Genesis begins again / Alicia D. Williams.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Williams, Alicia, 1970- author.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Human skin color--Juvenile fiction.

Human skin color.

Self-esteem--Juvenile fiction.

Self-esteem.

African Americans--Juvenile fiction.

African Americans.

Human skin color--Fiction.

Self-esteem--Fiction.

Family problems--Fiction.

African Americans--Fiction.

Prejudices--Fiction.

Moving (Households)--Fiction.

Genre:

Young adult fiction.

Young adult works.

Fiction.

Juvenile works.

Physical Description:

364 pages ; 22 cm

Edition:

First edition.

Place of Publication:

New York : Atheneum, [2019]

Summary:

This deeply sensitive and powerful debut novel tells the story of a thirteen-year-old who must overcome internalized racism and a verbally abusive family to finally learn to love herself. There are ninety-six things Genesis hates about herself. She knows the exact number because she keeps a list. Like #95: Because her skin is so dark, people call her charcoal and eggplant -- even her own family. And #61: Because her family is always being put out of their house, belongings laid out on the sidewalk for the world to see. When your dad is a gambling addict and loses the rent money every month, eviction is a regular occurrence. What's not so regular is that this time they all don't have a place to crash, so Genesis and her mom have to stay with her grandma. It's not that Genesis doesn't like her grandma, but she and Mom always fight -- Grandma haranguing Mom to leave Dad, that she should have gone back to school, that if she'd married a lighter skinned man none of this would be happening, and on and on and on. But things aren't all bad. Genesis actually likes her new school; she's made a couple friends, her choir teacher says she has real talent, and she even encourages Genesis to join the talent show. But how can Genesis believe anything her teacher says when her dad tells her the exact opposite? How can she stand up in front of all those people with her dark, dark skin knowing even her own family thinks lesser of her because of it? Why, why, why won't the lemon or yogurt or fancy creams lighten her skin like they're supposed to? And when Genesis reaches #100 on the list of things she hates about herself, will she continue on, or can she find the strength to begin again? - Publisher.

Thirteen-year-old Genesis tries again and again to lighten her black skin, thinking it is the root of her family's troubles, before discovering reasons to love herself as is.

Contents:

Chapters 1-33 (untitled)

Notes:

"A Caitlyn Dlouhy Book."

Coretta Scott King Book Awards John Steptoe Award for New Talent - Author, Winner, 2020

ISBN:

9781481465809

1481465805

9781481465816

1481465813

OCLC:

1039343093