[STAR]“A chilling story collection following a sprawling Cherokee family through many generations… Rogers’ grounded, smooth writing style—juggling first-, third-, and even second-person points of view— makes magical elements (from milder hauntings to monsters like vampires, werewolves, and zombies) as threatening as human villains. The stakes remain high: The short story format means any character one meets could later die. Exquisite white-on-black line art from Cherokee artist Edwards sets the eerie mood. The use of the Noto Sans Cherokee typeface and Edwards’ hand-drawn Cherokee syllabary beautifully integrates written language into the book’s design. A creepy and artful exploration of a haunting heritage.”
—Kirkus (starred)
[STAR] “Startling…Will leave readers—adults as well as teens—unsettled, feeling like they have caught a glimpse into a larger world, and like there is a wider one still, just out of sight.”—Booklist (starred)
[STAR] “Spine-tingling...artfully tackles themes of colonialism and its effects on entire generations, for a simultaneously frightening and enthralling read.”—Publishers Weekly (starred)
“Teen and adult readers looking for a taste of the gorgeously gruesome should snap up this dark, engrossing jewel.”— Shelf-Awareness
[STAR] “This stunning collection of short stories follows a Cherokee family through two centuries, beginning with something akin to a vampire attack and ending with zombies… Rogers has a rich authorial toolbox as she effortlessly swaps between narrator points of view, story length, and writing styles to best tell each story in a way befitting of its protagonist and rooted in a specific time and place… Generational trauma is present here, but this is not a collection of tragedy and victims, and there is room for revenge, for defiance, and for resilience even among literal and metaphorical monsters closing in all around this sprawling family.”— Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books (starred)
"Rogers’s story collection follows one extended Cherokee family across centuries. Each story elicits chills in different ways, while also feeling incredibly grounded and intoxicating. From vampires to the Vietnam War; they vary in genre and style while Cherokee artist Jeff Edwards illustrates each story. A haunting and stunning book for you to enjoy." — Buzzfeed
“Man Made Monsters is a brilliant and expansive journey across time, seen through a Cherokee lens, written by the brilliant and essential voice of Andrea Rogers. This collection is full to the brim with voice and breadth, including but not limited to magic, horror, and fantasy. The book is fun, funny, and dead-serious. It is beautifully written, and it is full of monsters.”
—Tommy Orange
[STAR] “Many of these stories sound as if they were passed down as family histories. It may read like speculative fiction, but it feels like truth.”— Horn Book (starred)
“Dazzling, diverse, often terrifying.”—Buffalo News
“Sometimes the only way to grapple with a monstrous past is through horror. Andrea L. Rogers offers up more than a dozen linked stories, tracing an extended Cherokee family from the Trail of Tears to the present. Along the way, we meet a German vampire hiding his bloodlust along a violent frontier, a mixed-race student of science trying to bring a young boy back to life, and werewolves, ghosts, zombies and the Deer Woman. The book's rich illustrations incorporate the Cherokee syllabary, hinting at the layers of history beneath each tale.” — Minneapolis Star Tribune
Best of the Year, Bank Street College
10/01/2022
Gr 8 Up—Chilling stories tell about generations of a Cherokee family's encounters with the supernatural and violence. Beginning on the Trail of Tears, when Ama is turned into the Undead, and continuing through 2039, the stories of Ama's various family members and descendants are told. Each chapter can be read as a standalone short story; the entries are tied together by characters from one story appearing in later ones. Ama is featured in many of the chapters, appearing to help and guide her current family members through various trials and tribulations. The stories from the 1800s are odes to European horror. In the 1900s, ghosts, werewolves, and revenge are the main topics, and during the 2000s, most of the characters are dealing with violence—dating, gun, and domestic. Traumatic events are primarily alluded to, then described in detail. Most chapters end without a clear understanding of what happened to the various characters. The narrative incorporates Cherokee history, words, and customs. One section focuses on Deer Woman, a Cherokee myth, who avenges women and children. The themes throughout are family love and tribal ties. Each chapter begins with the name of a family member, date of the event, and a white illustration on a black background. Family trees are provided at the beginning, and a glossary of Cherokee words written in English and in Cherokee syllabary are provided at the end. VERDICT Full of familiar tropes and new ideas, these stories are the right balance of suspense without too much horror. A strong first purchase.—Tamara Saarinen
★ 2022-06-08
A chilling story collection following a sprawling Cherokee family through many generations.
Starting with Ama Wilson in 1839 and ending in 2039, this spooky speculative assortment features stories from times historical, present, and yet to come. Although each of Cherokee author Rogers’ stories could stand alone (and versions of some were previously published individually), placing them in chronological order and thus in dialogue with each other results in a thematically richer read and allows readers the delight of tracing the family trees in the frontmatter to situate the characters in relation to other protagonists. Ama’s opening story, set during a forcible relocation to Indian Territory, sets the tone: Ama thinks her family’s main worries are Texas Rangers and disease; she also faces a supernatural nightmare. The tight focus on families and the specificity of their experiences, along with the matter-of-fact text, directly address the way persecution of the Cherokee Nation morphs over the decades. Rogers’ grounded, smooth writing style—juggling first-, third-, and even second-person points of view—makes magical elements (from milder hauntings to monsters like vampires, werewolves, and zombies) as threatening as human villains. The stakes remain high: The short story format means any character one meets could later die. Exquisite white-on-black line art from Cherokee artist Edwards sets the eerie mood. The use of the Noto Sans Cherokee typeface and Edwards’ hand-drawn Cherokee syllabary beautifully integrates written language into the book’s design.
A creepy and artful exploration of a haunting heritage. (glossary) (Horror. 12-adult)
