amandadevoursbooks's review against another edition

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challenging emotional hopeful informative reflective slow-paced

4.5

This is an academic work broken up into 5 chapters. Thomas explores how Black girls as characters are explored in young adult fiction and tv. The first chapter lays out her Theory of why Black girls often play a role to move stories forward. In the chapters 2-5, she takes separate case studies to explore this idea. 

It was thoughtful. It was deep, and if you enjoy reading diversely and thinking about reading, I'd recommend picking it up. 

My academic reading skills are rusty, so I did have to set reading goals to finish, and I am very glad I did.

breadandmushrooms's review against another edition

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challenging reflective medium-paced

3.75

edunbar87's review against another edition

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informative inspiring medium-paced

4.0

oofaish's review against another edition

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2.0

Learnt a ton from it. Super interesting in places but some of the arguments for the dark fantastic cycle is utter none sense. And it’s a very heavy read.

indiareadsalot's review against another edition

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informative reflective medium-paced

4.0

secanno's review against another edition

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emotional hopeful informative inspiring reflective fast-paced

4.5

5aru's review against another edition

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inspiring reflective

4.75

An excellent insight into the representation (or lack thereof) of racialized people within fantasy and speculative fiction, and the role which race plays into our imaginations of the impossible. I only wish Thomas had dedicated more space to her theory of the dark fantastic, but the case studies she chose were nevertheless illuminating as to its workings.

choirqueer's review against another edition

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5.0

This was awesome. I definitely recommend it. I skipped the 2 chapters that focused on TV shows since I haven't seen those shows at all, but if I ever do watch them I'll come back to this book for its commentary. The chapters on books were all about books that I've read, and the author's insights are phenomenal and of great importance.

eowyng's review against another edition

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informative

eyan_birt's review against another edition

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5.0

Fantastic work and has given me much to think about as a white person and long fan of fantasy. Of worlds where there was always a safe space for me to participate, but I had never looked around to realize it was also only people who looked like me present.

Intensely readable, understandable, quotable, and brilliant.