Black Enough: Stories of Being Young & Black in America - Hardcover

Zoboi, Ibi; Baptiste, Tracey; Booth, Coe; Clayton, Dhonielle; Colbert, Brandy; Coles, Jay; Giles, Lamar; Henderson, Leah; Ireland, Justina; Johnson, Varian; Magoon, Kekla; Onyebuchi, Tochi; Reynolds, Jason; Stone, Nic; Tamani, Liara; Watson, Renée; Williams-Garcia, Rita

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0062698729 ISBN 13: 9780062698728

Publisher: Balzer + Bray, 2019

Synopsis

Edited by National Book Award finalist Ibi Zoboi, and featuring some of the most acclaimed bestselling Black authors writing for teens today—Black Enough is an essential collection of captivating stories about what it’s like to be young and Black in America.

Black is...sisters navigating their relationship at summer camp in Portland, Oregon, as written by Renée Watson.

Black is...three friends walking back from the community pool talking about nothing and everything, in a story by Jason Reynolds.

Black is...Nic Stone’s high-class beauty dating a boy her momma would never approve of.

Black is...two girls kissing in Justina Ireland’s story set in Maryland.

Black is urban and rural, wealthy and poor, mixed race, immigrants, and more—because there are countless ways to be Black enough.

Contributors:
Justina Ireland
Varian Johnson
Rita Williams-Garcia
Dhonielle Clayton
Kekla Magoon
Leah Henderson
Tochi Onyebuchi
Jason Reynolds
Nic Stone
Liara Tamani
Renée Watson
Tracey Baptiste
Coe Booth
Brandy Colbert
Jay Coles
Ibi Zoboi
Lamar Giles

About this title

About the Author

Ibi Zoboi was born in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, and holds an MFA in Writing for Children & Young Adults from Vermont College of Fine Arts. Her writing has been published in The New York Times Book Review, The Horn Book, and The Rumpus, among others. She is the author of American Street, a National Book Award finalist, and Pride. She lives in Brooklyn with her husband and their three children. You can find her online at www.ibizoboi.net.

Sona Charaipotra & Dhonielle Clayton met while attending the New School’s acclaimed Writing for Children MFA program. Sona is a journalist who has written for the New York Times, People, Parade, Cosmopolitan, and other major media. Dhonielle is a librarian at a middle school in Harlem, and taught English at a cutthroat ballet academy. Together, the pair cofounded CAKE Literary, a boutique book packaging company with a decidedly diverse bent. Find them online at www.cakeliterary.com.

Lamar Giles writes for teens and adults. He is the author of the Edgar Award finalists Fake ID and Endangered as well as the critically acclaimed Overturned, Spin, and The Last Last-Day-of-Summer. He is a founding member of We Need Diverse Books and resides in Virginia. Visit him online at www.lamargiles.com.

Justina Ireland is the author of Dread Nation, Deathless Divide, Vengeance Bound, Promise of Shadows, and the Star Wars novel Lando’s Luck. She enjoys dark chocolate and dark humor and is not too proud to admit that she’s still afraid of the dark. She lives with her husband, kid, and dog in Pennsylvania. You can visit her online at www.justinaireland.com.

A poet
An artist

One black
One white

Two voices
One journey

Jason Reynolds & Jason Griffin are superheroes.

Review

★ “A poignant collection of stunning short stories by Black, rock star authors” (Booklist (starred review))

★ “A breath of fresh air...nuanced and necessary.” (Kirkus Reviews (starred review))

★ “Each entry is deftly woven and full of such complex humanity that teens will identify with and see some of their own struggles in these characters... This collection presents the beauty of black humanity in all its many forms.” (School Library Journal (starred review))

★ “The stories, all worth savoring, share a celebratory outlook on black teenagers fully and courageously embracing life.” (Publishers Weekly (starred review))

“Ibi Zoboi, author of National Book Award finalist American Street and Jane Austen update Pride, dazzles again with this stunning, marvelously diverse collection of 17 stories of the teen experience by black authors [writing] ‘about teens examining, rebelling against, embracing, or simply existing within their own idea of blackness.’” (Buffalo News)

★ Praise for AMERICAN STREET: “Mixing gritty street life with the tenderness of first love, Haitian Vodou, and family bonds, the book is at once chilling, evocative, and reaffirming.” (Publishers Weekly (starred review))

★ Praise for AMERICAN STREET: “Filling her pages with magic, humanity, tragedy, and hope, Zoboi builds up, takes apart, and then rebuilds an unforgettable story. This book will take root in readers’ hearts.” (Kirkus Reviews (starred review))

★ Praise for AMERICAN STREET: “Zoboi’s stunning debut intertwines mysticism and love with grit and violence...Fierce and beautiful.” (Booklist (starred review))

★ Praise for AMERICAN STREET: “A breathtaking story about contemporary America that will serve as a mirror to some and a window for others, and it will stay with anyone who reads it.” (School Library Journal (starred review))

Praise for AMERICAN STREET: “Zoboi urges us to examine the American dream to see if there is room within it to hold the ones we love.” (Ebony Magazine)

About this edition

• Publisher: Balzer + Bray
• Publication date: 2019
• ISBN 10: 0062698729
• ISBN 13: 9780062698728
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 416