A review by lattelibrarian
Coffee Will Make You Black by April Sinclair

5.0

I'm a coffee lover, so when I saw this title, I knew I had to read it. Then, naturally, the title hit me once I actually came to read it: I knew immediately that I was in for a treat reminiscent of my college days where I read Morrison, Whitehead, and Petry.

All Stevie wants to do is become friends with Carla, to know what it's like to be popular. But as she befriends this girl, she is thrust into a world in which friends play tricks on each other, gossip, and start talking about periods and sex. As Stevie grows, so does this Civil Rights Movement: Dr. King is assassinated and local young men are passing around copies of Malcolm X's biography. The tensions between white and black folks become thick and tense, but Stevie finds that she can confide with their white school nurse about her worries about boys, losing her virginity, and questioning her sexuality.

This is all interspersed with commentary about gender--why do her brothers never have to wash the dishes?--as well as intergenerational strife--her mother lied about her school days to make her grandmother happy. Coffee Will Make You Black also offers thoughts on class, religion, and education making this coming of age story one that is both informative and relatable.