Hello Family,
I’m happy to announce that author, philanthropist, activist, dog father, fashion aficionado and homeboy
’s debut young adult novel, This Thing of Ours, is now available for purchase!What’s the book about? I’ll let the incredible
of the dope Substack break it down for you:A courageous story to tell—especially now, with Trump/Vance/Musk erasing everything Black on their way to erasing everyone Black. You see how they’ve already bombed the arts, cutting off marginalized artists and agencies from needed funding and resources? They said if we insist upon telling the truth about the United States—and not submit to promoting the national white supremacist propaganda—they will silence us through suffocation. What does this mean? It means we cannot rely on government if we want to survive. It means we must return to other, deeper means of sustenance; a global susu if you will. Most people don’t realize how important it is to support marginalized artists. But if they fail to do so, they will realize almost immediately the precious things they allowed to be stolen away. And by then, it will be too late.
Here’s what what the critics have been saying about This Thing of Ours:
“A thought-provoking exploration of storytelling dynamics in a social media–driven society.”
—Kirkus Reviews (starred review)
“Both heartening and heartbreaking, this richly layered, sensitive YA fiction debut from Joseph unflinchingly confronts systemic racism, classism, and homophobia via a powerful story of self-discovery and social justice that aims, shoots, and scores.”
—Publishers Weekly (starred review)
“Frederick Joseph constructs a true roller coaster of a narrative in This Thing of Ours, painting Ossie's complex struggles in language that is both poetic and engaging for a young adult audience. Impressively, the plot's momentum stays strong even when dipping into the stories of the other characters. . . .Readers will be moved by the thoughtful, unexpected ways in which Joseph develops Ossie and his journey to be heard.”
—BookPage (starred review)
“Readers will be inspired by how he learns to stand up against the disguised race-class fissures that have long existed in his school.”
—Booklist
“Joseph makes his fiction debut with the powerfully empathic, deeply emboldening young adult novel This Thing of Ours.”
—Shelf Awareness
I encourage you to buy your copy from an independent bookseller.
Fred is a prolific writer whose works span every imaginable literary genre: fiction, nonfiction, young adult, poetry, picture books. He’s even written a comic book! Also, not many people know this, but Fred can also sing and dance. I’m very tempted to post a video of him cutting a rug. However, I’m going to refrain because I don’t want to put my brother on blast like that.
Other works by Fred include:
The Black Friend: On Being a Better White Person
Patriarchy Blues: Reflections on Manhood
Better Than We Found It: Conversations to Help Save the World
The Courage to Dream, Black Panther: Wakanda Forever
It’s an honor and privilege to be in community and brotherhood with someone like Fred. As Black men, we are part of a demographic that the world says neither reads nor writes (especially fiction), despite us being descended from the people who risked life and limb in order to learn how to do both. Still, the hatred runs so deep that the consensus is mighty and boils down to a very old saying: If you want to keep something from Black people, put it in a book.
So when we do show up and engage in our artistic practices, we’re met with a skepticism bordering on exclusion (which, I think, masks envy) and an expectation that we should not take up any space. I believe this stems from how Black men have been made to be the reliable scapegoats for the worst that humankind has to offer; an anti-Black posture insisting that the worst Black men are representative of all Black men.
In a society that can only determine my worth if I’m standing on an auction block (and these blocks come in many forms) to be assessed for my potential labor (which includes sexual) performance—or, conversely, when I’m being evaluated as a hashtag—it’s both a pleasure and a relief to be in the company of someone who can actually see my humanity and recognize that my value as intrinsic to the fact that I exist.
Check out our Dynamic Duo. Co-signed by Goonica and Teddy. IYKYK.
Happy Pub Day, Cuban Link! May everybody know you to be the brilliant writer I know you to be and buy your damn books.
Blessings upon blessings,
Bobby Bad@$$