The Unboxing of a Black Girl

May 1, 2024
Grades 9-12 Shant�'s poetic memoir highlights lessons from the author's lived experiences through a variety of text formats and sociocultural talking points. Shant� dissects the intersectionality of growing up as a Black girl in New York City, explaining the influence of the women in her life, the gender roles assigned to her at birth, and the things she learned from her own corner of the Bronx. Poems often include footnotes referencing and recommending music, movies, and books by Black artists, as well as hints to the meanings behind the stanzas, explicitly stating the racist ideologies that exist throughout our culture. The author's story is split into the boxes that Black women do and don't fit into, proving perseverance in a binary world and providing readers with the tools they need to understand the limitations of the boxes, why they exist, and how they affect the lives of Black girls. As she follows her own time line, Shant�'s influences, passions, frustrations, and landscape come together as lyrical poems with chaotic subjects and essential messages.

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Starred review from May 3, 2024

Gr 9 Up-Shant� chronicles coming of age in 1990s New York City in her poetry memoir and ode to Black women and girls. Through sharing pivotal memories of growing up among her father's family in Brooklyn and mother's in the Bronx, she reveals lessons from The Talk(s) she received from them and shuttles readers between themes of survival, freedom, and innocence lost. Composed of free verse, haiku, and prose that is presented like entries in an otherwise unwritten Black culture dictionary, the memoir is divided into three parts. Each part skillfully addresses the labels, stereotypes, and tropes placed and forced onto Black girls and the work it takes to defy or undo them. While she offers direct advice "for Black girls," Shant� does not neglect Black boys and men in her musings. Footnotes composed of must-read, must-watch, and must-listen recommendations, together with valuable resources, truthful asides, and hard facts, follow nearly every piece, but do not distract. Instead, they act as a perfectly curated instructional guide to Black culture, Black history, and the author herself. Shant� adeptly addresses racism, implicit bias, gender, sexuality, sexual violence, and mental health, encouraging readers to care for themselves, think, research, and act. VERDICT Strongly recommended for all young adult collections.-Alicia Rogers

Copyright 2024 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

June 1, 2024
An African American poet explores the special joys and challenges of Black girlhood. Educator and writer Shant� draws on her life story to explore what it means to be a Black girl in contemporary society. From the beginning, she pays homage to wide-ranging experiences, some positive, some not, of women of all ages, while acknowledging her connections to them through her writing. She uses a variety of poetic forms, including free verse and haiku, to describe ways that Black girls are characterized from an early age. Others negatively judged Shant�'s mother's status as a single parent, even as her mom sought supportive connections: "she wanted us to know / that we had community / a culture / a home / a safe space / to land. / In a hard / hard / world." Her mother's guidance was critical to Shant�'s ability to overcome limitations imposed both from within and outside the community. By weaving her personal experiences with reflections and observations, the author provides a rich tapestry of perspectives on Black girlhood. In addition to culturally specific episodes, the poems explore universal themes around family dynamics, coming of age, and personal acceptance. The author effectively uses the imagery of being boxed in (and stepping outside boxes) to link the poems and vignettes. Footnotes cleverly expand on the ideas contained in the main text. A comprehensive readers' guide completes this unique literary package. A highly creative way of providing insightful social commentary. (Poetry. 14-17)

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