what they’re up to now. The authors authentic voice really shone through, there’s a few parts that made me laugh out loud and reminisce about my old days in Montgomery County Public. The author clearly cares a lot about his students. My high school definitely needed a Mr. Jennings/Papers. About half-way the narrative disintegrated and lost traction/plot, a few of the chapters felt like wordy opinion pieces or drawn out lessons as if we were one of his students that he was lecturing. There are incredible chapters, especially a few that described the sensation of dissociation in perhaps one of the most accurate descriptions of the feeling, that I’ve ever read.

[Kaitlyn M · Rating 4 out of 5]

“What else is there?” The theme that drives this story as the protagonist, June, searches for meaning amidst his homelessness and unstable job situation. Jennings has a very unique and strong syntax that carries through the book. He uses just the right mix of sentences and fragments to make the reader feel like we are in June’s stream of consciousness — the journals he continues to write in to not forget. Jennings also blends our world, his world, and June’s world to create this fascinating reality shift that was fun to read. Overall I enjoyed the way this book read and Jennings did a great job.

[Greg · Rating 5 out of 5]

June Papers is a college-educated homeless young man working (when he can) as a substitute teacher in NYC. Sounds pretty grim. Doesn't it? Well, think again. Traveling with June through his days is fun, funny, and especially uplifting. He loves the city, his family on Martha's Vineyard, the kids he teaches, his friends, journaling, and basketball. His heart is definitely in the right place and you find yourself routing for him to make it, until you realize he already has.

[Alan · Rating 5 out of 5]

An eye-opening book. We never know what's going on in someone else's life. So, be kind, be humble, and be prepared to be wrong.

I wish I'd read this book when I was teaching. It would have made a difference in how I looked at my students--and my fellow teachers. It would have made a difference in how I taught.

[Janet Roberts · Rating 3 out of 5]

Nice read. I felt grateful for the many cultural words and references the author translated to standard English or I would have been lost. Still there were places where it was hard to follow. And other places where the prose and description was impactful and heart-rending.

[Connie Giese · Rating 4 out of 5]

What a great story! Thoroughly enjoyed watching June's daily life unfold as a sometimes substitute teacher who is coping with staying in touch with friends and family while being homeless. It was gritty and truthful and inspirational all at same time!

[Laura · Rating 4 out of 5]

The protagonist of this novel, "New City" substitute teacher June Papers, a writer who hides his homelessness, felt very real. I appreciated seeing life through his perspective, joining his days spent teaching and with friends and extended family and his nights wandering the city and writing.

[tay.orbits · Rating 3 out of 5]

Loved the way this book was written, but at times, I was confused as to what exactly was going on in the story. Other than that, it was a beautifully written book, but I don't see myself rereading this book in the near future.

[Laurel Kane · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow. Just wow.

[Desiree J · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting at some parts, excruciatingly boring at the next. Felt like I was reading someone’s journal -It’s not for me. Also why not just say New York City?

[Charity P. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Autofiction. I can dig it! Give it a try.

[Amelia Kassing · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5 ⭐️