What It Means When a Man Falls from the Sky

Stories

By: Lesley Nneka Arimah

Narrated by: Adjoa Andoh

A PBS NewsHour/New York Times Book Club Pick

A NATIONAL BOOK FOUNDATION "5 UNDER 35" HONOREE

WINNER OF THE 2017 KIRKUS PRIZE

WINNER OF THE NYPL'S YOUNG LIONS FICTION AWARD

FINALIST FOR THE NATIONAL BOOK CRITICS CIRCLE LEONARD PRIZE

SHORTLISTED FOR THE ASPEN WORDS LITERARY PRIZE

A dazzlingly accomplished debut collection explores the ties that bind parents and children, husbands and wives, lovers and friends to one another and to the places they call home.

In “Who Will Greet You at Home,” a National Magazine Award finalist for The New Yorker, A woman desperate for a child weaves one out of hair, with unsettling results. In “Wild,” a disastrous night out shifts a teenager and her Nigerian cousin onto uneasy common ground. In "The Future Looks Good," three generations of women are haunted by the ghosts of war, while in "Light," a father struggles to protect and empower the daughter he loves. And in the title story, in a world ravaged by flood and riven by class, experts have discovered how to "fix the equation of a person" - with rippling, unforeseen repercussions.

Evocative, playful, subversive, and incredibly human, What It Means When a Man Falls from the Sky heralds the arrival of a prodigious talent with a remarkable career ahead of her.

This woman can write!

The book is a slow burn, but the stories suck you in! One story sticks out to me as not safe for listening to at night or before bed because it is just plain creepy. I’ll let you be the judge. Overall, this is a great collection!

Fantastically compelling short stories

The stories are a great mix of science fiction, magical realism, and everyday people. Beautifully read and an easy length to listen to.

Great book/stories. Skip the audio book. Audible ruined this book experience.

I enjoyed most of the stories. Wish I’d gotten the book instead of audio. I would not recommend this audio because it is out of sync with the book chapters. It’s impossible to know where one story ends and another begins. Story names are not listed on the chapter list & don’t align, so it’s difficult to to go back and re-read or review a story. Disappointing!

great short stories

lovely shorts, I hope one or more get developed into a full story. Very unique African stories.

Amazing stories !!

I will definitely listen again. The stories explore the intersections of love and loss, grief and solace, choice and circumstance. If you're looking for a book with short stories that explore immigration, the effects of anti-Black racism, LGBTQ protagonists, magical realism, inter-generational relationships, fables, and class structures all through a lens of strong characters and deeply felt relationships, this is a must-read. Many thanks to Ms. Arimah for this beautiful collection. Many thanks to Levar Burton for introducing me to her stories.