Alien Stories (American Reader Series, 36)

//Alien Stories// by award-winning author E.C. Osondu is a collection of 18 short stories about what it means to be an alien, both foreign or extraterrestrial. Nigerian-born Osondu pays homage to the elders, the storytellers, and to grandma. Although much of this book reads as sci-fi, it is also afro-futurism and yet, Osondu has a style all his own.

In the stories “Alien Encounters”, “Memory Store”, and “Traveler”, Osondu explores the experience of what it is like to be the alien. We learn what to feed an alien baby in “How to Raise an Alien Baby”. Through the stories “Mars Bars, of course!” and “Mark,” we learn about life on the Red Planet through stories told by grandma.

I recommend this book to anyone who feels like the alien or the outsider or anyone who wants to understand the alien’s point of view. Many of Osondu’s stories look at the aliens as guests, who are shown honor and respect. In a way, Osondu’s stories can be interpreted as mirroring how immigrants are treated compared to how they would like to be treated. //Alien Stories// is a creative way to tell the stories of outsiders trying to carve their place in a new world, a new home.