Man Made Monsters: Man Made Monsters
Walter Dean Myers Award Winner BEST OF THE YEAR
Washington Post - Booklist Editors' Choice - Publishers Weekly - Horn Book - New York Public Library Tsalagi should never have to live on human blood, but sometimes things just happen to sixteen-year-old girls. Making her YA debut, Cherokee writer Andrea L. Rogers takes her place as one of the most striking voices of the horror renaissance that has swept the last decade. Horror fans will get their thrills in this collection - from werewolves to vampires to zombies - all the time-worn horror baddies are there. But so are predators of a distinctly American variety - the horrors of empire, of intimate partner violence, of dispossession. And so too the monsters of Rogers' imagination, that draw upon long-told Cherokee stories - of Deer Woman, fantastical sea creatures, and more. Following one extended Cherokee family across the centuries, from the tribe's homelands in Georgia in the 1830s to World War I, the Vietnam War, our own present, and well into the future, each story delivers a slice of a particular time period that will leave readers longing for more. Alongside each story, Cherokee artist and language technologist Jeff Edwards delivers haunting illustrations that incorporate Cherokee syllabary. But don't just take it from us - award-winning writer of The Only Good Indians and Mongrels Stephen Graham Jones says that "Andrea Rogers writes like the house is on fire and her words are the only thing that can put it out." Man-Made Monsters is a masterful, heartfelt, haunting collection ripe for crossover appeal - just don't blame us if you start hearing things that go bump in the night.
P R A I S E ★ "Many of these stories sound as if they were passed down as family histories. It may read like speculative fiction, but it feels like truth."
--Horn Book (starred) ★ "Stunning collection of short stories follows a Cherokee family through two centuries, beginning with something akin to a vampire attack and ending with zombies."
--BCCB (starred) ★ "Spine-tingling...A simultaneously frightening and enthralling read."
--Publishers Weekly (starred) ★ "Chilling... Exquisite... A creepy and artful exploration of a haunting heritage."
--Kirkus (starred) ★ "Startling...Will leave readers--adults as well as teens--unsettled, feeling like they have caught a glimpse into a larger world."
--Booklist (starred)
Washington Post - Booklist Editors' Choice - Publishers Weekly - Horn Book - New York Public Library Tsalagi should never have to live on human blood, but sometimes things just happen to sixteen-year-old girls. Making her YA debut, Cherokee writer Andrea L. Rogers takes her place as one of the most striking voices of the horror renaissance that has swept the last decade. Horror fans will get their thrills in this collection - from werewolves to vampires to zombies - all the time-worn horror baddies are there. But so are predators of a distinctly American variety - the horrors of empire, of intimate partner violence, of dispossession. And so too the monsters of Rogers' imagination, that draw upon long-told Cherokee stories - of Deer Woman, fantastical sea creatures, and more. Following one extended Cherokee family across the centuries, from the tribe's homelands in Georgia in the 1830s to World War I, the Vietnam War, our own present, and well into the future, each story delivers a slice of a particular time period that will leave readers longing for more. Alongside each story, Cherokee artist and language technologist Jeff Edwards delivers haunting illustrations that incorporate Cherokee syllabary. But don't just take it from us - award-winning writer of The Only Good Indians and Mongrels Stephen Graham Jones says that "Andrea Rogers writes like the house is on fire and her words are the only thing that can put it out." Man-Made Monsters is a masterful, heartfelt, haunting collection ripe for crossover appeal - just don't blame us if you start hearing things that go bump in the night.
P R A I S E ★ "Many of these stories sound as if they were passed down as family histories. It may read like speculative fiction, but it feels like truth."
--Horn Book (starred) ★ "Stunning collection of short stories follows a Cherokee family through two centuries, beginning with something akin to a vampire attack and ending with zombies."
--BCCB (starred) ★ "Spine-tingling...A simultaneously frightening and enthralling read."
--Publishers Weekly (starred) ★ "Chilling... Exquisite... A creepy and artful exploration of a haunting heritage."
--Kirkus (starred) ★ "Startling...Will leave readers--adults as well as teens--unsettled, feeling like they have caught a glimpse into a larger world."
--Booklist (starred)
BUY THE BOOK
Community Reviews
A masterpiece.
The short stories track an expanding family tree from 1839 to 2039, from Tsalagi forcefully moving to Indian Territory to Cherokee Nation citizens coming together post-apocalypse. Each short story has a supernatural or science fiction element and some sort of monster dogging the descendants, usually not the same thing. The real monsters come in the form of colonizers, toxic friends, domestic violence, homophobia, alcoholism, and school shootings, among others.
Studying the repeating motifs in this book would be fascinating. Also an analysis alongside the horror stories that serve as inspiration and reference. I feel like I could build a whole course around this book.
I will say that I am biased, having some of my best childhood memories being watching old horror movies with my dad. But I think anyone can sink their teeth into this book.
Having said that, it’s not particularly scary even though it’s horrific. So don’t go expecting a thriller. Also it’s hard to figure out the family situation for the first few stories, but there is a family tree that kinda helps. I’m still confused on some things. Continue reading though, this book is worth it.
The endings of the last several stories are so good, and the final short story brings it all together so well. It’s a very satisfying book to read, and I want to crawl further into its mysteries.
10/10 recommend please go buy it or request it for your public library I cannot recommend this enough
See why thousands of readers are using Bookclubs to stay connected.