Reviews

Cool. Awkward. Black. by Karen Strong

nidzi_c's review against another edition

adventurous emotional hopeful inspiring lighthearted medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.0

ericxcherish's review against another edition

5.0

My favorite stories were Initiative Check by K. Arsenault Rivera, Betty's Best Craft by Elise Bryant, Spirit-Filled by Jordan Ifueko, High Strangeness by Desiree S. Evans, Requiem of Souls by Terry J. Benton-Walker, Drive Time by Lamar Giles, Wolf Tracks by Roseanne A. Brown, and Abyss by Amerie.

I tried my best to narrow it down, but there were so many stories that I loved! This was a highly anticipated read for me and it lived up to all of my expectations!

mergs_scribbles's review against another edition

4.5

Cool. Awkward. Black as a whole was really well done. Every story felt like it belonged and followed the theme in different, creative ways. I liked some more than I did others but I really appreciated how I never felt like I was reading the same story twice.

• Our Joy, Our Power: Great message about the anti blackness in cosplay. The boys were also very cute.
• The Book Club: This one was whimsical and intriguing. I honestly didn’t want it to end. I wanted to learn more about the man in the book and the girls in the club. I have to mention too how much I loved that they told the story about the man in the book through origami. That’s so visually cool! Like I need to see that animated ASAP.
• Nina Evans, in the Round: Bayron doesn’t disappoint as usual and is really becoming a favorite author of mine. The emotion packed into this short story is so palpable. I could feel the whimsy in Nina as she watched The Wiz. Bayron also always writes families well. There’s messy feelings but they love each other and I can feel it in every line of dialogue or action.
• Earth is Ghetto: I liked the main character, the message, and how things turned out at the end. Can’t say I’d jump on that spaceship either 😬 
• Initiative Check: I was hoping this anthology would have a DND session and here it is! I liked how the plot in the game mirrored the relationship of the two characters and helped them work out their issues. Would have liked to see the other characters play more of a role. Gabe and his boyfriend for example just felt like they were there. However,  I will admit that I tuned out of this one a lot while reading. My brain just could not focus so maybe there was something more but I just mentally was not present for it.
• Corner Booth: Damn was this sweet. I loved the ending with the characters both realizing each other’s identities. Not to mention the kiss! Ah! These characters were just so darn cute. I couldn’t get enough of them.
• Betty’s Best Craft: This story had some nice character growth and I liked Betty’s lists, especially at the end. 
• The Panel Shows a Girl: This one left me feeling a bit disappointed because I wanted to learn more about Niomi and the MC’s issues. The MC’s art becoming real was very cool tho.
• Spirit-Filled: I love Ms. Hazimoto! Old ladies for the win! That was such a good way to end this story. I literally had the biggest smile on my face.
• Cole’s Cruise Blues: This was a really cute story. The brother/sister bonding moments were my favorite parts. I do wish more would have been explored about Cole’s toxic relationship with Sage, but besides that I thought this one was pretty good.
• High Strangeness: Unfortunately, this one probably kept my attention the least out of the stories. It was nice just seeing these kids be strange and have fun, but the story didn’t pop for me like the others. Also, warning that lizard people are briefly mentioned in this story. 
• Catalyst Rising: This one gave me a “Where’s the rest of it??” Zuko moment. The way Tracy Deonn hinted at the very beginning about Petra’s abilities with something as simple as the itchiness of finger tips is amazing. The story kind of gave me Percy Jackson vibes with Petra getting cornered at school and realizing an unknown ability (also the missing mom scenario). I really want more of this, Tracy, please give it to me 🙏 
• Requiem of Souls: I like the dark tone this story brings to the anthology. It’s a nice change of pace and I’m glad I saved reading it until midnight cuz that really gave the scary atmosphere a boost! The horror elements were chilling and the Creeper was both mysterious and terrifying. Can’t say I’ll be able to listen to flute music without thinking about the monster.
• Honor Code: The only thing I didn’t like about this was that we didn’t get to see the fight at the end. That would have been so cool. Besides that, I like the story and how it wrapped up. 
• Drive Time: This story had me cackling. All the shenanigans Zed got the kids into were so over-the-top and I loved how Theo and Annalise responded to each mess. Only thing I didn’t like about this was Annalise throwing out Theo’s pump. Like GIRL. 
• Wolf Tracks: This was fun and the discussion between the main character and his dad was really nice. Was getting a little misty eyed over it even.
• The Hero’s Journey: It had some interesting storytelling that I haven’t seen before. The storytelling did confused me at first but I picked up on what was happening eventually. Not may favorite in this anthology, but it’s still alright.
• Abyss: This story is the last one of this anthology and reads very differently than the previous stories due to its storytelling and dark academia vibes. Wasn’t my favorite in the anthology but I’m also not super into dark academia. If you do like that genre, you’ll love this one.

caitief's review against another edition

emotional funny hopeful mysterious reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.5

interestedinthings's review against another edition

adventurous funny mysterious fast-paced

4.5

theythemreads's review

adventurous emotional inspiring lighthearted relaxing fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.5

I love this collection of short stories but as an audiobook it got rather confusing to know when each new story started. I would definitely recommend it

raavenreads's review against another edition

5.0

I absolutely loved this anthology! It feels so good to be seen and this is one I will recommend forever. I bought this the day it came out and I’m so so happy I finally got to it.

This book gathers black authors (both new and old to me) and they all have different versions of what it means to be weird and nerdy. I loved how different the stories were. We go from cosplayers and anime fans to kids who love competitive spelling and doing crafts. It goes from fantasy to contemporary and everything in between. I was so impressed by this.

My favorites were probably:

Nina Evans, in the round : Kalynn Bayron
Corner Booth: Leah Johnson
Betty’s best craft: Elsie Bryant
Cole’s Cruise Blues: Isaac Fitzsimons
High Strangeness: Desiree S. Evans.
Wolf tracks: Roseanne A. Brown

All of these stories spoke to me for different reasons, though. There isn’t just one way to be black. People may look at you and expect you to be a certain way, but that isn’t your job to live up to anyone’s expectations. You aren’t weird for what you love and there will always be people out there who accept you for who you are. If you’ve ever felt left out, weird, awkward, strange, or like you don’t belong for your hobbies, this is for you I also loved all the anime references as a weeb myself.

yanareadit's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional funny hopeful lighthearted tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.25

ladyzbyrd's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional funny hopeful inspiring lighthearted relaxing fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

This was SUCH an adorably geeky, uplifting book filled with black writers, black characters, and amazing LGBTQIA+ love, and more! Some of the short stories felt open-ended enough that I wanted more! 

claudiaslibrarycard's review against another edition

emotional funny lighthearted slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.5

Cool. Awkward. Black. is a short story collection with a wide range of genres within it. Many of the stories have an element of sci-fi or magical realism, while others are more literary and some that feel like fictionalized memoir. Two of the stories were absolute standouts for me, and unfortunately they were both in the first third of the book.

"Nina Evans, in the Round" and "Earth is Ghetto" were tremendous. In the former, Nina is finishing college and aspires to be in a theater production while her parents greatly discourage her. They want her to focus on her studies that can lead to a lucrative career, not acting which they feel can only bring her a pittance of success as a Black woman in a racist acting world. The later story is a sci-fi about space travel that was both on the nose in it's commentary and hilarious. 

I wish I had resonated more with the later stories in this book, but I'm sure that's more about me and my interests than the writing. The authors in this book are all top notch and I'm so glad this YA compilation features them. I recommend this for nerds of all ages!