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A review by alyshadeshae
Black Enough: Stories of Being Young & Black in America by Ibi Zoboi
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.