The Minotaur at Calle Lanza

"Zito Madu’s The Minotaur at Calle Lanza is truly unlike any other autobiography I’d read before. It’s the story of the author’s residency in Venice during the pandemic, which already seemed like a surreal experience, but then the author introduces the mythic Minotaur in an unexpected and surprising plot twist. Madu weaves in family stories, of growing up as the son of Nigerian immigrants in Detroit, with his experience as a Black man moving and living in spaces where there are very few Black people. The book really transports the reader to Venice, and then uses a surreal twist to bring to the foreground Madu’s experiences with being Othered. I don’t want to give away too much. People should just read it! It’s a smart, deeply engrossing book."