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Book Review: The Other Black Girl by Zakiya Dalila Harris

cover art for The Other Black Girl

 

The Other Black Girl by Zakiya Dalila Harris

Atria Books, 2021

ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1982160135

Available: Hardcover, paperback, Kindle edition, audiobook Bookshop.org | Amazon.com )

 

Nella is an editorial assistant at Wagner Books, and the only Black woman on the editorial staff.  Editorial assistants are poorly paid, and most of the editors have been there for years and aren’t going anywhere, so there isn’t a lot of likelihood of moving up. Most editorial assistants are young white women with a financial cushion that allows them to afford the job, and there is a lot of turnover.  Nella faces frequent microaggressions from the lily-white staff. There has been a token effort at diversity and inclusion, but most staff have tuned it out.

 

Nella is struggling with her supervising editor over the latest book of a well-known author, which includes a racist stereotype, while hoping to bring in a manuscript by a controversial Black activist. As she attempts to balance keeping her job with staying true to herself, she is pleased to discover that Wagner has hired another Black woman as editorial assistant, Hazel. At first Nella is relieved and excited to have someone to vent with, but Hazel comes across as more “genuine” and is an expert code-switcher. Soon Nella finds that Hazel is undermining her and going behind her back to take on what had previously been Nella’s assignments and roles. It’s almost like Nella is becoming invisible. Something ominous is going on. There are occasionally interruptions from other narrators, which is a little confusing, but eventually helps to create an understanding of the larger picture in which Nella’s story exists.

 

The Other Black Girl is slow to begin, but it is worth it to see the development of the office environment in which Nella and Hazel find themselves competing. Readers who don’t follow publishing news will need this background. As the story progresses, it draws the reader in, and the suspense and growing dread make it impossible to put down. It critiques the whiteness of publishing, the performativity of diversity initiatives, the necessity for code-switching, and stereotypes like the “strong black woman” in the midst of a conspiracy that couldn’t exist in another context. It is a compelling story that pulls back the curtains on the publishing world, showing that there is much more that needs to occur for real diversity and change.  Highly recommended.

 

Reviewed by Kirsten Kowalewski

Book Review: Are You In The House Alone? by Richard Peck

Are You In The House Alone? by Richard Peck

Puffin, 2000

ISBN: 0141306939

Available: New and Used

 

Editor’s note: Are You In The House Alone? was first published in 1977. I first read it in 1985, and our review of it is one of the earliest we published. While it is dated, given current events, it seems eerily relevant, and even more terrifying.

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    This is probably the first young adult novel to deal frankly with rape and its aftermath. Gail, a high school junior living in a charming New England town, is getting obscene notes and phone calls. She doesn’t want to think about it, her best friend pretends nothing is happening, and when she finally tells a guidance counselor she isn’t taken seriously. Isolated and terrified, she opens the door one night to let her boyfriend in and is surprised by her stalker, who happens to be her best friend’s boyfriend and the son of the wealthiest family in her small town.

    The chief of police tells Gail he will not arrest the boy, and a sympathetic lawyer explains that pressing charges would mean an attack on her personal life. Gail decides not to press charges, and returns to school. Another girl with an identical raincoat is then attacked on her way home and is left in critical condition.

     This story shows that the rapist is not the only monster. Every person who turns a blind eye to Gail’s situation, from her best friend to the chief of police, shows an ugly side that should horrify anyone who has ever needed to tell a terrible secret.  Richard Peck, a brilliant young adult author, is effective at creating Gail’s world and is able to express the horror of her situation without getting graphic.

Contains: sexual situations, violence

 

Reviewed by Kirsten Kowalewski

Book Review: A Breath After Drowning by Alice Blanchard

A Breath After Drowning by Alice Blanchard

Titan Books, 2018

ISBN-13: 978-1785656408

Available: Paperback, Kindle edition, audiobook, audio CD

 

Alice Blanchard drags the readers into the darkness with A Breath After Drowning. This psychological thriller dives down into the characters’ psychology, their trauma, and the deep pits that therapy and grief can dig, in a story that is as close to perfect as it can be in the thriller genre.

Our protagonist is child psychologist Katie Wolfe, whose sister was brutally murdered. Henry Blackwood sits on death row for the murder, yet his family remains in town. The opening chapters, which involve the suicide of a tortured teen, will rip a wound in the reader’s mind that is never given a chance to heal. Almost immediately afterwards, Katie is given another case, a teen whose troubles might lead Katie into waters too deep and black for her to survive. Every character seems to be tied somehow to Katie’s past: either the murder, or her turbulent upbringing. How she teams up with the retired detective who still lives with the case is worth the price of the book itself.

To reveal more would give away one of the many serpentine plot twists that deepen as the story unfolds. Blanchard chisels characters that darken with each layer.

Reminiscent of Gillian Flynn, Paula Hawkins, with the rawness of Stephen King’s suspense novels, this one’s highly recommended for anyone craving a thriller that will leave a scar. Blanchard is definitely an author to follow.

 

Reviewed by Dave Simms