Name: The Unboxing of a Black Girl
Author: Shante, Angela

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The Unboxing of a Black Girl

Author: Shante, Angela

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Follett Number: 2168KE6
Audience: Young Adult
Publisher: Page Street Publishing Company, 2024
Format: 148 pages ; 22 cm
LCCN: 2023-945463
Dewey: 818
Classifications: Nonfiction

Subjects:

African American Girls Poetry

Autobiographical Poetry

Black Girls Poetry

Essays

Historical Poetry

Shante, Angela Poetry

Includes bibliographical references. "Set in New York City in the '90s, Angela Shante's poems and stories paint a mosaic of childhood that is shaped by the past and reverberates into the present. As Shante navigates the city through memory, this timeless book illuminates the places where Black girls are nurtured or boxed in, through stories and poems about expectations, exploitation, love, loss, and self-realization. Her poems center on pivotal moments of Black childhood, using footnotes that encourage you to listen to songs, watch movies, and even learn how to play Spades to further contextualize and celebrate Black culture in every aspect of life. But even with Black joy, life ain't no crystal stair. Between fond memories, Shante also explores the dark corners of childhood by showing us the ways adultification, misogynoir, and sexual assault can impact girlhood. Every piece in this memoir invites you to unpack the past--to find and transcend the expectations and boxes the world puts Black girls in"--Jacket flap

From the publisher:
National Book Award Finalist Written as a collection of vignettes and poetry, The Unboxing of a Black Girl is a creative nonfiction reflection on Black girlhood. The debut YA title, by award-winning author Angela Shante, is a love letter to Black girls set in New York City and serves as a personal and political critique of how the world raises Black girls. As Shante navigates the city through memory, she balances poetry with vignettes that explore the innocence and joy of childhood eroded by adultification. Through this book, she illuminates the places where Black girls are nurtured or exploited in stories and poems about personal and political boxes, love, loss, and sexual assault. Many entries are also studded with cultural footnotes designed to further understanding.

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Audience: Young Adult

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