The following version of this book was used to create the guide: Scott, Rion Amilcar. The World Doesn't Require You. Liveright, 2019.

Scott begins the anthology surrounding the town of Cross River, Maryland with “David Sherman, The Last Son of God,” a story that depicting God as a man who lives there. God commits suicide before the story begins, and the story is centered on his youngest son, David and his experience with faith. He begins not being concerned with religion, only caring about music. David tries to conform to his older brother’s church congregations, but instead finds spiritually through his music. He discovers the music of Cross River, through which he can speak to God.

“The Ni**er Knockers” is from the perspective of Deez, a young man who lives in Cross River who begins playing the game Ni**er Knocker with his childhood friend, Tyrone James, who uses it as the subject of his dissertation. Their game playing in Port Yooga results in an innocent black teen getting beaten and mistakenly charged with mischief after locals believe its him who has been knocking on their doors. Tyrone feels guilty and admits his whole dissertation was a joke, but Deez cannot move on from believing the game to be important and the work to be incredible.

“The Electric Joy of Service” takes place from the perspective of a robot programmed to happily act as a black slave. After similar, non-racialized robots become popular, the robot creator creates a virus to all the robots which tells them about the history of slavery in Cross River.

“The Temple of Practical Arts” takes place at the religious, musical temple founded by David Sherman sometime after the events of “David Sherman, the Last Son of God.” The story focuses on Slim, narrator whose band is trying out to advance in the training at the temple. Frustrated by his lack of progress and the progress of a wanderer called “The Kid,” Slim causes the temple’s raid by white police from Port Yooga which leads to the temples demise.

“A Rare and Powerful Employee” is about a male author who wrote a feminist book about the War on Rape, who doesn’t really care about the cause, but pretends to when approached by female fans.

“Numbers” is about an unnamed man who works for a Cross River Gangster, Amber Hawkins, hoping to become his right-hand man. The protagonist believes in the lure of the Cross River water-women, who lure men into the Island. He eventually saved Amber from the water-women.

“A Loudness of Screechers” is from the perspective of a young girl named Sorai, who sees the Cross River sky fill with huge screeching birds for days on end, and her uncle must be sacrificed to make the birds go away.

“Mercury in Retrograde” continues the story of Jim the robot. Jim’s Master has found a way to turn living beings into a robot, and turns a girl named Fiona into a robot to be his companion. When Fiona fights against the Master, Jim stands up for her and they run away together.

“On the Occasion of the Death of Freddie Lee” is about slave-like laborers on a rice farm who revolt.

“Slim in Hell” is the continuation of the story of Slim from “The Temple of Practical Arts.” The story shows slims life after the burning of the temple and his descent into a murderous rage.

“Rolling in My Six-Fo’—Daa Daa Daa—with All my Ni**as Saying: Swing Down Sweet Chariot Stop and Let Me Riiiide. Hell Yeah.” recounts Rick journey to Cross River as a hitchhiker driven by James-my-man, an Underground Railroad reenactor.

“Special Topic in Loneliness Studies” is a novella and the longest section of the anthology. This story recounts the eventual breakdown of Dr. Chambers, a professor at Freedman University who is under scrutiny be administration after finding he watched pornography with his school login. Dr. Reece, a former professor who now teaches unofficially in secret on campus, encourages Dr. Chamber’s breaking to prove the absurdity of academia.