Yellow Means Stay

by Allwell Uwazuruike

**Afritondo Prize 2020**
Yellow Means Stay is a collection of enthralling, sad, humorous, and heart-touching love stories from across Africa and the black diaspora. It features new and award-winning writers from across the African continent and beyond. The stories are a dynamic blend of the poetic and narrative, the spousal and familial, the suggestive and explicit, the dramatic and measured, the straight and queer, the sad and humorous, the past and future, life and afterlife. Through its pages, readers enter the world of African literature, love, and romance.

This anthology is effervescent! From tales of tender, forbidden love to those that elicit gasps from their reader, these stories of connection, intimacy and lust are a delicious read. - Megan Ross, Author of Milk Fever
The stories in this anthology are inventive, complex and funny. They leave one with the feeling of having encountered gifted storytellers. - Gloria Mwaniga, 2020 Miles Morland Scholar.

Genres: Short Stories

348 pages, Kindle Edition

First published August 31, 2020

Reviews

[Lorraine · Rating 5 out of 5]

A few days ago we returned home from burying our child, my husband's eldest daughter, and were met with requests for soccer boots and shin guards, cricket bats and tote bags for swimming and we realised that the world doesn't stop moving just because we don't want to. This collection, Yellow Means Stay, @afritondo is about that. About loves gone wrong, loves gone awry, loves which do not fit within the neat lines of heteronormative narratives, unrequited loves and loves taking shapes in spiritual realms.

21 short and piercingly sharp stories told in and around love. Yellow took a significant meaning to me this week. The colour of creativity, confidence, joy, optimism, growth, and having the strength to take the next steps on our journey. A journey where we will forever carry the spirit of our Beloved and see her everywhere in everything. A journey where our ground has tilted but in time, we will find our balance again. A different balance but a balance nonetheless.

May your Friday be yellow-filled. If you need an ear to listen, please contact @thesadag. Remember that your life matters. "You is kind. You is important. You is beautiful", The Help, Kathryn Stockett.

[WritingReadingSoul · Rating 3 out of 5]

Some stories were good; some were sleepers; all except one were focused on death, destruction of relationships, limited self-awareness, and hiding.

Change the characters’ names and parts of the settings, and these stories could be from any part of the world. Notice the subtitle and think.

Also, if and only if any of the stories would be analyzed in an educational setting, that would only be appropriate for the college level with huge trigger warnings. There are a few authors in the collection who employed some cleverly creative writing techniques. However, that was not redemptive enough to warrant a higher score from me.

[Somtochukwu O · Rating 4 out of 5]

A powerful, intimate and highly moving read. One of my Top 5 books of the year

[Mahrukh | diaspora.reads · Rating 5 out of 5]

It is is a beautiful collection of enthralling, sad, humorous, and heart-touching love stories from across Africa and the Black diaspora.The stories are a dynamic blend of the poetic and narrative, the spousal and familial, the suggestive and explicit, the dramatic and measured, the straight and queer, the sad and humorous, the past and future, life and afterlife. Through its pages, readers enter the world of African literature, love, and romance.

[Tutala · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is so twisted in an unexpected manner. To be African and know love as an African, is to know and experience trauma. I expected love in its purest of acceptance and beauty without the expectation of love with its trauma.
Beautifully written stories from African authors that show different experiences of love.

We need to write happier love stories 😭.

[Vuyokazi Ngqebe · Rating 5 out of 5]

Few things as beautiful as black love! Loved every single story. Captured African love from so many different angles. Enthralled!

[Blessing John]

DNF

[Candy · Rating 3 out of 5]

I feel like this collection is overrated.....it's either that or my expectations were way too high. The short stories were okay but not great. Some were a snore fest....others were interesting.

[Aisha (thatothernigeriangirl) · Rating 4 out of 5]

I’m oscillating between a 3.5 and a 4 stars

[Precious]

I just started. 1st chapter was amazing.
I'm not sure what's happening on the 2nd chapter. And this was edited by 3 people? I'm in shock

[Jj · Rating 1 out of 5]

Anything involving Munachim Amah beware and stay clear - phony through and though. A liar and racist against white people…

[Rosa · Rating 2 out of 5]

I did like maybe 3 of the stories, but most were sad. Not at all what I was expecting. Also, a subtle thread of misogynoir throughout the book.