The unboxing of a Black girl

Shanté's poetic memoir highlights lessons from the author's lived experiences through a variety of text formats and sociocultural talking points. Shanté 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, Shanté's influences, passions, frustrations, and landscape come together as lyrical poems with chaotic subjects and essential messages.

An African American poet explores the special joys and challenges of Black girlhood. Educator and writer Shanté 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 Shanté'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 Shanté'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) Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.