Sky Full of Elephants: A Novel BY Cebo Campbell

In The Waterwalkers, Cebo Campbell crafts a provocative and imaginative exploration of race and identity in a world dramatically altered by a cataclysmic event. In this thought-provoking debut, all white people in America mysteriously walk into bodies of water, leaving behind a nation reshaped by their absence.

A year later, Charlie Brunton, a Black professor of electric and solar power systems at Howard University, is living a new life after serving time for a wrongful conviction. His world is upended when he receives a call from Sidney, his nineteen-year-old daughter, who was left behind by her white mother and step-family. Traumatized and isolated in Wisconsin, Sidney reaches out to the father she has resented, seeking help and answers.

Charlie and Sidney, meeting for the first time, embark on a journey across what has become a "post-racial" America, heading south to the Kingdom of Alabama. As they traverse this transformed landscape, they confront not only their personal histories but also the shifting definitions of race and identity in a world without white people.

The Waterwalkers delves deeply into themes of community, connection, and self-discovery. With a blend of heart and humor, Campbell’s novel examines what it means to be Black in this new world and in our own, offering a profound and stirring commentary on race, healing, and the power of familial bonds. This extraordinary tale challenges readers to reconsider their understanding of identity and belonging in both imagined and real contexts.