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

4.0

Based on the title and cover image one might think this is a fairly fluffy romance-type novel. It's not. It's a coming-of-age story -- a young girl growing up in Chicago in the 1960s. The author treats in-depth issues of colorism in the Black community (the idea that lighter-skinned people are more attractive/better -- especially girls/women), and the debate over wearing natural hair. Stevie, the main character, gets more radicalized over time as she sees the different ways people around her navigate being Black in a racist society. A little heavy-handed, perhaps, but enjoyable and enlightening.