The Deep

Octavia E. Butler meets Marvel’s Black Panther in The Deep, a story rich with Afrofuturism, folklore, and the power of memory, inspired by the Hugo Award–nominated song “The Deep” from Daveed Diggs’s rap group Clipping.
Yetu holds the memories for her people—water-dwelling descendants of pregnant African slave women thrown overboard by slave owners—who live idyllic lives in the deep. Their past, too traumatic to be remembered regularly is forgotten by everyone, save one—the historian. This demanding role has been bestowed on Yetu.
Yetu remembers for everyone, and the memories, painful and wonderful, traumatic and terrible and miraculous, are destroying her. And so, she flees to the surface escaping the memories, the expectations, and the responsibilities—and discovers a world her people left behind long ago.
Yetu will learn more than she ever expected about her own past—and about the future of her people. If they are all to survive, they’ll need to reclaim the memories, reclaim their identity—and own who they really are.
The Deep is “a tour de force reorientation of the storytelling gaze…a superb, multilayered work,” (Publishers Weekly, starred review) and a vividly original and uniquely affecting story inspired by a song produced by the rap group Clipping.
Yetu holds the memories for her people—water-dwelling descendants of pregnant African slave women thrown overboard by slave owners—who live idyllic lives in the deep. Their past, too traumatic to be remembered regularly is forgotten by everyone, save one—the historian. This demanding role has been bestowed on Yetu.
Yetu remembers for everyone, and the memories, painful and wonderful, traumatic and terrible and miraculous, are destroying her. And so, she flees to the surface escaping the memories, the expectations, and the responsibilities—and discovers a world her people left behind long ago.
Yetu will learn more than she ever expected about her own past—and about the future of her people. If they are all to survive, they’ll need to reclaim the memories, reclaim their identity—and own who they really are.
The Deep is “a tour de force reorientation of the storytelling gaze…a superb, multilayered work,” (Publishers Weekly, starred review) and a vividly original and uniquely affecting story inspired by a song produced by the rap group Clipping.
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Community Reviews
It was very interesting and mind intriguing. I appreciate the imagination in telling history in a different way
I wished the book was written a little better. I loved Yetu’s and Oori’s storyline. The book was confusing at times but the concept was great.
This book is based on a Clipping song by the same name which is based on oral mythology. I don’t know if it’s better to hear the song or the book first. But I do recommend if you can listen to the book if nothing more than to listen to something read by Daveed Diggs. I learned from this. I enjoyed this.
This is definitely worth a read/listen. It’s beautiful, atmospheric, and thought-provoking. It’s a work of art!
There was one dialogue that I had to question if it should have been included. I felt this part was trying to make commentary on the social construct between partners but it ended up not making a point and just felt thrown in there.
I listened to the audiobook and I think that had a positive influence on my overall enjoyment. It’s narrated by Daveed Diggs and he does a great job setting the tone. I would recommend the audiobook to everyone, but especially those who usually have difficulty with flowery language.
There was one dialogue that I had to question if it should have been included. I felt this part was trying to make commentary on the social construct between partners but it ended up not making a point and just felt thrown in there.
I listened to the audiobook and I think that had a positive influence on my overall enjoyment. It’s narrated by Daveed Diggs and he does a great job setting the tone. I would recommend the audiobook to everyone, but especially those who usually have difficulty with flowery language.
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