The Incredibly Human Henson Blayze by Derrick Barnes

In the small town of Great Mountain, Mississippi, all eyes are on Henson Blayze, a thirteen-year-old football phenom who many have wondered if he was super-human. The predominately white townsfolk have been waiting for Henson to play senior school ball, and now they’re overjoyed to finally possess an elite Black athlete of their own.

Until a horrifying incident forces Henson to speak out about injustice.

Until he says that he might not play football anymore.

Until he quickly learns he isn’t as loved by the people as he thought.

In that moment, Henson’s town is divided into two chaotic sides when all he wants is justice. Even his best friends and his father can’t see eye to eye. When he is told to play ball again or else, Henson must decide whether he was born to entertain people who may not even see him as human, or if he’s destined for a different kind of greatness.

Derrick Barnes’s groundbreaking novel masterfully combines a modern-day allegory with classic-style tall tales to weave a compelling story of America’s strange obsession with the Black body, relegated to labour or entertainment. Spanning the 1800s to today, it shows how much has changed over centuries. . . and, at the same time, how little.

Author: Derrick Barnes

General fiction (Children's / Teenage)

Published on 23 September 2025 by Penguin Putnam Inc (G.P.Putnam's Sons Books for Young Readers') in the United States.

Hardback | 272 pages
217 x 147 x 27 | 356g