A review by christinalepre
Disgruntled by Asali Solomon

4.0

I heard an author interview on Fresh Air and knew right away that I would love this book; indeed, I read most of it in 24 hours. This is a captivating coming of age story about the type of character we don't see enough in the traditional (i.e., white male [yawn]) coming of age genre: a young women of color growing up in Philadelphia in the late 80s/90s, not so many years before my own coming of age. Kenya's parents are activists who want their daughter to grow up feeling confident and strong, never feeling "the shame of being alive." This shame is something Solomon returns to throughout the story of Kenya's childhood and teenage years as she tries to navigate the world of a mostly white/rich private school, a difficult family life, and the lessons about being black in America that her parents tried so hard to instill. Recommended.