I heard about this book a while ago when I was researching comp titles for the novel I'm querying, and it's been on my reading list ever since. While it isn't fantasy or sci-fi, my usual picks, I was intrigued by the idea of a video game specifically for Black gamers, and I'm very glad I finally read it.
Described as a mashup of Ready Player One, The Hate U Give, and Black Panther, Slay by Brittney Morris follows a seventeen-year-old Black girl, Kiera Johnson. By day, she's an honors student and one of the only Black kids at her school. By night, she dons the glittery, proud Black persona of Emerald, her character in the MMORPG (massively multiplayer online role-playing game) "SLAY"—a game she developed and launched herself in secret. No one, not even her friends, family, or boyfriend, knows about her role in the game. But when a teen is murdered over a dispute in the game, "SLAY" is tossed into the limelight. The media quickly labels it as exclusionist, racist, and a breeding ground for violent thugs. As the situation escalates, a troll infiltrates the game and threatens to sue Emerald—Kiera—for "anti-white discrimination." Among all this, Kiera must decide which is more important—to retain her anonymity or protect the game that's provided thousands of Black gamers with a safe haven?
As you can probably guess, this book deals with some heavy topics. The issues range from whether a white person can get dreadlocks, African American Vernacular English, and whether a game for Black people is discriminatory against white people. I found myself continually getting angry on Kiera's behalf and all the other Black characters. Like with The Hate U Give, this book gave me another stark reminder of how real racism is in a supposedly "progressive" society.
Addressing the obvious—I am not Black, and there are things about Slay that I can't fully understand or speak to. Even so, I still loved reading it and learning about Black culture. I was excited by the game and appalled that so many people in the book were upset about it. It was an unfortunate reminder that, were this game to exist in the real world, it is very likely that the same thing would have happened. I wish it were not the case, but hopefully, the more people who read books like these, the more our society will progress. Reading Slay was such a great way to spend my evenings.
I am happy to rate Slay by Brittney Morris 5/5 stars. If you want to learn more about Black culture and support a Black female author, pick it up on your next trip to the library.
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