Before You Suffocate Your Own Fool Self

Following a theme of bad decisions and their consequences, in her short story collection, Before You Suffocate Your Own Fool Self (2010), Danielle Evans explores the modern-day black experience in America.

The first story, “Virgins,” is narrated by fifteen-year-old Erica, who is hanging out with her friends, Jasmine and Michael, at the pool owned by one of their teachers, Mr. Thompson. Erica knows that everyone assumes that Michael is sleeping with either her or Jasmine and resents this. She knows that it is expected that she will have sex at her age, but she has little interest in it.

At the movies, Jasmine sees a boy she has had sex with. She is upset because he is with his new girlfriend. Jasmine decides she wants to go downtown to the bars, using fake IDs she and Erica have acquired. Jasmine is determined to meet cute boys, and when they arrive at a bar in Brooklyn, they meet a group of young men. Jasmine is pressured by the men to sleep with one of them, but when Erica leaves, Jasmine chooses to stay. Erica goes home with Michael, deciding to sleep with his brother, thinking he is a safe choice to lose her virginity to, since losing it is inevitable, as far as she can tell.



“Snakes” tells the story of Tara, a black girl who is sent to live with her white grandmother and her cousin Allison in Tallahassee when her parents go on an extended work trip. Her grandmother is not pleased with this situation. When the girls challenge their grandmother’s authority, she tells them there are deadly anacondas in the area; if they leave the house, they will be bitten and killed. Terrified, Tara is unable to leave the house; she is paralyzed with fear. Disgusted by Tara’s reaction, Allison behaves similar to her grandmother, controlling and belittling Tara. Finally, the grandmother cuts Tara’s hair off, and shortly afterward, Allison pushes Tara out of a tree. Tara is injured and goes to the hospital. Years later, when Allison attempts suicide, Tara goes to visit her, revealing that she jumped—Allison never pushed her.

In “Harvest,” a group of young black girls goes to a fertility clinic to sell their eggs in order to raise money for their dreams. However, all but one girl, Laura, are rejected. Later, Angel discovers she is pregnant despite being rejected by the clinic. She speaks to Laura about it, unable to decide whether she should keep the baby or not. Seeking to lash out at others, she tells her father she is pregnant, expecting and hoping for a violent reaction. However, he surprises her by being tender and understanding. She tells the baby’s father, Rafael, in hopes that he will be mean, but he tells her they will figure everything out. Finally, Laura goes with her to the abortion clinic, but Angel cannot go through with it. Laura gives her the egg money to help her with the baby.

“Someone Ought to Tell Her There's Nowhere to Go” tells the story of Georgie’s return from his tour of duty in the army. No one seems happy to see him, and he feels lonely and unwanted. He goes to see his former girlfriend, Lanae, and her young daughter, Esther. Lanae has a new relationship and has no interest in Georgie, but she needs someone to watch Esther. Georgie agrees. Georgie takes Esther to get her nails done, and she tells him about a beauty contest she wants to win, the Glitter Girl contest. Georgie helps her put on makeup and dress provocatively to win. When Lanae finds out, she is horrified, and Georgie realizes he has caused a rift between him and Lanae.



In “The King of a Vast Empire,” Terrence and Liddie survived a terrible car accident as children. They have a special bond, and Terrence relies on Liddie more than he admits. Terrence learns his identity was stolen by a man named Carlos, which was the name of the boy killed in their crash. This prompts Terrence and Liddie to go on a car trip to find Carlos. When they have the chance to find out if there is a connection, they decide not to—to let the past finally go.

In “Jellyfish,” Eva goes to meet her father, William. Eva feels accepted by society when she is with a man and ostracized when with women. William’s roof has collapsed, and he wants to inside the house to retrieve a keepsake from Eva’s childhood. When they meet for dinner later, Eva reflects on her past struggle with eating disorders. William suggests that when he finds a new apartment, she come to live with him, but Eva refuses.

“Wherever You Go, There You Are” tells the story of Carla and Chrissie as they visit Carla’s platonic friend Brian. Carla, getting over a breakup, doesn’t think of Brian romantically, but thinks they might sleep together anyway. However, Brian introduces his fiancée, and Carla insults her to express her emotional hurt. Brian’s fiancée leaves. Chrissie then leaves, and Brian and Carla drive around, uncertain what they will do.



Everyone sees Crystal as the smart one and Geena as the outgoing one in “Robert E. Lee is Dead.” Crystal comes up with a prank that causes property damage at the school and becomes more popular as a result. She gets a cool nickname, Cee-Cee. When Cee-Cee goes on an academic retreat, Geena feels abandoned. At graduation, valedictorian Cee-Cee oversees another prank, which goes wrong, setting fire to the school. Geena decides to take the blame, sparing her friend trouble.