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lexish00's review
5.0
First of all, teenagers are so sweet, I love them. I hated being a teenager, so reading about teenager problems always hits me in the feels.
Second of all, this was a wonderful collection. Like other reviewers, I'm going to just give my thoughts on each short story below.
* Half a Moon: sweet story about family, types of sisterhood. It was a good opener, but not the strongest.
* Black Enough: I definitely agree with other reviewers that the love-interest girl was being unfair. I liked seeing a character from Austin!!! Worlds colliding is always fun.
* Warning: Color May Fade: Other reviewers like this one a lot more than I did. I thought it was okay. I'm just not as captivated by "writing about art" as others I think.
* Black. Nerd. Problems.: AHH teenagers. This one had a lot going for it -- good characterization, nerdiness, race questions, a mysterious-fun side plot.
* Out of the Silence: It was okay, but maybe too vague. That was the allure and mystery, but then it didn't go any deeper so. Shrug.
* The Ingredients: Very slice of life, just a sweet interlude. Well written with a fitting ending. I love seeing teenage boys in realistic scenarios, talking about feelings and hopes and dreams (yes, sandwiches can be hopes and dreams).
* Oreo: more themes of family, understanding different backgrounds and viewpoints. It didn't feel particularly innovative to me, but I think it's a good introduction to certain intra-race issues.
* Samson and the Delilahs: VERY unique story, interestingly told, quite enjoyable. Hints at the boy's mother's past, trying to connect to it, trying to connect with a new culture. All interesting.
* Stop Playing: Similar themes to Gravity (below), but handled quite differently, different voice, etc. I connected a lot with this one, as kind of a cautionary tale. Surprising (good) ending.
* Wild Horses, Wild Hearts: It was fine. Not a standout, to me personally.
* Whoa!: Definitely in my Top 3!! Very fun, I would love a whole book like this reminiscent of Kindred.
* Gravity: Interesting POV/storytelling device. Another trying to connect with a new culture. Fun(ny), fitting, justifiable ending.
* The Trouble with Drowning: Very much in the vein of books like Everything I Never Told You. A slow-burn short story (is that possible? :)).
* Kissing Sarah Smart: Felt very very modern, I liked it. Was I an immature teenager, am I forgetting what being a teenager was like, or was the main character a very mature teenager?
* Hackathon Summers: I might be biased because I work in tech, but I enjoyed this one a lot for exploring this world. The ending was a bit too abrupt, but short stories are difficult.
* Into the Starlight: Worlds/cultures colliding, rich v poor, etc. It was quite enjoyable, a great writing voice.
* The (R)Evolution of Nigeria Jones: WOW. I wanted this one to be a chapter in a full length book.
Favorites (extra stars for extra favorite):
** Black. Nerd. Problems.
** Samson and the Delilahs
* Stop Playing
*** Whoa!
* Gravity
* Kissing Sarah Smart
* Hackathon Summers
*** The (R)evolution of Nigeria Jones
So my "favorites" were about half of the stories. :) You can't go wrong with this collection if you enjoy stories teenage slice of life/coming of age stories.
Second of all, this was a wonderful collection. Like other reviewers, I'm going to just give my thoughts on each short story below.
* Half a Moon: sweet story about family, types of sisterhood. It was a good opener, but not the strongest.
* Black Enough: I definitely agree with other reviewers that the love-interest girl was being unfair. I liked seeing a character from Austin!!! Worlds colliding is always fun.
* Warning: Color May Fade: Other reviewers like this one a lot more than I did. I thought it was okay. I'm just not as captivated by "writing about art" as others I think.
* Black. Nerd. Problems.: AHH teenagers. This one had a lot going for it -- good characterization, nerdiness, race questions, a mysterious-fun side plot.
* Out of the Silence: It was okay, but maybe too vague. That was the allure and mystery, but then it didn't go any deeper so. Shrug.
* The Ingredients: Very slice of life, just a sweet interlude. Well written with a fitting ending. I love seeing teenage boys in realistic scenarios, talking about feelings and hopes and dreams (yes, sandwiches can be hopes and dreams).
* Oreo: more themes of family, understanding different backgrounds and viewpoints. It didn't feel particularly innovative to me, but I think it's a good introduction to certain intra-race issues.
* Samson and the Delilahs: VERY unique story, interestingly told, quite enjoyable. Hints at the boy's mother's past, trying to connect to it, trying to connect with a new culture. All interesting.
* Stop Playing: Similar themes to Gravity (below), but handled quite differently, different voice, etc. I connected a lot with this one, as kind of a cautionary tale. Surprising (good) ending.
* Wild Horses, Wild Hearts: It was fine. Not a standout, to me personally.
* Whoa!: Definitely in my Top 3!! Very fun, I would love a whole book like this reminiscent of Kindred.
* Gravity: Interesting POV/storytelling device. Another trying to connect with a new culture. Fun(ny), fitting, justifiable ending.
* The Trouble with Drowning: Very much in the vein of books like Everything I Never Told You. A slow-burn short story (is that possible? :)).
* Kissing Sarah Smart: Felt very very modern, I liked it. Was I an immature teenager, am I forgetting what being a teenager was like, or was the main character a very mature teenager?
* Hackathon Summers: I might be biased because I work in tech, but I enjoyed this one a lot for exploring this world. The ending was a bit too abrupt, but short stories are difficult.
* Into the Starlight: Worlds/cultures colliding, rich v poor, etc. It was quite enjoyable, a great writing voice.
* The (R)Evolution of Nigeria Jones: WOW. I wanted this one to be a chapter in a full length book.
Favorites (extra stars for extra favorite):
** Black. Nerd. Problems.
** Samson and the Delilahs
* Stop Playing
*** Whoa!
* Gravity
* Kissing Sarah Smart
* Hackathon Summers
*** The (R)evolution of Nigeria Jones
So my "favorites" were about half of the stories. :) You can't go wrong with this collection if you enjoy stories teenage slice of life/coming of age stories.
mary_binzley's review against another edition
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? N/A
- Strong character development? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
3.5
chemeducator's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Homophobia, Racism, and Suicide
brennieree33's review against another edition
4.0
This was such a good collection! I really enjoyed this. And I'd literally give anything to read Kekla Magoon's story again for the first time. A masterpiece. It was such a great collection with such a wide range of experiences: gay, nerdy, popular, rich, etc.
394 pages
TW: racism, homophobia,
Rep: black, lesbian, gay
Good Quotes and Comments
Ibi Zoboi
- "The teens in Black Enough are living out their lives much like their white counterparts. They are whole, complete, and nuanced."
- "Like my revolutionary ancestors who want Haiti to be a safe space for Africans all over the globe, my hope is that Black Enough will encourage all Black teens to be their free, uninhibited selves without the constraints of being Black, too Black, or not Black enough. They will simply be enough just as they are."
Renee Watson
-"Grandma believes that God can heal anything. But I wonder."
- "The sun has said good night and now we are sitting under an ocean of stars. They shimmer like the glitter I once used on a Father's day card."
-"You are very brave facing your fears. I hope you are brave enough to conquer any monsters - literal or figurative - that come into your life."
-"Look at the sky. Sure there's a half moon tonight that we can se, but the full moon is always there... We see the moon because it revolves around the Earth, only the part facing the sun is visible to us... Most times we only see part of a thing, but there's always more to see, more to know."
Varian Johnson
- Love the feminist discussion yaas
-"He may have been a chamelion, but deep down, he knew who he was."
Leah Henderson
-"Well, if it makes you feel any better, my truth is still working its way out me too."
- "'Being in a shadow is never just as simple as stepping out of it. Shadows can camouflage a lot of things.' 'Like?' 'Differences. Here we're all supposed to want basically the same things and are expected to do the same, but outside of this bubble we aren't all the same. And we aren't seen that way either. I think people forget that sometimes.'"
- "She didn't recognize the images were of me. And I've always wondered why. But now I think I know. It was the side of me I don't let breathe. The side that doesn't fit expectations. The side that's free."
- "In this world, the brown of your skin is rarely a shelter."
- "And everyone can see how the moments of my life weave together to create this determined, certain face. Mine."
Kekla Magoon
- "'There's nothing wrong with being yourself,' you said. Lipstick in hand, like a cigarette."
- "You died on a Friday. I didn't go to your funeral. We didn't know each other at all, and still, I think about you. I think about whether you saw it coming, and whether it was painful. You died on a Friday, months ago, and still I think about you, you, you. Your red, red lips were silenced and a part of me was entirely relieved."
Jason Reynolds
- "Swinging his arm loosely at Flaco's brittle birdcage of a chest."
- "A smirk now splinters Randy's mug like a crack in glass."
Brandy Colbert
- "She's sweet but not afraid to tell it like it is; and when she speaks, we listen." I want to be like that.
- Why did the brother not ask before announcing everything to the whole family?
- "We're always harder on our own people."
- "But judging his life and his home... Even if I didn't mean to, I get how deeply that would hurt, same as his words hurt me."
- "It's funny how my fear can push me to do something that might lead to one of the best experiences of my life while Junior's fear threatens to hold him back. And strange that I didn't see that we're battling the same thing, even though our lives and ambitions are so different. I guess, deep down, we're not so different."
Tochi Onyebuchi
- "But wild and crazy, her hair going every which way, like the music has possessed her. It has replaced her blood and her bones. She has become those sounds, those music."
- "He wants to scream but knows he can't, so he lets their singer scream for him."
Liara Tamani
- "The Lucas who, after some of his bad days, hugged me so tight and for so long that it was easy to imagine his pain was love."
Jay Coles
- "I've realized that I'm a lot like the sun - the way I hide myself in the darkness. I'm tired of hiding."
- We walk away, and the whole time, I make sure not to let go of him." Ummmm.... I need more?
Tracey Baptiste
- "This is when you remember, wasn't it you who smiled at him first? Your toes are just off the floor, defying gravity with this jubilant crowd, still headed upwards as you try to think of a way to separate his hand from your body without making a fuss, without causing an incident, and without making everyone in this club seeing beyond his fingers to what they always see - a girl who is fast, who asked for it, who likes it that way.
- "It will not matter that this is the first time you have been in this situation. His hand will say something about you before you can say anything at all about yourself."
- "Because it is the hardness of the floor, and the abrupt halt in momentum, and the unyielding nature of the surface, that causes a thing to crack. Even if it is not that thing's fault. And then we talk about this thing being broken, or it needing to be fixed, and not what part the floor has played in the matter. Never the part about the floor being a constant threat. Even if it is a nice floor. Even if everybody wants one just like it."
Dhonielle Clayton
- "'The sky isn't always falling.' But that's how it feels."
- "Gram says a pile of money can make a barrel of sins disappear. But what about sadness?"
Coe Booth
- "But I don't think I need to wear a hijab to be a good Muslim. It's in my heart. It's who I am."
- "It's like, sometimes I don't know who I'm supposed to be. I'm not a kid anymore. But I can't figure anything out if everyone is constantly telling me what I should do."
Nic Stone
- Percy Jackson references warmed my heart.
394 pages
TW: racism, homophobia,
Rep: black, lesbian, gay
Good Quotes and Comments
Spoiler
Ibi Zoboi
- "The teens in Black Enough are living out their lives much like their white counterparts. They are whole, complete, and nuanced."
- "Like my revolutionary ancestors who want Haiti to be a safe space for Africans all over the globe, my hope is that Black Enough will encourage all Black teens to be their free, uninhibited selves without the constraints of being Black, too Black, or not Black enough. They will simply be enough just as they are."
Renee Watson
-"Grandma believes that God can heal anything. But I wonder."
- "The sun has said good night and now we are sitting under an ocean of stars. They shimmer like the glitter I once used on a Father's day card."
-"You are very brave facing your fears. I hope you are brave enough to conquer any monsters - literal or figurative - that come into your life."
-"Look at the sky. Sure there's a half moon tonight that we can se, but the full moon is always there... We see the moon because it revolves around the Earth, only the part facing the sun is visible to us... Most times we only see part of a thing, but there's always more to see, more to know."
Varian Johnson
- Love the feminist discussion yaas
-"He may have been a chamelion, but deep down, he knew who he was."
Leah Henderson
-"Well, if it makes you feel any better, my truth is still working its way out me too."
- "'Being in a shadow is never just as simple as stepping out of it. Shadows can camouflage a lot of things.' 'Like?' 'Differences. Here we're all supposed to want basically the same things and are expected to do the same, but outside of this bubble we aren't all the same. And we aren't seen that way either. I think people forget that sometimes.'"
- "She didn't recognize the images were of me. And I've always wondered why. But now I think I know. It was the side of me I don't let breathe. The side that doesn't fit expectations. The side that's free."
- "In this world, the brown of your skin is rarely a shelter."
- "And everyone can see how the moments of my life weave together to create this determined, certain face. Mine."
Kekla Magoon
- "'There's nothing wrong with being yourself,' you said. Lipstick in hand, like a cigarette."
- "You died on a Friday. I didn't go to your funeral. We didn't know each other at all, and still, I think about you. I think about whether you saw it coming, and whether it was painful. You died on a Friday, months ago, and still I think about you, you, you. Your red, red lips were silenced and a part of me was entirely relieved."
Jason Reynolds
- "Swinging his arm loosely at Flaco's brittle birdcage of a chest."
- "A smirk now splinters Randy's mug like a crack in glass."
Brandy Colbert
- "She's sweet but not afraid to tell it like it is; and when she speaks, we listen." I want to be like that.
- Why did the brother not ask before announcing everything to the whole family?
- "We're always harder on our own people."
- "But judging his life and his home... Even if I didn't mean to, I get how deeply that would hurt, same as his words hurt me."
- "It's funny how my fear can push me to do something that might lead to one of the best experiences of my life while Junior's fear threatens to hold him back. And strange that I didn't see that we're battling the same thing, even though our lives and ambitions are so different. I guess, deep down, we're not so different."
Tochi Onyebuchi
- "But wild and crazy, her hair going every which way, like the music has possessed her. It has replaced her blood and her bones. She has become those sounds, those music."
- "He wants to scream but knows he can't, so he lets their singer scream for him."
Liara Tamani
- "The Lucas who, after some of his bad days, hugged me so tight and for so long that it was easy to imagine his pain was love."
Jay Coles
- "I've realized that I'm a lot like the sun - the way I hide myself in the darkness. I'm tired of hiding."
- We walk away, and the whole time, I make sure not to let go of him." Ummmm.... I need more?
Tracey Baptiste
- "This is when you remember, wasn't it you who smiled at him first? Your toes are just off the floor, defying gravity with this jubilant crowd, still headed upwards as you try to think of a way to separate his hand from your body without making a fuss, without causing an incident, and without making everyone in this club seeing beyond his fingers to what they always see - a girl who is fast, who asked for it, who likes it that way.
- "It will not matter that this is the first time you have been in this situation. His hand will say something about you before you can say anything at all about yourself."
- "Because it is the hardness of the floor, and the abrupt halt in momentum, and the unyielding nature of the surface, that causes a thing to crack. Even if it is not that thing's fault. And then we talk about this thing being broken, or it needing to be fixed, and not what part the floor has played in the matter. Never the part about the floor being a constant threat. Even if it is a nice floor. Even if everybody wants one just like it."
Dhonielle Clayton
- "'The sky isn't always falling.' But that's how it feels."
- "Gram says a pile of money can make a barrel of sins disappear. But what about sadness?"
Coe Booth
- "But I don't think I need to wear a hijab to be a good Muslim. It's in my heart. It's who I am."
- "It's like, sometimes I don't know who I'm supposed to be. I'm not a kid anymore. But I can't figure anything out if everyone is constantly telling me what I should do."
Nic Stone
- Percy Jackson references warmed my heart.
hope_is_reading's review against another edition
challenging
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
fionna's review against another edition
3.0
really liked a majority of the stories - i just realized that i'm not much of a short-story girlie while reading it. otherwise, well-written with good representation and characters with diverse experiences/backgrounds. generally a fun and easy read!
avidbooknerd2028's review against another edition
3.0
I'm not sure were I fall into the rating.
There were a few stories I did enjoy while a few I didn't. The reason it's hard to decide is because the ones I liked I really really liked. The ones I didn't like I could hardly make it through.
Overall it was still a good anthology and i found some authors i would like to read more from.
There were a few stories I did enjoy while a few I didn't. The reason it's hard to decide is because the ones I liked I really really liked. The ones I didn't like I could hardly make it through.
Overall it was still a good anthology and i found some authors i would like to read more from.
j_k_w's review against another edition
emotional
funny
informative
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? N/A
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
5.0
vic_dip's review against another edition
4.0
There were some GEMS in this book good enough to make me want to actually buy this book
Special shout out to “Woah” and “Out of The Silence”
Special shout out to “Woah” and “Out of The Silence”
alittlebirde's review against another edition
4.0
This book is a fantastic selection of stories by Black youth in America. It gives great insight into becoming/being your own person in a country where racism is still incredibly pervasive and marginalized folks remain very much “other”. A solid 4/5 stars for this sweet and sad collection of strength and warmth.