''Black Enough: Stories of Being Young & Black in America'' is a 2019
young adult
A young adult is generally a person in the years following adolescence. Definitions and opinions on what qualifies as a young adult vary, with works such as Erik Erikson's stages of human development significantly influencing the definition of ...
anthology edited by
Ibi Zoboi
Ibi Zoboi is a Haitian-American author of young adult fiction. She is best known for her young adult novel ''American Street'', which was a finalist for the National Book Award for Young Adult's Literature in 2017.
Early life
Born in Haiti as ...
. The fictional stories are all written by Black authors and "explor
black interconnectedness, traditions, and identity in terms of how they apply to black teens".
Common themes include Black identity, sexual awakening, and teenage worries.
Contents
* "Introduction" by Ibi Zoboi
* "Half a Moon" by
Renée Watson
* "Black Enough" by
Varian Johnson
* "Warning: Color May Fade" by Leah Henderson
* "Black. Nerd. Problems." by
Lamar Giles
* "Out of the Silence" by
Kekla Magoon
Kekla Magoon is an American author, best known for her NAACP Image Award-nominated young adult novel ''The Rock and the Rive''r, ''How It Went Down'', ''The Season of Styx Malone,'' and ''X.'' In 2021, she received the Margaret Edwards Award from ...
* "The Ingredients" by
Jason Reynolds
* "Oreo" by
Brandy Colbert
* "Samson and the Delilahs" by
Tochi Onyebuchi
Tochi Onyebuchi (born October 4, 1987) is a Nigerian American science fiction and fantasy writer and former civil rights lawyer. His novella, '' Riot Baby'', received an Alex Award from the American Library Association and the World Fantasy Awa ...
* "Stop Playing" by Liara Tamani
* "Wild Horses, Wild Hearts" by
Jay Coles
* "Whoa!" by
Rita Williams-Garcia
* "Gravity" by
Tracey Baptiste
* "The Trouble with Drowning" by
Dhonielle Clayton
Dhonielle Clayton is an American author and chief operating officer of We Need Diverse Books.
Life and career
Clayton was born in Washington, D.C. She went to Our Lady Of Good Counsel in Wheaton Maryland. She graduated with a B.A. from Wake F ...
* "Kissing Sarah Smart" by
Justina Ireland
* "Hackathon Summers" by
Coe Booth
* "Into the Starlight" by
Nic Stone
Andrea Nicole Livingstone (born July 10, 1985), known as Nic Stone, is an American author of young adult fiction and middle grade fiction, best known for her debut novel ''Dear Martin'' and her middle grade debut, ''Clean Getaway''. Her novels ...
* "The (R)Evolution of Nigeria Jones" by Ibi Zoboi
Reception
''Black Enough'' received
starred reviews from ''
Booklist'',
''
Kirkus Reviews
''Kirkus Reviews'' (or ''Kirkus Media'') is an American book review magazine founded in 1933 by Virginia Kirkus (1893–1980). The magazine is headquartered in New York City. ''Kirkus Reviews'' confers the annual Kirkus Prize to authors of fic ...
'',
and ''
Publishers Weekly
''Publishers Weekly'' (''PW'') is an American weekly trade news magazine targeted at publishers, librarians, booksellers, and literary agents. Published continuously since 1872, it has carried the tagline, "The International News Magazine of B ...
''.
''Booklist''
's Enishia Davenport highlighted how the anthology "shirks off the literary world's tired obsession with only depicting the struggles of Black teens. With this, readers see everyday struggles as well as the ordinary yet remarkable joys of Black teens that have nothing to do with the trauma of their history."
Similarly'', Kirkus Reviews'' said the book is "nuanced and necessary" and referred to it as "a breath of fresh air and a sigh of long overdue relief". They highlighted its "fully human" characters while noting that "the presence of trans, Afro-Latinx, and physically disabled characters is missed".
''Publishers Weekly'' said, "The stories, all worth savoring, share a celebratory outlook on black teenagers fully and courageously embracing life".
Mary Quattlebaum, writing for ''
The Washington Post
''The Washington Post'' (also known as the ''Post'' and, informally, ''WaPo'') is an American daily newspaper published in Washington, D.C. It is the most widely circulated newspaper within the Washington metropolitan area and has a large nati ...
'', also reviewed the anthology.
Honors
In 2019, ''
Booklist'' included ''Black Enough'' on their top ten list of "Diverse Fiction for Youth". The following year, the
Young Adult Library Services Association
The Young Adult Library Services Association (YALSA), established in 1957, is a division of the American Library Association. YALSA is a national association of librarians, library workers and advocates whose mission is to expand the capacity of l ...
included it on their
Amazing Audiobooks for Young Adults and
Quick Picks for Reluctant Young Adult Readers lists.
References
{{Reflist
2019 children's books
2019 anthologies
HarperCollins books