''My Monticello'' is a 2021 fiction collection written by debut author
Jocelyn Nicole Johnson, published October 5, 2021 by
Henry Holt and Co
Henry Holt and Company is an American book-publishing company based in New York City. One of the oldest publishers in the United States, it was founded in 1866 by Henry Holt and Frederick Leypoldt. The company publishes in the fields of American ...
. The books consists of five
short stories
A short story is a piece of prose fiction. It can typically be read in a single sitting and focuses on a self-contained incident or series of linked incidents, with the intent of evoking a single effect or mood. The short story is one of the old ...
and an eponymous
novella
A novella is a narrative prose fiction whose length is shorter than most novels, but longer than most novelettes and short stories. The English word ''novella'' derives from the Italian meaning a short story related to true (or apparently so) ...
.
Contents
* "Control Negro"
* "Virginia Is Not Your Home"
* "Something Sweet on Our Tongues"
* "Burying a House Ahead of the Apocalyse"
* "The King of Xandria"
* ''My Monticello''
Reception
''My Monticello'' received starred reviews from ''
Booklist
''Booklist'' is a publication of the American Library Association that provides critical reviews of books and audiovisual materials for all ages. ''Booklist''s primary audience consists of libraries, educators, and booksellers. The magazine is ...
,'' ''
Publishers Weekly
''Publishers Weekly'' (''PW'') is an American weekly trade news magazine targeted at publishers, librarians, booksellers, and literary agents. Published continuously since 1872, it has carried the tagline, "The International News Magazine of ...
,'' and ''
Kirkus Reviews
''Kirkus Reviews'' is an American book review magazine founded in 1933 by Virginia Kirkus. The magazine's publisher, Kirkus Media, is headquartered in New York City. ''Kirkus Reviews'' confers the annual Kirkus Prize to authors of fiction, no ...
,'' as well as positive reviews from ''
The Washington Post
''The Washington Post'', locally known as ''The'' ''Post'' and, informally, ''WaPo'' or ''WP'', is an American daily newspaper published in Washington, D.C., the national capital. It is the most widely circulated newspaper in the Washington m ...
,'' ''
The New York Times
''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...
,'' ''Book Page'', ''Book Reporter,'' ''
The Today Show
''Today'' (also called ''The Today Show'') is an American morning television show that airs weekdays from 7:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m. on NBC. The program debuted on January 14, 1952. It was the first of its genre on American television ...
,
People
The term "the people" refers to the public or Common people, common mass of people of a polity. As such it is a concept of human rights law, international law as well as constitutional law, particularly used for claims of popular sovereignty. I ...
,
Time
Time is the continuous progression of existence that occurs in an apparently irreversible process, irreversible succession from the past, through the present, and into the future. It is a component quantity of various measurements used to sequ ...
,
Ms.
Ms. (American English) or Ms (British English; normally , but also , or when unstressed)''Oxford English Dictionary'' online, Ms, ''n.2''. Etymology: "An orthographic and phonetic blend of Mrs ''n.1'' and miss ''n.2'' Compare mizz ''n.'' The pr ...
,'' ''
Chicago Tribune
The ''Chicago Tribune'' is an American daily newspaper based in Chicago, Illinois, United States. Founded in 1847, it was formerly self-styled as the "World's Greatest Newspaper", a slogan from which its once integrated WGN (AM), WGN radio and ...
,'' and ''
Esquire
Esquire (, ; abbreviated Esq.) is usually a courtesy title. In the United Kingdom, ''esquire'' historically was a title of respect accorded to men of higher social rank, particularly members of the landed gentry above the rank of gentleman ...
.''
The book was a finalist for the 2021
Kirkus Prize for Fiction.
''My Monticello'' also won the 2021 Weatherford Prize, the 2022 Library of Virginia Fiction Award, the 2022 Lillian Smith Book Award, and has been recognized as a finalist for the
Kirkus Prize
The Kirkus Prize is an American literary award conferred by the book review magazine ''Kirkus Reviews''. Established in 2014, the Kirkus Prize bestows annually. Three authors are awarded each, divided into three categories: Fiction, Nonfiction, ...
,
the
National Book Critics Circle Leonard Prize, the
''Los Angeles Times'' Art Seidenbaum Prize, the Balcones Fiction Prize, the Library of Virginia's Annual Literary Awards,
and the Library of Virginia's People Choice Awards for Fiction.
The novel has also been long-listed for the
PEN/Faulkner Award for Fiction
The PEN/Faulkner Award for Fiction is awarded annually by the PEN/Faulkner Foundation to the authors of the year's best works of fiction by living Americans, Green Card holders or permanent residents. The winner receives US$15,000 and each of ...
and the
Story Prize
The Story Prize is an annual book award established in 2004 that honors the author of an outstanding collection of short fiction with a $20,000 cash award. Each of two runners-up receives $5,000. Eligible books must be written in English and first ...
. In 2022, ''My Monticello'' was also chosen as the Route 1 Reads book for Virginia.
Adaptation
The ''My Monticello'' audiobook is narrated by
Aja Naomi King,
January LaVoy,
Landon Woodson,
LeVar Burton
Levardis Robert Martyn Burton Jr. (born February 16, 1957) is an American actor, director, and television host. He played Geordi La Forge in '' Star Trek: The Next Generation'' (1987–1994), Kunta Kinte in the ABC miniseries ''Roots'' (1977 ...
,
Ngozi Anyanwu, and
Adetomiwa Edun.
The book is also being adapted to a film produced by
Chernin Entertainment
Chernin Entertainment is an American film and television production company owned by The North Road Company that is based in Los Angeles, California. It was founded on February 24, 2009 by producer and former media executive Peter Chernin, who is ...
and aired on
Netflix
Netflix is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service. The service primarily distributes original and acquired films and television shows from various genres, and it is available internationally in multiple lang ...
.
Bryan Parker will adapt the screenplay, Peter Chernin and Jenno Topping will produce it for Chernin Entertainment, and Kaitlin Dahill and Johnson will serve as executive producers.
References
{{reflist
External links
Jocelyn Nicole Johnson Makes Virginia’s Past Present in ‘My Monticello.’My Monticello by Jocelyn Nicole Johnson
2021 short story collections
2021 debut novels
2021 American novels
American short story collections
American novellas
Novels set in Virginia
Henry Holt and Company books
Charlottesville, Virginia in popular culture