Hair Cut Stories

Two world wars, the Civil Rights movement, and a Jheri curl later, Blacks in America continue to have a complex and convoluted relationship with their hair. From the antebellum practice of shaving the head in an attempt to pass as a "free" person to the 2013 uproar over an Ohio school that banned Afro puffs, the issues surrounding Black hair continue to linger as we move through the 21stst century.

From an acclaimed and original writer comes a new collection of stories bursting with absurdist plot twists and laced with trenchant wit. The title story delivers a cringingly biting dissection of racial attitudes in contemporary America, and Clarke also turns his eagle eye to subjects like PTSD, the fate of child actors, and, most especially, marital discord in stories like "Considering Lizzie Borden, Her Axe, My Wife" and "The Misunderstandings".

This is a story about a little girl who is getting a professional haircut for the very first time.

“I’ll show you,” she said. She unzipped the backpack she was holding and brought out some items. Andrew could recognize most of the things she pulled out of the bag. There were an overall, shaving sticks, clippers, combs, and other usual tools that barbers made us of. But it was the items she held up that he could not understand. “What are those?" “What do they look like?" she asked as she tossed them over to him.

It’s the morning of Nana’s wedding, and Deji and Daddy need haircuts – right away! Join them on a race against the clock to make sure they look slick just in time to walk Nana down the aisle. This story features a fun and heart-warming portrayal of the quality time spent between parent and child.

Tyrone loves his hair and all the cool shapes he can make with it. No clippers are coming anywher near him! But after an afternoon diving through the leaves in the park, Grandad Cleveland and Mum think it's time for a trip to the barbers. Tyrone does not want to go! But once he's sat in the chair in Dalisa's grooving salon, and after some history and comforting words from Grandad, Tyrone feels like a king!