Scan barcode
internationalkris's review against another edition
4.0
Genesis has a lot of troubles in her life. Some of them are fairly universal like choosing friends and managing math class. Other serious ones are caused by her alcoholic father and codependent mother. And still others stem from the self-loathing caused by colorism which is highly valued by her maternal grandmother and father as well as others in her community. When Genesis starts a new school early in the book she gets to walk away from some negative people and gets a new chance at building real friendships and finding success especially in the music program. However, many of her troubles are either out of her control or internalized and they come with her. This is an important and insightful book.
mbincolor's review against another edition
Miss Alicia Williams did a fantastic job with Genesis Begins Again and I would certainly recommend it to black girls who are starting to notice colorism in their day-to-day interactions or in the media.
Genesis Begins Again is also a great read for students who have parents who are struggling with addiction or job/housing instabilities.
I’m currently reading Look Both Ways by Jason Reynolds, and if Genesis Begins Again was a short story it could certainly be one of the sections in his book.
Try reading them together.
Children and teens have a lot of emotional and physical obstacles outside of school-- without necessarily having the language or guidance-- that can silently (and severely) affect them. One thing I appreciated about this book is that Genesis’s parents/grandparents do eventually open up to her. Despite still wrestling with their own parental trauma/dysfunction, Genesis’s family treat her like a mature child and put their issues on the table, which allows her to find freedom in the truth: that she is enough as she is.
It’s usually later in life that children realize that their parents have trauma and have inflicted the remnants of that onto them. Genesis was, thankfully, able to realize this early before further damage caused her to lash out.
Alicia handles all the layers of Genesis's life with honesty, grace and hope.
Genesis Begins Again is also a great read for students who have parents who are struggling with addiction or job/housing instabilities.
I’m currently reading Look Both Ways by Jason Reynolds, and if Genesis Begins Again was a short story it could certainly be one of the sections in his book.
Try reading them together.
Children and teens have a lot of emotional and physical obstacles outside of school-- without necessarily having the language or guidance-- that can silently (and severely) affect them. One thing I appreciated about this book is that Genesis’s parents/grandparents do eventually open up to her. Despite still wrestling with their own parental trauma/dysfunction, Genesis’s family treat her like a mature child and put their issues on the table, which allows her to find freedom in the truth: that she is enough as she is.
It’s usually later in life that children realize that their parents have trauma and have inflicted the remnants of that onto them. Genesis was, thankfully, able to realize this early before further damage caused her to lash out.
Alicia handles all the layers of Genesis's life with honesty, grace and hope.
kelseywaters's review against another edition
5.0
The best middle grade/YA book I’ve read in awhile. It really helped me understand a perspective I think a lot of my students go through, particularly of being overwhelmed with the stress of life to the point where it’s too hard to focus on school. Genesis is a beautiful, thoughtful main character struggling with having dark skin and loving herself in a society that doesn’t accept her. I love the way this story works through her challenges with both her self worth and her relationships with her mom, dad, grandma, and new friends at school. So powerful.
bookishkellyn's review against another edition
emotional
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
It sent me through a wave of emotions that the adults in the main character’s life fueled her self-loathing and then failed to sympathize with her actions to correct her perceived flaws. The author’s narration on the audiobook version kept me from DNF’ing.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcoholism, Body shaming, Bullying, Emotional abuse, and Injury/Injury detail
mrstiabee's review against another edition
5.0
I read that this was called “The Bluest Eye” for middle grade readers. It lived up to the review.
ireadtoescape_'s review
challenging
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
So beautiful!!! 🥹🥹🥹🥹🥹
I felt like this was me at 13. Being dark skinned with kinky hair at that age was a lottt!! And I heard so much of myself in what Genesis did.
Identity is so powerful and I’m glad I got to find it. So heartbreaking to see Genesis go through it and also know that so many beautiful young girls are still going through this too. It feels like this book is holding space for all of us.
Beautiful. 💛
I felt like this was me at 13. Being dark skinned with kinky hair at that age was a lottt!! And I heard so much of myself in what Genesis did.
Identity is so powerful and I’m glad I got to find it. So heartbreaking to see Genesis go through it and also know that so many beautiful young girls are still going through this too. It feels like this book is holding space for all of us.
Beautiful. 💛
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcoholism
Moderate: Body shaming, Racism, and Classism
Minor: Ableism
belinda_h's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
annakim's review
5.0
Colorism is not only a major concern about Black communities; it is also a problem among Asian communities. In Southeast Asia, there is a very popular product called Fair and Lovely (the company has pledged to change the name, but not to stop selling the product) that claims to bleach the skin. It's not uncommon for women in Korea to carry parasols on sunny days in order to protect themselves from getting a tan.
My heart broke for Genesis. All of her actions were rooted in a desperate need for love and unconditional acceptance and, as a result, she finds herself getting in trouble more than once. Even though the book ends on a hopeful note, there is no easy solution to the problems Genesis and her mother face and I think that that kind of realism is better than any cheap and easy ending.
My heart broke for Genesis. All of her actions were rooted in a desperate need for love and unconditional acceptance and, as a result, she finds herself getting in trouble more than once. Even though the book ends on a hopeful note, there is no easy solution to the problems Genesis and her mother face and I think that that kind of realism is better than any cheap and easy ending.
biblioemily's review
5.0
Important look at colorism. I am HERE for 13-year-old protagonists, too, because this means I can convince 8th graders to read this book. :)
mdmartin's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
reflective
medium-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? Yes
5.0