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A review by tracybabler
For Black Girls Like Me by Mariama J. Lockington
3.0
I received a free review copy from the publisher. All opinions are my own.
FOR BLACK GIRLS LIKE ME is a complex middle grade novel, mixing prose, verse, and social media posts to craft a story about a family in crisis. It is told from the perspective of Makeda, a Black girl who was adopted by a White family that has relocated from Baltimore to New Mexico—where no one looks like her. Makeda explores curiosity about her biological mom and experiences isolation, overt racism and microaggressions in her new town—all while her mother is in a state of crisis due to undiagnosed bipolar disorder and her dad is on a long international trip as a professional musician. With no one there to support her, Makeda struggles with understanding her identity in a world that doesn't always make sense.
There is a lot going on here both in style and subject matter, and this one feels to me like it will best for readers on the older end of the MG age group, even bridging into younger YA readers.
FOR BLACK GIRLS LIKE ME is a complex middle grade novel, mixing prose, verse, and social media posts to craft a story about a family in crisis. It is told from the perspective of Makeda, a Black girl who was adopted by a White family that has relocated from Baltimore to New Mexico—where no one looks like her. Makeda explores curiosity about her biological mom and experiences isolation, overt racism and microaggressions in her new town—all while her mother is in a state of crisis due to undiagnosed bipolar disorder and her dad is on a long international trip as a professional musician. With no one there to support her, Makeda struggles with understanding her identity in a world that doesn't always make sense.
There is a lot going on here both in style and subject matter, and this one feels to me like it will best for readers on the older end of the MG age group, even bridging into younger YA readers.