Ring Shout by P. Djeli Clark, 4 stars [bwf][Steeplechase]

[NancyJ]

This book is brilliant despite the gory parts. I’m not a fan of horror, but it’s short so I took a chance. Set in 1922 Georgia, this book gives a real flavor of the times and a strong sense of place. The audio is a little jarring at times, but the dialect and music put me right into that era, with speakeasies and negro spirituals*. I really liked the Black heroines in the book, and their relationships. There are many clever themes in the book, but as a movie buff, I appreciated the social commentary showing the power of film to instill fear and hate in people. In 1915, The Birth of a Nation was likely the first film many people ever saw in their lives. It portrays the Ku Klux Klan as heroes, and it’s considered by some to be the most racist film ever made. Seeing is believing, so when thousands of people saw black men and women viciously attacking white people, they believed the images that were seared into their brains. Lynching and the Klan were glorified as the saviors in the film. This film inflamed or created racist attitudes and violence against black people. It helped the Klan grow in size and stature.

The book begins in 1922 when the film was set to be released again. The heroes of our story are a group of black women who are monster fighters in this alternate history story. One of the women fought in WWI disguised as a man, and each woman brings different talents or weapons to the fight. Some are magical. The monsters are Ku kluxes who have devoured Klan members, and are disguised in their midst. They feed on hate, and the film is a mass weapon used to recruit more members and make more monsters. The main character must face a psychological fight over her own fear and memories, while trying to outfox the monster that plans to recruit her. There are other historical and fantasy references about this time and culture that I might have missed, but that others will appreciate.

*Audio note. While I liked the songs and the flavor of the audio, there were times toward the end when wished I had a print copy. I did not like the monster’s voices and gory fighting sounds. Other wimps like me might prefer a print version.

I like film history, and that’s one of the reasons I chose the book. The Birth of a Nation is still lauded for its role in film history, and its technical innovations in film and propaganda. The way key images were connected dramatically heightened the emotional impact of the scenes in which the Klan saved the white people. Some of those techniques are still used today in thrillers and war films. We might argue that it’s just a film and not based on reality, but how many people could have made that distinction 100 years ago? Images still have power to influence us.

[Jen K]

Great review! I really appreciated this one too. There is so much in such a short book.

I definitely agree that images are very powerful tools and this one especially so.