{"product_id":"desperate-bodies-lydia-mathis-paperback","title":"Desperate Bodies -- Lydia Mathis, Paperback","description":"\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\"Broke my heart from the very first page . . . literary shock and awe at its finest.\"--Deesha Philyaw, author of \u003ci\u003eThe Confessions of First Lady Freeman\u003c\/i\u003e and \u003ci\u003eThe Secret Lives of Church Ladies\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eFrom a ferocious new talent, a debut story collection excavating the desire, humor, and horror in the everyday lives of Black women and girls--for readers of Deesha Philyaw and Kelly Link\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWith a voice that vibrates on the page, Lydia Mathis' debut collection is set in the American South and her sharply drawn, authentic characters shine a light on what we're willing to do to ourselves and to others in service of our desires. The madness in the ordinary rules here: an overworked college safety officer is confronted by a bloody figure who walks into her office; a sex worker runs into a client en route to a parent-teacher conference; a teacher is plagued by a ghost determined to tidy her apartment.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003ci\u003eDesperate Bodies \u003c\/i\u003edepicts the fragility, strength, and unruliness of Black women and girls' bodies and the power in being honest about their desires. In unflinching prose, Mathis takes a frank and determined look at what it means to be subjected to imbalances of power through the perspectives of young girls and adult women. With surprising turns and a touch of the supernatural, these stories refuse to look away from the most honest, raw moments of womanhood.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eVisceral and unyielding, \u003ci\u003eDesperate Bodies\u003c\/i\u003e is a thrillingly dark ride that introduces Lydia Mathis as a major new writer.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eAuthor:\u003c\/strong\u003e Lydia Mathis\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003ePublisher:\u003c\/strong\u003e Roxane Gay Books\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003ePublished:\u003c\/strong\u003e 9\/15\/2026\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003ePages:\u003c\/strong\u003e 288\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eBinding Type:\u003c\/strong\u003e Paperback\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eWeight:\u003c\/strong\u003e 0.6 lbs\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eSize:\u003c\/strong\u003e 8.1\" H x 5.4\" L x 1\" W\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eISBN:\u003c\/strong\u003e 9780802166708\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Flowerburst","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":67787947966768,"sku":"9780802166708","price":18.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0879\/2712\/8368\/files\/9780802166708.jpg?v=1789458442","url":"https:\/\/flowerburst.co\/products\/desperate-bodies-lydia-mathis-paperback","provider":"Flowerburst","version":"1.0","type":"link"}