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A review by dai2daireader
Training School for Negro Girls by Camille Acker
4.0
I have been into short stories collections these last few months and am loving them! I saw the cover of this book and just knew I had to read this one. These stories center around the lives of Black females at different stages of life living in DC. This debut collection explores how Black women are not a monolith. We are often arbitrarily put into categories by others but these stories show that we are much more than that, much more than what people see on the outside.
I had a lot of favorite stories but the story of the young girl writing an essay for her college application really resonated with me. This story discusses the idea of what it means to be “chosen” and to be your “own kind of black girl,” not adhering to the stereotypes of how you should look, talk or behave.
The big take away is that there are various outside influences and pressures but it’s so important to be your own person and realize that being a Black female doesn’t look just one way.
I had a lot of favorite stories but the story of the young girl writing an essay for her college application really resonated with me. This story discusses the idea of what it means to be “chosen” and to be your “own kind of black girl,” not adhering to the stereotypes of how you should look, talk or behave.
The big take away is that there are various outside influences and pressures but it’s so important to be your own person and realize that being a Black female doesn’t look just one way.