The Devil in America

A Tor.Com Original

By: Kai Ashante Wilson

Narrated by: Janina Edwards

"Narrator Janina Edwards's compelling tone draws listeners into Wilson's searing narrative as a family reckons with a supernatural legacy...A stark and enduring listen, well told and unforgettable." -- AudioFile Magazine, Earphones Award winner

Scant years after the Civil War, a mysterious family confronts the legacy that has pursued them across centuries, out of slavery, and finally to the idyllic peace of the town of Rosetree. The shattering consequences of this confrontation echo backwards and forwards in time, even to the present day.

"There’s so much here to appreciate and admire, fine storytelling with a clearly-realized setting and characters."--Locus

Beautifully written and devastating

In Wilson's beautifully written, emotionally devastating story, "the devil in America" is a metaphor for the evil wrought by slavery and racism. The Macks family inherited African magic from an ancestor abducted into slavery. However, they have lost the knowledge of how to control it and how to fight its malevolent entities. This mirrors the plight of the African Americans torn from their homes, left unmoored from their histories and cultures, and left vulnerable to discrimination and abuse. Their strength - their magic - is warped into continued atrocities inflicted on them.

Throughout the story, the author's father interjects, sharing his knowledge of crimes committed against people of color, showing how historical evils continue in the present day. Wilson's tale is multilayered, requiring engagement and thoughtfulness from the reader to comprehend and to take away their own meanings.