Summary

In “Samson and the Delilahs,” by Tochi Onyebuchi, Sobechi is a high school debate team member who has won national awards. His parents are proud of his talent as an orator. Sobechi lives his life practicing and resting his voice by turns to make himself a better speaker.

Sobechi meets the new next-door neighbor, Desirée “Dez” who introduces him to heavy metal. At first, the music makes no sense to Sobechi and actually hurts his ears. Dez and her bandmate, Dom, play another song that is softer. This time, Sobechi feels more alive than he has ever felt.

Dez teaches Sobechi about the different types of metal and plays different bands for him. He finds himself singing and screaming with her. The songs tell stories about dropping bombs on children in other countries...