SOUTHERN WHITE AMNESIA examines the family stories white Americans pass down through generations—or allow to be forgotten—about their role in slavery and its ongoing legacy. When Foster told a family member about discovering records showing their ancestors had enslaved people, the immediate response was “no”—followed by insistence that they would “surely know” if this were true. That moment of family denial launched this entire collection.

Hala Alyan is a licensed clinical psychologist, professor at New York University, and writer. Her work grapples heroically with themes of family, displacement, belonging, and what ‘home’ means. Of her work, author Fatimah Asghar writes, “I feel honored to be alive in a time where I can read Hala Alyan.”