Black Enough: Stories of Being Young & Black in America

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A Lot or a Little?
The parents' guide to what's in this book.
What Parents Need to Know
Parents need to know that Black Enough: Stories of Being Young & Black in America is a compelling anthology of short stories about adolescents of African descent, immigrant and native born, living in different parts of the United States. Editor Ibi Zoboi (American Street, Pride), invited black authors to contribute coming-of-age fiction. The authors include Jason Reynolds, Renée Watson, Tochi Onyebuchi, Kekla Magoon, Nic Stone, and Rita Williams- Garcia. These pieces portray young black Americans from a variety of religious, class, family, and educational backgrounds. One story contains a graphic description of human bodies after drowning, with hints about suicide. Another deals with losing a friend in a fatal car accident. There's one account of a sexual assault: A girl goes off to a private place with a boy and comes back with bruises and torn clothing. Stories explore dating and crushes, same- and opposite-sex attraction and relationships. There is a relatively detailed description of a boy and girl kissing and caressing under clothes, above the waist. A boy describes waking from a dream about his male love interest with an erection and "sticky" shorts. In one story, kids take naked photos on their phones and share them. There are several mentions of parents who are or were alcoholics and whose alcoholism negatively affects themselves, the family, or the main character. Some stories include infrequent strong language in dialogue, including "s--t" and "f--k."
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What's the Story?
BLACK ENOUGH: STORIES OF BEING YOUNG & BLACK IN AMERICA, edited by Ibi Zoboi, is a collection of 17 short stories about young black people written by black authors. The stories portray teens encountering serious and not-so-serious events, from losing a friend in a fatal car accident to choosing what sandwiches to have for lunch. The teens explore not only their racial identity but also sexual awakening, academic choices, and relationships with family and friends.
Is It Any Good?
There's so much to love about this collection! Black Enough: Stories of Being Young & Black in America offers a range of literary voices -- lyrical first-person monologue, fantasy, humor, and more. It portrays a variety of types of people and shows empathy for all of them. Though controversial topics are covered, the focus stays clearly on how the young people navigate the personal and ethical dilemmas in their lives; there are no soapboxes.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
What does it mean to be Black Enough or "not black enough"? How does this question come up in the lives of the characters in the stories? Has this question come up in your life or in the life of someone you know?
The stories in Black Enough were all written by black authors. How do you think that affected the stories they wrote? How does the fact that the authors are black influence your perception of the stories they tell?
In some stories, the character's main problem is about race, like whether to attend a historically black college or how to make friends in a town where almost everyone else is white. In others, it's about romance, a relationship with a parent, or coming out as gay or lesbian. In the stories not about race, do you think the character's "blackness" matters to the story? If so, how? If not, why not?
Book Details
- Author: Ibi Zoboi
- Genre: Short Stories
- Topics: Activism, Friendship, Great Boy Role Models, Great Girl Role Models, High School
- Book type: Fiction
- Publisher: Balzer + Bray
- Publication date: January 28, 2019
- Publisher's recommended age(s): 13 - 18
- Number of pages: 416
- Available on: Audiobook (unabridged), Hardback, iBooks, Kindle
- Last updated: July 26, 2021
Our Editors Recommend
For kids who love coming-of-age tales and African American stories
Themes & Topics
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