Tochi Onyebuchi

Jason Reynolds

Nic Stone

Rita Williams-Garcia

Coe Booth

Kekla Magoon

Ibi Zoboi

Dhonielle Clayton

Lamar Giles

Brandy Colbert

Justina Ireland

Renée Watson

Liara Tamani

Jay Coles

Varian Johnson

Leah Henderson

Tracey Baptiste

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

Stories of Being Young & Black in America

Black Enough

Beckah brooks

“Being in a shadow is never just as simple as stepping out of it. Shadows can camouflage a lot of things”
•
Black Enough, is really good! I loved that it was all short stories, it was perfect for picking up the book and putting it back down when you are busy. No need to try to remember what was happening. Also,you get a lot of variation with what you are reading, it’s like a taste test for authors and styles. I found that I wanted some of the short stories to be full books, while others dragged a bit(for me personally). I may have skipped a few because I just couldn’t relate to the lifestyle or get into the writing style. They seemed to be forcing an agenda(LGBTQ+ I’m okay with reading about it but this seemed forced and tired) and lacking newness. But that’s what is nice about short story collections, there almost always another story to flip too. 
•
Black enough is a ton of different stories about what it is like “being young and black in America”. I definitely recommend picking up this book!

Alexa Jade

This had a slow start to me and when I was getting into it when I got to “warning: color may fade” I ended up not liking the pacing of the story? It was when I got to “the ingredients” that I really really was starting to like it more. My fave story overall was “the trouble with drowning.”

Grace O'Callaghan

Average rating of all the stories - 4.23/5 ⭐️

Please note that this review is from a non #ownvoices reviewer.

What a really solid and important anthology this was. I’m so happy to be seeing more books being told by #ownvoices authors as well as knowing that there is good representation for people who have been underrepresented/misrepresented for so long.

This anthology is all about black voices and that there is no one way to be black. That it doesn’t matter how you talk or what your sexuality is, whether you are rich or poor, you are enough. 

Half a Moon by Renee Watson - 4.5/5 ⭐️
A story about how a camp brought two sisters together. Perfect start to the anthology, it was a story with a clear message with beautiful prose.

Black Enough by Varian Johnson - 3.5/5 ⭐️
This one had a great message about ignoring police brutality and things that are right in front of you, but the execution wasn’t my favourite. 

Warning: Colour May Fade by Leah Henderson - 4/5 ⭐️
Watch as Nivia learns to embrace her truth through her artwork. I may be biased towards this story as I love art so much, but this was such a good story about parental expectations, taking credit for art that’s not yours and allowing yourself to come through in your work.

Black. Nerd. Problems. by Lamar Giles - 1.5/5 ⭐️
Working in a shopping Mall, Shawn has a crush on a girl but doesn’t have the courage to go up to her because he’s too ‘nerdy’. This just didn’t click with me. I understand what it was trying to do by saying it’s okay to be different, but it was poorly done. Shawn says he doesn’t want to go up to the girl because he has Chewbacca on his shirt. It’s 2019, everyone knows about Star Wars, it’s not uncool to wear characters on your t-shirt, no one cares if you’re a ‘nerd’. Dayshia, the girl, didn’t have any personality. She was more of a ‘conquest’ to prove nerds can get the girl. This is nothing new, next.

Out of the Silence by Kekla Magoon - 4/5 ⭐️
Tessa was the only one that knew Cassie’s secret. Until she died on a Friday in a car accident.
This was quite the sad story about Cassie not really knowing Tessa but still thinking about her constantly. About how someone can come into your life and make you learn something about yourself, even though you know nothing about them. Couldn’t give it a full five stars as it was too short to be really impactful.

Ingredients by Jason Reynolds - 3/5 ⭐️
Just a group of friends walking back from the pool in the New York heat talking about the ultimate sandwich. It was fine, if it’s goal was to make me really hungry, it succeeded. But other than that it was a little bit of a pointless story. It was nice to get into a peak of these guys’ friendship.

Oreo by Brandy Colbert - 5/5 ⭐️
Joni has never felt like she fits in. Not at school and not with her family. Especially since her cousin called her an ‘oreo’ - black on the outside, white on the inside. This is a story about not judging someone before you know them and that there is no right or wrong way to be black. This also focused on college which I really appreciated. It also really encapsulated the heart of what this anthology is doing. That there is no one way to be black and that everyone’s experiences are valid.

Samson and the Delilahs by Tochi Onyebuchi - 3/5 ⭐️
Sobechi’s life is organised and structured, especially during debate club. That is until Desirée moves into the neighbourhood and introduces him to the world of metal which opens up questions about Sobechi’s family and gives him a place to let go and be himself.
I really enjoyed this one, except I found the ending to be really rushed.

Stop Playing by Liara Tamani - 4.5/5 ⭐️
A story all about the trials and tribulations of nude pictures, high school and comparing yourself to others.
When I first started this story I didn’t think I was going to like it. Keri was putting down other girls and was so obsessed with her ex boyfriend. But as the story progressed we saw her learn and realise how horrible her boyfriend was and I really appreciated how the story wasn’t tied up into a neat little bow where everything went her way. Also great representations of girls standing up for one another.

Wild Horses, Wild Hearts by Jay Coles - 5/5 ⭐️
A gay forbidden romance set with the backdrop of the North Salem Horse Race with a hopeful. This deals with topics such as racism, homophobia and religion.
I adored this story so much. Gay cowboys? Sign me up. Had a clear message and a lovely ending.

Whoa! by Rita Williams Garcia - 3/5 ⭐️
About a boy that dreams about seeing a slave in his grandmother’s basin and then has a conversation with them.
I just think this was too short for me. The magical realism of this story also seemed out of place in an anthology that’s been only contemporary so far.

Gravity by Tracey Baptiste - 3.5/5 ⭐️
Told in second person, we experience the way in which victims are often blamed for the assault and not the perpetrators. The narrative style really contributed to the story making it powerful and personal.

The Trouble with Drowning by Dhonielle Clayton - 4/5 ⭐️
This story’s about grieving the death of a sister from suicide. I couldn’t give it a full five stars as I was a bit confused for most of it, but once I understood it it crushed me.

Kissing Sarah Smart by Justina Ireland - 4.5/5 ⭐️
A really cute f/f summer romance whilst also discussing racism, divorce and heteronormativity. 
This honestly made my gay heart burst. Loved the library setting also. Only wish it was longer.

Hackathon Summers by Coe Booth - 4/5 ⭐️
Garry goes to the Hackathon at NYU every year to design an app, and every year he sees Inaaya, getting to know her more each year. 
This is what I wanted Black. Nerd. Problems. to be. A ‘nerdy’ boy doesn’t have the courage to talk to a girl but obviously ends up doing so. Inaaya is not a 2D character and is given the same amount of development as Garry, she’s not there just to show ‘nerds’ can get the girl.

Into the Starlight by Nic Stone - 4/5 ⭐️
A forbidden love all about Mak and Kamari, the rich good girl and the boy with a bad reputation. In under 20 pages we see as both characters get over their prejudices and learn to be open with one another, just expertly done. I only wish it was longer.

The (R)evolution of Nigeria Jones by Ibi Zoboi - 2.5/5 ⭐️
Nigeria Jones has grown up hating white people and being raised by her father. She’s also homeschooled and wants a taste of freedom from her father, so her friend helps her run away. 
I was enjoying this story just fine until the ending. It felt so abrupt and wasn’t satisfying at all. Maybe that was the whole point of it, but it still wasn’t my cup of tea.

All in all, a really great anthology with some incredibly talented authors that I’ll be checking out more from. It was also a very intersectional read.

Allison Urban

Half a Moon by Renee 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: ★★★★★
The Ingredients by Jason Reynolds: ★★★★✩
Oreo by Brandy Colbert: ★★★★★
Samson and the Delilahs by Tochi Onyebuchi: ★★★✩✩
Stop Playing by Liara Tamani: ★★★★★
Wild Horses, Wild Hearts by Jay Coles: ★★✩✩✩
Whoa! by Rita Williams-Garcia: ★★★★★
Gravity by Tracy Baptiste: ★★✩✩✩
The Trouble with Drowning by Dhonielle Clayton: ★★★★★
Kissing Sarah Smart by Justina Ireland: ★★★★✩
Hackathon Summers by Coe Booth: ★★★✩✩
Into the Starlight by Nic Stone: ★★★★★
The (R)Evolution of Nigeria Jones by Ibi Zoboi: ★★★★★

Megan

Heather Killeen

This was a really cool compilation of stories! I loved seeing all the variations of life and love through the eyes of Black authors and their youthful characters.

Destini Baylis Adams

I admire Ibi Zoboi for putting Black Enough: Stories of Being Young & Black in America together to show that blacks are "whole, complete, and nuanced" and to encourage Black teens to "be their free, uninhibited selves without the constraints of being Black, too Black, or Black Enough." This sounds breathtaking in theory, but I was left disappointed.
 For one, these stories seem to have the same mirroring themes so often that I thought they were written by the same person. Honestly, a lot of these stories reinforce black stereotypes thus making them unoriginal and boring. I would've preferred to have seen more stories like Jason Reynolds' "The Indgredients" which is relaxing, fun, and non-worrisome. After knowing the book's intent, I was further disappointed by its lack of fun or fulfilling stories.
 Some issues I had also were the stories could be a bit too long(Black Enough, Hackathon Summers, Samson and Delilahs) while others were too short( Out of Silence, Half A Moon). My favorites though are 'Half A Moon" by Renee Watson, Gravity by Tracey Baptiste, and The (R)Evolution of Nigeria Jones.

Black Enough Stories of Being Young & Black in America

Reviews