Valedictorian by N. K. Jemisin

"Valedictorian" by N. K. Jemisin is yet another post-apocalyptic short story from After. This story takes place in a world where humans are segregated and trapped in a place called the Firewall: "'Outside of it, there are billions of people on the world. They're just not your kind of people'" (Jemisin, 57). There, the children grow up in a rigorous learning environment. Once high school graduation comes, the not-so-smart kids are taken out of the Firewall by the robot-like people that hold them there and no one knows what happens to them. However, the smartest person in the graduating class is also taken out, but just like the others, no one knows what happens to them. The main character, Zinhle, is one of the smart ones.


Throughout the story, Zinhle struggles with knowing she will be taken out of the Firewall and into another world filled with the people who have kept her isolated for her entire life. However, she doesn't want the alternative, which is fake being dumb and get taken out. The other alternative is to get mediocre grades and have an unknown fate. For example, most girls purposely get pregnant in order to not qualify for being sent out of the Firewall: "'Have you considered getting pregnant?' her mother blurts one morning..." (45). Despite the risks, Zinhle continues to excel in her classes.

This story was a little iffy for me. I loved knowledge being a major aspect in all of the characters' lives. However, I feel like this was meant to be a regular story, not a short story. In other words, I think it was too short and needed to have more of a shocking and impacting ending. If this story was to be continued and turned into a book I would definitely read it.