The Black Cell

The Black Cell Series, Book 1

By: Wendy Shaia

Narrated by: Wendy Shaia

It's 2024, and police brutality against Black people is at an all-time high in Baltimore and across the country. Corey Masters, a young Black man, is deeply troubled by experiences of racism during his childhood. After a false arrest and beating by police, Corey's anger is at boiling point. It is then that his roommate introduces him to the Baltimore Cell, one of many secret groups around the country recruiting and training Black people for armed resistance.

Corey joins the Cell and meets Tasia, a young single mother who is trying to find a place in the world for herself and her toddler daughter. Both Corey and Tasia become involved in the Cell's armed resistance against white supremacy.

The US is on the verge of electing a new president who will bring to power a group called The Alt, which is determined to return Black people to slavery. The Cell joins with La Lucha (its Latinx counterpart), which is organizing armed resistance to protect Latinx residents and immigrants. Together, the two groups maintain a growing membership in the millions.

The Black Cell is a Black dystopian fantasy, grounded in the author's experience as a Baltimore antiracist advocate, professor, and social service leader. Unapologetically targeted to Black listeners and others interested in Black liberation, this will appeal to fans of utopian fantasies.

©2022 Wendy Shaia (P)2022 Wendy Shaia

Nicely Done

If you’ve never read any Afro-Utopian fiction then you will find this a great place to start. The author has a unique perspective with characters mainly focused in the Baltimore, MD Black community. Reminiscent of Black Panther Party ideologies but with an updated approach relevant to today. At times some readers will wish the author was more militant in her approach and others will be horrified by the premise, to me, means the author has done an admirable job in presenting her point of view. The only bad part is this book is the beginning of a series and the ending is left wide open for future works, instead of a conclusion with an open ended twist.