āWhen you look over your own library, who do you see?ā
Since founding the beloved Well-Read Black Girl book club in 2015, Glory Edim has emerged as a literary tastemaker for a new generation. Continuing her lifeās work to brighten and enrich American reading lives through the work of legendary Black authors, she now launches her Well-Read Black Girl Library Series with On Girlhood. This meticulously selected anthology features a wide range of unique voices, finally illuminating a distinctly robust sector of contemporary literature: groundbreaking short stories that explore the thin yet imperative line between Black girlhood and womanhood.
Divided into four themesāInnocence, Belonging, Love, and Self-Discoveryāthe unforgettable young protagonists within contend with the trials of coming of age that shape who they are and what they will become. With this tradition in mind, Innocence opens with Jamaica Kincaidās searing āGirl,ā in which a mother offers fierce instructions to her impressionable daughter. This deceptively simple yet profound monologue is followed by Toni Morrisonās first and only published short story, the now-canonical āRecitatif,ā about two neglected girls who come together in youth only to find themselves on opposite picket lines in adulthood.
In Belonging, Toni Cade Bambaraās āThe Lessonā follows rambunctious students on a field trip where they are exposed to a new world of luxury. In Love, Dana Johnsonās āMelvin in the Sixth Gradeā captures the yearning of a lovesick teen smitten with the only boy who looks her way. And in Self-Discovery, Edwidge Danticatās āSeeing Things Simplyā charts the creative awakening of Princesse, a young woman with a hunger to be fully seen. These inspiring tales of world builders and rule breakers conclude with Zora Neale Hurstonās āHow It Feels to Be Colored Me,ā a personal essay brimming with wit and strength: āWhen covered by the waters, I am; and the ebb but reveals me again.ā
At times heartbreaking and at times hilarious, these stories boldly push past flat stereotypes and powerfully convey the beauty of Black girlhood. In bringing together an array of influential authorsāpast and presentāwhose work remains timeless, Glory Edim has created an indispensable compendium for every home library and a soul-stirring guide to coming of age.
Featuring stories by Jamaica Kincaid, Toni Morrison, Dorothy West, Rita Dove, Camille Acker, Toni Cade Bambara, Amina Gautier, Alexia Arthurs, Dana Johnson, Alice Walker, Gwendolyn Brooks, Edwidge Danticat, Shay Youngblood, Paule Marshall, and Zora Neale Hurston.
This book title, On Girlhood (15 Stories from the Well-Read Black Girl Library), ISBN: 9781631497698, by Glory Edim, published by Liveright (October 26, 2021) is available in hardcover. Our minimum order quantity is 25 copies. All standard bulk book orders ship FREE in the continental USA and delivered in 4-10 business days.
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