My Thoughts on Black Enough: Stories of Being Young and Black in America

 Black Enough: Stories of Being Young and Black in America is a book published on January 8, 2019 and this is significant because given the recent issues of police brutality not only being put on the spotlight in just America but the world and that too on this kind of scale, I am genuinely astonished how not a lot of people are bringing up this book and talking about it. 

Coming back to the book, as the title suggests, it’s a compilation of different stories based or inspired from real experiences and instances the authors have faced. Each chapter is a different story and written by a different author focusing on various topics ranging from sexual harassment to code switching and everything in between. So let’s begin to rate and analyze these chapters. Please do note that this is my opinion on the take of the author’s direction. I am not trying to prove or display anything as a fact to anyone. Now that that’s out of the way, let’s begin! 

Half A Moon By Renée Watson 

Rating: 9/10

Opinion: The way Raven’s perspective was written was definitely fascinating. The way Raven and Brooke’s relationship evolves is also interesting to read and the author also does a good job in making the reader reminisce about summer camps through a very nostalgic set of words. 

Black Enough By Variah Johnson

Rating: 10/10

Opinion: The inclusion of the black lives matter movement and the whole story focusing on code switching is what made this a 10/10 for me. 

If you don’t know what code switching is, in simple terms, a change in behavior based on the people you’re surrounded with. The whole story revolves around the main character, Cameron, code switching between his Caucasian friends back home in Texas and African American folks in Franklin and how he confronts that towards the end of the chapter. 

Warning: Colour May Fade By Leah Henderson 

Rating: 7/10

Opinion: The build up throughout the story led me to believe an unexpected ending yet for a story with this much build up the end was honestly predictable. This story revolves around Niv who wants to pursue a field she thinks her parents would never approve of but deep down she knows that it’s who she is that Niv’s hiding from her parents. 

Black.Nerd.Problems By Lamar Giles

Rating: 5/10 

Opinion: This chapter had so much content to speak so little. 

Out Of The Silence By Kelka Mangoon 

Rating: 6/10 

Opinion: This chapter has the same build up problem as Black.Nerd.Problems and Warning: Colours May Fade. The so called secret that the author keeps on mentioning is revealed to be so minor considering all the build up it was given. 

The Ingredients By Jason Reynolds 

Rating: 8/10

This rating might seem counterintuitive to a lot of people who read the book but I genuinely enjoyed reading The Ingredients bearing in mind that many of the chapters in this book deal with the telling of harsher experiences and so a short chapter just about silly banter between friends really helps to give this book a perfect balance. 

Oreo By Brandy Colbert

Rating: 10/10

Opinion: This chapter represents the stereotypes people have about African Americans that even some African Americans carry in their minds. The story revolves around Joni and her family who go to visit her Grandma but still remains traumatized from her last visit due to an incident involving her cousins. But soon she realizes maybe her cousin isn’t as bad as she thought. 

Samson and The Delilahs By Tochi Onyebuchi 

Rating: 10/10

Opinion: Not only does this chapter give us a mesmerizing glimpse into Nigerian culture, it also shines light on a different side of a popular issue many people go through. Let me explain, the main character of this story, Sobechi, has always been the star of his debate team but thanks to his new neighbor, Desirée, he soon realizes that he has a taste in rock music too but the conflict begins when both his passions collide. 

So the popular issue I talk about hear is that most people come across a stage in life where they have developed or found this passion for something else yet are forced to pursue something completely different due to the people around them. The thing is people always portray this issue as the person only liking his true passion and not the one he/she is being forced into but what I like about this narrative is that it gives us a new perspective to a problem we already know and that is what if the person is interested in both the fields equally.

Stop Playing By Liara Tiamani

Rating: 8/10

Opinion: A overall good story about how Keri, a girl who has gotten into a nasty fight with her Prince Charming Lucas Sykes, tries to constantly win him back, gradually realizing that it might all just be a absurd little game for him. 

Wild Horses, Wild Hearts By Jay Coles 

Rating: 9/10 

Opinion: Mainly focusing on coming out of the closet and African Americans who would do anything to prove they are “worthy” to their Caucasian neighbors and rivals which based on how it’s written implies that this type of thing must happen often.

Whoa! By Rita-Williams Garcia 

Rating: 10/10

Opinion: Quite the fun read and really puts things into view on how far African Americans have really come over the years. 

Gravity By Tracey Baptiste

Rating: 9/10

Opinion: This chapter addresses sexual harassment by putting the protagonist in a situation that she fears could go downhill easily and has to think quick to find a way out while simultaneously recounts her struggles of moving to America and a similar situation her friend faced back home in Trinidad.

The Trouble with Drowning By Dhonielle Clayton

Rating: 8/10

Opinion: I had figured out the mystery that was supposed to be revealed at the end pretty early on but for those who couldn’t deduce it for themselves will find the ending and the story itself to be much greater than I did. 

Kissing Sarah Smart By Justina Ireland 

Rating: 9/10 

Opinion: Dealing with the same issue as wanting to come out of the closet as Wild Horses, Wild Hearts. Kissing Sarah Smart was a good read and also gives the reader a sneak peek into what life is like in a strict military household. While Wild Horses, Wild Hearts gives us a harsh confrontation in the end between the protagonist and his parents, Kissing Sarah Smart shows us a extremely toned down version of that confrontation. Although we are left to wonder whether Devon, the main character, did actually tell her stern father and if so how. 

Hackathon Summers By Coe Booth

Rating: 10/10

Opinion: The style of writing where the story shifts from past to present to give the reader a sense of understanding in the protagonist, Garry’s mind, is beautifully written. It also hits you with a sense of reality that the protagonist doesn’t always get what he desires most for which is the entire tone of this story. 

Into The Starlight By Mic Stone 

Rating: 10/10 

Opinion: The message of this chapter is that not everyone who is raised or born in the hood is a bad person which both the reader and the main character, Makenzie gradually realize throughout the story. Makenzie realizes that despite of what her Mom and cousin said about the hood and Kamari, he will never be as bad as they point him out to be. 

The (R)Evolution of Nigeria Jones By Ibi Zoboi

Rating: 10/10

Opinion: This chapter follows Nigeria Jones, daughter of Dr. Kofi Sankofa Jones, who is the leader of a Black Movement which opposes the white and believes they want people like them to be wiped of the face of the planet. But Nigeria just wants freedom, and so with the help of her friend Kamau she sets out on a little journey of her own to taste her freedom and on the way grasps and learns the truth. 

And with that we come to an end. Black Enough is a great book with only a few rather boring or uninteresting chapters. Don’t forget to pick up a copy of your own any time you get a chance because it has something for everyone. 

Those were my thoughts on Black Enough: Stories of Being Young and Black in America Edited By Ibi Zoboi.