I'll Give You a Reason

Know about the book -

I'll Give You a Reason is written by Annell López and published by Feminist Press at CUNY. It's available with International Standard Book Number or ISBN identification 1558613137 (ISBN 10) and 9781558613133 (ISBN 13).

Finalist for the 2025 PEN/Robert W. Bingham Prize for Debut Short Story Collection A shimmering debut story collection intimately exploring race, identity, and the pursuit of the American Dream. The vibrant stories in I’ll Give You a Reason explore race, identity, connection, and belonging in the Ironbound, an immigrant neighborhood in Newark, New Jersey. A young widow goes on her first date since her husband’s death and finds herself hunting a bear in the woods with a near stranger. An unhappy wife compares her mother’s love spells and rituals to her own efforts to repair her strained marriage. A self-conscious college student discovers a porn star who shares her name and becomes obsessed with her doppelgänger’s freedom and comfort with her own body. Annell López’s indelible characters tread the waters of political unrest, sexuality, religion, body image, Blackness, colorism, and gentrification—searching for their identities and a sliver of joy and intimacy. Through each story, a nuanced portrait of the “American Dream” emerges, uplifting the voices of those on its margins.