''Riot Baby'' is a

science fiction Science fiction (sometimes shortened to Sci-Fi or SF) is a genre of speculative fiction which typically deals with imagination, imaginative and futuristic concepts such as advanced science and technology, space exploration, time travel, Paral ...

novella written by

Nigerian-American Nigerian Americans ( ig, Ṇ́dị́ Naìjíríyà n'Emerịkà; ha, Yan Najeriyar asalin Amurka; yo, Àwọn ọmọ Nàìjíríà Amẹ́ríkà) are an ethnic group of Americans who are of Nigerian ancestry. The number of Nigerian immigr ...

author

Tochi Onyebuchi Tochi Onyebuchi (born October 4, 1987) is a Nigerian American science fiction and fantasy writer and former civil rights lawyer. His novella, '' Riot Baby'', received an Alex Award from the American Library Association and the World Fantasy Awa ...

published in 2020.

Plot

Ella Jackson is a young girl with

clairvoyance Clairvoyance (; ) is the magical ability to gain information about an object, person, location, or physical event through extrasensory perception. Any person who is claimed to have such ability is said to be a clairvoyant () ("one who sees cl ...

and telekinetic powers, which she calls her "Thing". Her younger brother Kevin “Kev” is born during the

1992 Los Angeles Riots The 1992 Los Angeles riots, sometimes called the 1992 Los Angeles uprising and the Los Angeles Race Riots, were a series of riots and civil disturbances that occurred in Los Angeles County, California, in April and May 1992. Unrest began in S ...

. Ella’s powers grow as she ages; she has seizure-like episodes that cause furniture to fly around and harm nearby onlookers. After almost accidentally killing her mother, Ella disappears. Kev is convicted of attempted robbery and incarcerated at Rikers. Ella visits him regularly via

astral projection Astral projection (also known as astral travel) is a term used in esotericism to describe an intentional out-of-body experience (OBE) that assumes the existence of a subtle body called an " astral body" through which consciousness can func ...

. In a prison riot, Kev realizes that he may also be developing telekinetic powers. Kev’s mother dies while he is imprisoned. He considers suicide but changes his mind, eventually becoming a counselor for other suicidal inmates. After eight years of imprisonment, Kev is released on parole and decides to move back West. Ella becomes increasingly angry with the violence and racial discrimination directed against

Black Americans African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American" generally denotes descendants of ens ...

. She shows Kev a vision of his birth during the riots. In a series of increasingly abstract and violent images, Ella and Kev plan to use their powers to forge a better world for Black people.

Awards

References

External links

Riot Baby
on

ISFDB The Internet Speculative Fiction Database (ISFDB) is a database of bibliographic information on genres considered speculative fiction, including science fiction and related genres such as fantasy, alternate history, and horror fiction. The ISFD ...

English-language novels Nigerian science fiction novels 2020 American novels American science fiction novels American novellas Works by Tochi Onyebuchi 2020 Nigerian novels World Fantasy Award for Best Novella winners Tor Books books {{2020s-sf-novel-stub