chandraleereads's review
4.0
This is a wonderful collection of short stories. As with any anthology I loved some stories and was less interested in others. I definitely recommend the book overall and the audio was great!!
missoliviareadsbooks's review
3.0
A wonderful anthology full of amazing writers who consider every aspect of life today for young black people.
dfbballinger's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
informative
reflective
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? Yes
4.0
evelynhugosbitch3bc79's review
5.0
Overall rating : 4.5 / 5 stars
Half a moon by Renée Watson : 5/5
Black Enough by Varian Johnson : 5/5
Warning : Color May Fade by Leah Henderson : 4/5
Black. Nerd. Problems. by Lamar Giles : 3/5
Out of the Silence by Kekla Magoon : 3/5
The Ingredients by Jason Reynolds : 3/5
Oreo by Brandy Colbert : 5/5
Samson and Delilahs by Tochi Onyebuchi : 5/5
Stop Playing by Laira Tamani : 5/5
Wild horses, wild heart by Jay Coles : 5/5
Whoa! by Rita Williams-Garcia : 5/5
Gravity by Tracey Baptiste : 5/5
The Trouble with drowning by Dhonielle Clayton : 4/5
Kissing Sarah Smart by Justina Ireland : 5/5
Hackathon Summers by Coe Booth : 4/5
Into the Starlight by Nic Stone : 4/5
The (R)Evolution of Nigeria Jones by Ibi Ziboi : 5/5
Half a moon by Renée Watson : 5/5
Black Enough by Varian Johnson : 5/5
Warning : Color May Fade by Leah Henderson : 4/5
Black. Nerd. Problems. by Lamar Giles : 3/5
Out of the Silence by Kekla Magoon : 3/5
The Ingredients by Jason Reynolds : 3/5
Oreo by Brandy Colbert : 5/5
Samson and Delilahs by Tochi Onyebuchi : 5/5
Stop Playing by Laira Tamani : 5/5
Wild horses, wild heart by Jay Coles : 5/5
Whoa! by Rita Williams-Garcia : 5/5
Gravity by Tracey Baptiste : 5/5
The Trouble with drowning by Dhonielle Clayton : 4/5
Kissing Sarah Smart by Justina Ireland : 5/5
Hackathon Summers by Coe Booth : 4/5
Into the Starlight by Nic Stone : 4/5
The (R)Evolution of Nigeria Jones by Ibi Ziboi : 5/5
jeanwatts's review
informative
inspiring
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
3.25
Another class read! It was a solid anthology of many diverse stories showing what it means to be Black. There is no right or wrong way. Black youth deal with everything from crushes to family drama to college acceptance to first love to grief to internalized racism to feeling out of place to years of generational trauma. They also all question: am I Black enough?
As a white woman, I do not feel right to comment and critique each story. So I will say overall I enjoyed each one. Some were more readable and relatable to me than others. I can safely say that there is a story in here for everyone but I cannot speak to all the stories. That is a personal decision. Regardless, it was good to read an anthology marketed to teens dealing with these questions who are Black. I think it could be a very powerful read for anyone who identifies as a Black youth.
As a white woman, I do not feel right to comment and critique each story. So I will say overall I enjoyed each one. Some were more readable and relatable to me than others. I can safely say that there is a story in here for everyone but I cannot speak to all the stories. That is a personal decision. Regardless, it was good to read an anthology marketed to teens dealing with these questions who are Black. I think it could be a very powerful read for anyone who identifies as a Black youth.
brookey8888's review
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
I’m so glad I enjoyed this because I don’t love short story collections. Obviously I enjoyed some stories more than others, but nothing was below a three which is nice.
Half a moon-3
Black Enough-4
Warning: Color May Fade-3
Black.Nerd.Problems-3
Out of the Silence-5
The ingredients-3
Oreo-4
Samson and the Delilah’s-3
Stop Playing-4
Wild Horses, Wild Hearts-5
Whoa!-5
Gravity-4
The Trouble With Drowning-5
Kissing Sarah Smart-5
Hackathon Summers-3
Into the Starlight-5
The (R)evolution of Nigeria Jones-4
Half a moon-3
Black Enough-4
Warning: Color May Fade-3
Black.Nerd.Problems-3
Out of the Silence-5
The ingredients-3
Oreo-4
Samson and the Delilah’s-3
Stop Playing-4
Wild Horses, Wild Hearts-5
Whoa!-5
Gravity-4
The Trouble With Drowning-5
Kissing Sarah Smart-5
Hackathon Summers-3
Into the Starlight-5
The (R)evolution of Nigeria Jones-4
Content Warnings
Graphic: Religious bigotry, Self harm, Homophobia, Grief, Sexism, Sexual assault, Death, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Mental illness, Slavery, Suicidal thoughts, Misogyny, Colonisation, Cursing, Death of parent, Lesbophobia, Outing, Bullying, Cancer, Child death, Classism, Racial slurs, Racism, Suicide, and Violence
gemgem18's review
emotional
funny
informative
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
3.5
katsbooks's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
reflective
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
4.0
“Your grandma used to always tell me that just because something is over doesn't mean it wasn't successful. All things end at some point.”
“Being in a shadow is never just as simple as stepping out of it. Shadows can camouflage a lot of things.”
“Blackness is indeed a social construct. Within the context of American racial politics, there can be no Black without white. No racism without race. But the prevalence of culture is undeniable.”
I really enjoyed this anthology. I've read from Ibi Zoboi before and loved her work. I've also read from a handful of these authors before and haven't had anything bad to say about them either.
Like a lot of anthologies, some of the stories were more forgettable than others but some were absolutely fantastic. I think some of my favorites were Out of Silence, The Trouble with Drowning, Black Enough and Wild Horses, Wild Hearts.
I really liked how these stories really showed the breadth of what it's like to be a young, black person in the United States. There were immigrant stories, queer stories, stories about colorism and a whole lot more. I'm sure some perspectives were left out but I, ultimately, think Zoboi did a good job of representing as many different voices as she could. My book club picked this out and I'm really glad we did. We focus on picks that are diverse so we've read quite a few books about the black experience. While individual stories can carry a lot of nuance and multiple perspectives, anthologies always make really good picks because you get so many more perspectives.
I listened to a lot of this and I would absolutely recommend it as a physical book or an audiobook. The narration of each of the stories was done so well. Each of the stories was a good length, not too long or too short. I'd honestly love to put it in my classroom.
“Being in a shadow is never just as simple as stepping out of it. Shadows can camouflage a lot of things.”
“Blackness is indeed a social construct. Within the context of American racial politics, there can be no Black without white. No racism without race. But the prevalence of culture is undeniable.”
I really enjoyed this anthology. I've read from Ibi Zoboi before and loved her work. I've also read from a handful of these authors before and haven't had anything bad to say about them either.
Like a lot of anthologies, some of the stories were more forgettable than others but some were absolutely fantastic. I think some of my favorites were Out of Silence, The Trouble with Drowning, Black Enough and Wild Horses, Wild Hearts.
I really liked how these stories really showed the breadth of what it's like to be a young, black person in the United States. There were immigrant stories, queer stories, stories about colorism and a whole lot more. I'm sure some perspectives were left out but I, ultimately, think Zoboi did a good job of representing as many different voices as she could. My book club picked this out and I'm really glad we did. We focus on picks that are diverse so we've read quite a few books about the black experience. While individual stories can carry a lot of nuance and multiple perspectives, anthologies always make really good picks because you get so many more perspectives.
I listened to a lot of this and I would absolutely recommend it as a physical book or an audiobook. The narration of each of the stories was done so well. Each of the stories was a good length, not too long or too short. I'd honestly love to put it in my classroom.
madreejima's review against another edition
emotional
funny
informative
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
collkay10's review
3.0
These short stories were hit or miss. Some were captivating and others kept me wondering how many more pages I had left. Some big name authors are in here which made me pick it up in the first place. Overall this collection of stories accomplishes the important goal of highlighting different experiences of what it's like to grow up black in America. I applaud the intersectional lens brought into many of these stories and find them to be important for young people to read, whether it be to connect with it or learn from it.