Ain't Burned All the Bright

Content Warning: This section of the guide discusses anti-Black racism and racist violence.

The unnamed narrator is a Black, male youth somewhere between adolescence and young adulthood. The entire text is not only from his perspective but is presented in such a way that it appears to be a facsimile of a personal journal or notebook he keeps. Overwhelmed by everything going on around him—the COVID-19 pandemic, widespread social unrest in response to police violence and systemic racism, and the ever-looming threat of climate change—he observes the pernicious impact these events are having on his family’s well-being.

Initially, he is annoyed by their responses to everything and feels that he is the only one who seems to realize they’re all suffocating—his mother and brother remain glued to their respective screens, while his sister is so concerned with what is going on outside the house that she is completely divorced from everything happening inside it. However, as the text progresses and the narrator feels the need to look for an oxygen mask, he soon realizes that the little idiosyncrasies, behaviors, and habits that had previously annoyed him actually hold the oxygen he needs. These things are signs of life that represent the shared memories and experiences he has with his family, along with their deep, unassailable bond.