The 1980s is a decade infamous for its chaos, ugliness, and cruelty, but also adored for the art produced by a restless culture. These authors masterfully explore a time where beauty and violence existed simultaneously, and often because of each other. In Colson Whitehead’s Cool Machine, a New York City in transition glimmers with promise, even as a successful Black storeowner must dip into the underground world of heists after his family is denied a loan. In Marlon James’s The Disappearers, a group of queer men in ‘80s Kingston face the aftermath of a deadly mob attack, struggling to find their place in a subculture as vibrant and sexy as it is in crisis. Whitehead and James build thrilling stories that are at heart love letters to two complicated cities and a gutting reminder of a not-so-distant past that the marginalized must continue to heal from. Moderated by Johnny Temple, Brooklyn Literary Council Co-Chair and Publisher, Akashic Books.
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