When the Black Girl Sings - Hardcover

Wright, Bil

3.79

478 ratings by Goodreads

9781416939955: When the Black Girl Sings

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 1416939954 ISBN 13: 9781416939955

Publisher: Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers, 2008

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Lahni Schuler is the only black student at her private prep school. She's also the adopted child of two loving, but white, parents who are on the road to divorce. Struggling to comfort her mother and angry with her dad, Lahni feels more and more alone. But when Lahni and her mother attend a local church one Sunday, Lahni hears the amazing gospel choir, and her life takes an unexpected turn.

It so happens that one of Lahni's teachers, Mr. Faringhelli, has nominated her for a talent competition, and she is expected to perform a song in front of the whole school. Lahni decides to join the church choir to help her become a better singer. But what starts out as a way to practice singing becomes a place of belonging and a means for Lahni to discover her own identity. In this moving book, acclaimed author Bil Wright tells the story of one girl's search to find a home where she truly belongs.

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About the Author:

Bil Wright is an award-winning novelist and playwright. His novels include Putting Makeup on the Fat Boy (Lambda Literary Award and American Library Association Stonewall Book Award), the highly acclaimed When the Black Girl Sings (Junior Library Guild selection), and the critically acclaimed Sunday You Learn How to Box. His plays include Bloodsummer Rituals, based on the life of poet Audre Lorde (Jerome Fellowship), and Leave Me a Message (San Diego Human Rights Festival premiere). He is the Librettist for This One Girl’s Story (GLAAD nominee) and the winner of a LAMI (La Mama Playwriting Award). An associate professor of English at CUNY, Bil Wright lives in New York City. Visit him at BilWright.com.

From Booklist:

Adopted by loving, white parents and taunted by classmates as the only African American kid in her elite, private school, Lahni Schuler, 14, is scared of a boy who seems to be stalking her. At the same time, she’s distraught when her dad leaves her mom for another woman. Granted that’s a lot for one book to take on, but this one never becomes a heavy-handed problem novel because Lahni’s clear, first-person narrative is so authentic, expressing Lahni’s identity conflicts even as tension mounts to an exciting climax. The teen finally finds her place after her loving mom takes her to a multiracial church, where she sings with the gospel choir and is inspired by some great musicians and by her teacher-mentor to enter a school vocal competition. Moved by a powerful singer (“The notes went up and down like raindrops in a thunderstorm”), Lahni discovers her own rich gift, wears a beautiful jeweled Afro to the competition, and celebrates who she is. Grades 7-10. --Hazel Rochman

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