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jackthelad's review against another edition
emotional
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
alyshadeshae's review against another edition
5.0
"Half a Moon" by Renee Watson
A story about half-sisters that made me cry. All my siblings are half, but that's not why I cried.
"Black Enough" by Varian Johnson
Code switching is covered in this story and while it's not the most important part, it's the one I feel will get overlooked the most. If you don't know what code switching is, you need to Google it and learn something new.
"Warning: Color May Fade" by Leah Henderson
Art is such a personal thing and to be willing to put yourself, your true self, out there in front of others is breathtakingly brave. Doing so when the odds are so stacked against? Even more so.
"Black Nerd Problems" by Lamar Giles
Loved this one! Nerdy kid crushes on pretty, smart girl and shenanigans ensue!
"Out of the Silence" by Kekla Magoon
Another one tho make me cry!! And I can't say more without spoilers.
"The Ingredients" by Jason Reynolds
Listening to these boys describe these amazing sandwiches made me incredibly hungry. Amusingly enough, o are the exact same thing they did by the end of the story, though.
"Oreo" by Brandy Colbert
Words can hurt. A lot. And whether they been to or not, family often is able to find the words that will hurt the most and use them against us. That is why it's important to try not to be careless with our words.
"Samson and the Delilahs" by Tochi Onyebuchi
Music is so important to help connect people to one another and to express yourself. I love the way it's shown in this story.
"Stop Playing" by Liara Tamani
I'm torn on the issue of naked selfies. It's not something I could ever do myself, but I don't think anyone should be ashamed of their body or not take pictures of it if they want to. And they should be able to share those pictures safely with those they want to share with without the worry that they'll be leaked to the rest of the world.
"Wild Horses, Wild Hearts" by Jay Coles
Country boys getting prayed at over racist issues with some romance thrown in. It's bad enough when you're nonreligious or barely religious and you're getting told "I'll pray for you" but when people (family members) are actively making decisions about your life with the Bible as their justification while praying at you... Well that's a different mess of fucking annoying and hateful.
"Whoa!" by Rita Williams-Garcia
A little timewarp fantasy in this one with some interesting history bits.
"Gravity" by Tracey Baptiste
Rape Culture affects everyone, but it disproportionately affects minorities. It's bullshit, but this story - while technically fictional - happens all the time. Sexual assault is not a joke and not an achievement.
Please, if you are a victim of sexual assault, seek help from someone you can trust. Even if you cannot go to the authorities, find someone safe to talk to you and work through your reactions, feelings, and trauma. It will not be easy, but it will be healthier in the long run.
"The Trouble with Drowning" by Dhonielle Clayton
I realized what happened pretty quickly in this story. I won't give it away because of spoilers, but I'm sitting here in tears after reading it.
"Kissing Sarah Smart" by Justina Ireland
Oh this one was delightful!! And the ending message is perfect! "You deserve to be happy."
"Hackathon Summers" by Coe Booth
Computer coding, young love, and child abuse? It's a depressing mix, actually, but I really need to have this same story from the girl's perspective. Why did she make the choices she did? What prompted it? Was it actually a choice or was it pressure to conform?
"Into the Starlight" by Nic Stone
As a huge fan of all books from Uncle Rick (I will now forever be calling Rick Riordan that), I fully approve of ALL of this story! I wish the bits about abortion had been handled a touch better, but when it came down to it, it wasn't handled badly. In fact, it was handled in a way that is incredibly realistic for most individuals. This is definitely a favorite from this book so far!
"The Revolution of Nigeria Jones" by Ibi Zoboi
So I hate the show Friends. I despise it. And it features fairly prominently in this story, but surprisingly I don't hate the story. It's a nice escape story - literally. I am definitely interested in what happens next, though.
A story about half-sisters that made me cry. All my siblings are half, but that's not why I cried.
"Black Enough" by Varian Johnson
Code switching is covered in this story and while it's not the most important part, it's the one I feel will get overlooked the most. If you don't know what code switching is, you need to Google it and learn something new.
"Warning: Color May Fade" by Leah Henderson
Art is such a personal thing and to be willing to put yourself, your true self, out there in front of others is breathtakingly brave. Doing so when the odds are so stacked against? Even more so.
"Black Nerd Problems" by Lamar Giles
Loved this one! Nerdy kid crushes on pretty, smart girl and shenanigans ensue!
"Out of the Silence" by Kekla Magoon
Another one tho make me cry!! And I can't say more without spoilers.
"The Ingredients" by Jason Reynolds
Listening to these boys describe these amazing sandwiches made me incredibly hungry. Amusingly enough, o are the exact same thing they did by the end of the story, though.
"Oreo" by Brandy Colbert
Words can hurt. A lot. And whether they been to or not, family often is able to find the words that will hurt the most and use them against us. That is why it's important to try not to be careless with our words.
"Samson and the Delilahs" by Tochi Onyebuchi
Music is so important to help connect people to one another and to express yourself. I love the way it's shown in this story.
"Stop Playing" by Liara Tamani
I'm torn on the issue of naked selfies. It's not something I could ever do myself, but I don't think anyone should be ashamed of their body or not take pictures of it if they want to. And they should be able to share those pictures safely with those they want to share with without the worry that they'll be leaked to the rest of the world.
"Wild Horses, Wild Hearts" by Jay Coles
Country boys getting prayed at over racist issues with some romance thrown in. It's bad enough when you're nonreligious or barely religious and you're getting told "I'll pray for you" but when people (family members) are actively making decisions about your life with the Bible as their justification while praying at you... Well that's a different mess of fucking annoying and hateful.
"Whoa!" by Rita Williams-Garcia
A little timewarp fantasy in this one with some interesting history bits.
"Gravity" by Tracey Baptiste
Rape Culture affects everyone, but it disproportionately affects minorities. It's bullshit, but this story - while technically fictional - happens all the time. Sexual assault is not a joke and not an achievement.
Please, if you are a victim of sexual assault, seek help from someone you can trust. Even if you cannot go to the authorities, find someone safe to talk to you and work through your reactions, feelings, and trauma. It will not be easy, but it will be healthier in the long run.
"The Trouble with Drowning" by Dhonielle Clayton
I realized what happened pretty quickly in this story. I won't give it away because of spoilers, but I'm sitting here in tears after reading it.
"Kissing Sarah Smart" by Justina Ireland
Oh this one was delightful!! And the ending message is perfect! "You deserve to be happy."
"Hackathon Summers" by Coe Booth
Computer coding, young love, and child abuse? It's a depressing mix, actually, but I really need to have this same story from the girl's perspective. Why did she make the choices she did? What prompted it? Was it actually a choice or was it pressure to conform?
"Into the Starlight" by Nic Stone
As a huge fan of all books from Uncle Rick (I will now forever be calling Rick Riordan that), I fully approve of ALL of this story! I wish the bits about abortion had been handled a touch better, but when it came down to it, it wasn't handled badly. In fact, it was handled in a way that is incredibly realistic for most individuals. This is definitely a favorite from this book so far!
"The Revolution of Nigeria Jones" by Ibi Zoboi
So I hate the show Friends. I despise it. And it features fairly prominently in this story, but surprisingly I don't hate the story. It's a nice escape story - literally. I am definitely interested in what happens next, though.
after_hours_reader's review against another edition
emotional
funny
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.25
nloushoes's review against another edition
funny
hopeful
informative
reflective
fast-paced
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
5.0
Rating: 🥰/5
Thoughts: Loved this book! Really enjoyed reading a story a day so I could reflect on it - and loved getting to experience so many different authors style of writing in one book.
Format: 📖
Source: Fabled Bookshop
missbookiverse's review against another edition
4.0
[3.5 stars]
A sweet collection of YA contemporary stories that features an all black cast (by all black authors). None of the stories really stood out to me but I'm glad this anthology exists and includes stories of all kinds of black teens (biracial, queer, rich, poor, etc.) that mostly deal with normal everyday life. Of course, race is an issue for these characters, but the ways in which these conflicts are portrayed never feel too heavy or unbearable. I don't know what it's like to be a person of color but I imagine that these stories capture some of the concerns quite well while also making space for hope and lightheartedness.
My favorite stories include Warning: Color May Fade by Leah Henderson (about a girl finding her voice in art school), Out of the Silence by Kekla Magoon (an eerie letter to a dead girl), Samson & the Delilahs by Tochi Onyebuchi, and The (R)evolution of Nigeria Jones by Ibi Zoboi (about a girl who's dad is a cult leader; I'd love to see a novelization of this one!).
A sweet collection of YA contemporary stories that features an all black cast (by all black authors). None of the stories really stood out to me but I'm glad this anthology exists and includes stories of all kinds of black teens (biracial, queer, rich, poor, etc.) that mostly deal with normal everyday life. Of course, race is an issue for these characters, but the ways in which these conflicts are portrayed never feel too heavy or unbearable. I don't know what it's like to be a person of color but I imagine that these stories capture some of the concerns quite well while also making space for hope and lightheartedness.
My favorite stories include Warning: Color May Fade by Leah Henderson (about a girl finding her voice in art school), Out of the Silence by Kekla Magoon (an eerie letter to a dead girl), Samson & the Delilahs by Tochi Onyebuchi, and The (R)evolution of Nigeria Jones by Ibi Zoboi (about a girl who's dad is a cult leader; I'd love to see a novelization of this one!).
alyssatuininga's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
emotional
funny
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.25
Great collection of stories. Some I loved, some were good and others I thought were just ok but overall, it is a really interesting collection. I love reading stuff like this because it gives me a quick glance into some new to me authors that I might enjoy reading. I added quite a few books to my TBR list because of this book.
k_butler's review against another edition
emotional
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
5.0
polkadotgirl's review against another edition
3.0
3/5 stars:
I decided to pick out this book based on three things: I want to give anthologies a try this year, the idea of reading about race (specifically Black experiences in the States in this book) is something that has been calling me for a while and some of the author's names sounded familiar to me even though I have never read anything from any of them before.
In general this book is a 3-star for me but I'm really glad I read it for various reasons. In the first place, I have found some of these author's writing styles very appealing and I'm very excited to now go and read some of their individual works and expand my reading horizons. And secondly, I've learnt many new things about American culture, African-American culture, Black culture and even Black history (which we know is severely lacking in mainstream attention).
I am aware that my background makes it so that a lot of these stories kinda fly over my head a little bit. Not only am I white but I am European so a lot of references (be them historical or pop culture ones) are not "designed" for me, and with this I mean, they're going to be more difficult for me to identify and understand completely. I think that is one of the reasons I wasn't able to connect as strongly with some of these short stories but I mean, that is kind of the point, these are black authors writing stories about black characters and their experiences, I obviously needed to read and learn more and enjoy the story but I'm not the "demographic" that needs to see themselves reflected in the stories.
My favorite stories in the book were Out of the Silence by Kekla Magoon and Gravity by Tracey Baptiste. I gave them both 4.5 stars and I really really loved them.
Another thing i really liked was how the book incorporates intersectionality in its stories. We see feminism and LGTB+ stories and colorism and other angles being explored and it was so interesting to see them connect and work together.
I decided to pick out this book based on three things: I want to give anthologies a try this year, the idea of reading about race (specifically Black experiences in the States in this book) is something that has been calling me for a while and some of the author's names sounded familiar to me even though I have never read anything from any of them before.
In general this book is a 3-star for me but I'm really glad I read it for various reasons. In the first place, I have found some of these author's writing styles very appealing and I'm very excited to now go and read some of their individual works and expand my reading horizons. And secondly, I've learnt many new things about American culture, African-American culture, Black culture and even Black history (which we know is severely lacking in mainstream attention).
I am aware that my background makes it so that a lot of these stories kinda fly over my head a little bit. Not only am I white but I am European so a lot of references (be them historical or pop culture ones) are not "designed" for me, and with this I mean, they're going to be more difficult for me to identify and understand completely. I think that is one of the reasons I wasn't able to connect as strongly with some of these short stories but I mean, that is kind of the point, these are black authors writing stories about black characters and their experiences, I obviously needed to read and learn more and enjoy the story but I'm not the "demographic" that needs to see themselves reflected in the stories.
My favorite stories in the book were Out of the Silence by Kekla Magoon and Gravity by Tracey Baptiste. I gave them both 4.5 stars and I really really loved them.
Another thing i really liked was how the book incorporates intersectionality in its stories. We see feminism and LGTB+ stories and colorism and other angles being explored and it was so interesting to see them connect and work together.
allysonbogie's review against another edition
5.0
This is a wonderful and important anthology, and belongs in public, middle, and high school libraries. I think many Black students would truly loved to read it, and it is an equally important book for students of other races. Black kids tend to get pigeonholed and the stories (by incredible authors) in this book contain characters with broad and diverse experiences and interests.
The stories all stand alone, so a reader can peruse it slowly or pick and choose what they want to read. I am so thrilled that this book is being published!
The stories all stand alone, so a reader can peruse it slowly or pick and choose what they want to read. I am so thrilled that this book is being published!