Bernard to explore violence, race and love in essay collection for Transworld

Transworld is publishing Black is the Body: Stories From My Grandmother's Time, My Mother's Time, And Mine, a collection of non-fiction essays covering a number of US author Emily Bernard's experiences.

Editor Eloisa Clegg bought UK and Commonwealth rights from PRH US.The book is due to be published under Doubleday in February 2021.

Featuring 12 "intensely personal" interconnected essays, Bernard starts with her own experience of being involved in a random stabbing in order to explore violence, race, friendship, love and family throughout the anthology. She discusses her survival of the stabbing, her experiences of motherhood, the lessons she has learned from her mother and grandmother and children, and her experience of teaching in a primarily white university. 

Clegg said: "I am thrilled to be publishing this book next year. From the outset I was bowled over by the clarity, skill and intelligence of Emily’s writing and, combined with her profound observations of both her own life and those lives around her, this collection makes for hugely powerful reading. Not only does each essay stand alone on its own merit, but together they form a narrative that makes it stand apart from many collections out there. By the end, I challenge anyone not to want to read more of her work. This is the type of book that you read and want to give to everyone you know."
 
Bernard said: "It is beyond exciting to imagine that Black is the Body will make new friends among UK readers. I can’t wait to hear from you all about the parallels in our experiences and outlooks. Thank you, Transworld and Eloisa."