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yanareadit's review
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
tense
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? No
4.25
ladyzbyrd's review
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
relaxing
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? Yes
5.0
This was SUCH an adorably geeky, uplifting book filled with black writers, black characters, and amazing LGBTQIA+ love, and more! Some of the short stories felt open-ended enough that I wanted more!
claudiaslibrarycard's review
emotional
funny
lighthearted
slow-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
3.5
Cool. Awkward. Black. is a short story collection with a wide range of genres within it. Many of the stories have an element of sci-fi or magical realism, while others are more literary and some that feel like fictionalized memoir. Two of the stories were absolute standouts for me, and unfortunately they were both in the first third of the book.
"Nina Evans, in the Round" and "Earth is Ghetto" were tremendous. In the former, Nina is finishing college and aspires to be in a theater production while her parents greatly discourage her. They want her to focus on her studies that can lead to a lucrative career, not acting which they feel can only bring her a pittance of success as a Black woman in a racist acting world. The later story is a sci-fi about space travel that was both on the nose in it's commentary and hilarious.
I wish I had resonated more with the later stories in this book, but I'm sure that's more about me and my interests than the writing. The authors in this book are all top notch and I'm so glad this YA compilation features them. I recommend this for nerds of all ages!
"Nina Evans, in the Round" and "Earth is Ghetto" were tremendous. In the former, Nina is finishing college and aspires to be in a theater production while her parents greatly discourage her. They want her to focus on her studies that can lead to a lucrative career, not acting which they feel can only bring her a pittance of success as a Black woman in a racist acting world. The later story is a sci-fi about space travel that was both on the nose in it's commentary and hilarious.
I wish I had resonated more with the later stories in this book, but I'm sure that's more about me and my interests than the writing. The authors in this book are all top notch and I'm so glad this YA compilation features them. I recommend this for nerds of all ages!
darthchrista's review
5.0
A fun collection of short stories. Would be great for a quick bedtime, coffee break or reading slump. It would help with that last one because you are guaranteed to discover an author whose work you want to read more of.
erin_is_reading's review
emotional
funny
lighthearted
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
maladaptivedaydreamer's review
adventurous
funny
inspiring
lighthearted
mysterious
reflective
relaxing
fast-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? It's complicated
4.75
onebook_more's review
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
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? It's complicated
4.0
aliciakindlereads's review
inspiring
lighthearted
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? No
5.0
I enjoyed these short stories of discovery of self, finding romance, and entering into a bizarre world. Some stories left me wanting more while other stories was enough for me with what was presented. Great collection of stories and definitely want to read other work from some of the authors. I also liked that some of my favorite authors are in this book.
lunamoon62's review
4.0
This was delightful, heart-warming and incredibly needed. It was an anthology that spanned so many different voices and I really think that's so vital. It was such a joy to read.
"Our Joy, Our Power"—5 stars. I really loved this one! The writing was lyrical, the romance was adorable and the Fan-Con setting was so cool!
"The Book Club"—3 stars. This one felt a little generic/young for me, unfortunately, but I did enjoy that it was a story about books!
"Nina Evans, In the Round"—5 Stars. My theater kid heart is so happy! As somebody who is disabled, I know that the theater industry can sometimes be difficult with casting, but this story was so beautiful and I adored it.
"Earth is Ghetto"—4 stars. This one was really interesting. I thought it had a very unique tone, and I don't usually read Sci-fi like that, so it was a nice step out of my comfort zone.
"Initiative Check"-4 stars. I LOVE D&D! This one was really cute and creative.
"Corner Booth"—5 stars. The grumpy/sunshine vibes and the incorporation of spelling... impeccable.
"Betty's Best Craft"—4 stars. This was cute but I found myself a little confused throughout.
"The Panel Shows the Girl"—4.75 Stars. This one was incredibly innovative, cool, and fun to read!
"Spirit Filled"—4 stars. This one hit a little close to home for me... it was really sweet and very emotionally evocative.
"Cole's Criuse Blues"—4.5 stars. What a fun time! I wanna go on a cruise now. This had a great message.
"Hich Strangeness"—4 stars. This one was beautifully-written. The vibes were en pointe!
"Catalyst Rising"—3 stars. I'm not a big science fan... I was sad I didn't like this more but it just didn't work for me.
"Requiem of Souls"—5 stars. AHHH! This was so creepy-cool! The music and the ghosts and the whole vibe... it was just fascinating.
"Honor Code"—4 stars. This one was interesting; I enjoyed the social media aspect.
"Drive Time"—4 stars. This was cute and funny! I had a great time reading.
"Wolf Tracks"—5 stars. This concept was incredible and I was on the edge of my seat the whole time!
"The Hyo's Journey"—3.5 stars. This had some interesting aspects but fell a little flat for me.
"Abyss"—3 stars. This was cool and action-packed, as well as having an interesting format.
Overall, this was truly such a cool experience and a great way to start Black History Month. My heart is full!
"Our Joy, Our Power"—5 stars. I really loved this one! The writing was lyrical, the romance was adorable and the Fan-Con setting was so cool!
"The Book Club"—3 stars. This one felt a little generic/young for me, unfortunately, but I did enjoy that it was a story about books!
"Nina Evans, In the Round"—5 Stars. My theater kid heart is so happy! As somebody who is disabled, I know that the theater industry can sometimes be difficult with casting, but this story was so beautiful and I adored it.
"Earth is Ghetto"—4 stars. This one was really interesting. I thought it had a very unique tone, and I don't usually read Sci-fi like that, so it was a nice step out of my comfort zone.
"Initiative Check"-4 stars. I LOVE D&D! This one was really cute and creative.
"Corner Booth"—5 stars. The grumpy/sunshine vibes and the incorporation of spelling... impeccable.
"Betty's Best Craft"—4 stars. This was cute but I found myself a little confused throughout.
"The Panel Shows the Girl"—4.75 Stars. This one was incredibly innovative, cool, and fun to read!
"Spirit Filled"—4 stars. This one hit a little close to home for me... it was really sweet and very emotionally evocative.
"Cole's Criuse Blues"—4.5 stars. What a fun time! I wanna go on a cruise now. This had a great message.
"Hich Strangeness"—4 stars. This one was beautifully-written. The vibes were en pointe!
"Catalyst Rising"—3 stars. I'm not a big science fan... I was sad I didn't like this more but it just didn't work for me.
"Requiem of Souls"—5 stars. AHHH! This was so creepy-cool! The music and the ghosts and the whole vibe... it was just fascinating.
"Honor Code"—4 stars. This one was interesting; I enjoyed the social media aspect.
"Drive Time"—4 stars. This was cute and funny! I had a great time reading.
"Wolf Tracks"—5 stars. This concept was incredible and I was on the edge of my seat the whole time!
"The Hyo's Journey"—3.5 stars. This had some interesting aspects but fell a little flat for me.
"Abyss"—3 stars. This was cool and action-packed, as well as having an interesting format.
Overall, this was truly such a cool experience and a great way to start Black History Month. My heart is full!