The unboxing of a Black girl / Angela Shanté.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Shanté, Angela, author.

Contributor:

Award Winning and Notable Children's and Young Adult Books (University of Pennsylvania)

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Shanté, Angela--Poetry.

Shanté, Angela.

Girls, Black--Poetry.

Girls, Black.

African American girls--Poetry.

African American girls.

Autobiography.

autobiography (genre).

United States.

Genre:

Autobiographical poetry.

Essays.

Poetry.

poetry.

Poetry

Autobiographical poetry

Historical poetry

Historical poetry.

Physical Description:

148 pages ; 22 cm

Place of Publication:

Salem, MA : Page Street Publishing Company, 2024.

Summary:

"Set in New York City in the '90s, Angela Shanté's poems and stories paint a mosaic of childhood that is shaped by the past and reverberates into the present. As Shanté 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, Shanté 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"-- Book jacket.

Contents:

The boxes we see. Black girls learn duality early, too early

conflicts inside, conflicts outside

some boxes are chosen for us

being aware of boxes and escaping them are two different things

The ones we don't. When do Black girls lose their childhood?

Where is her safe space?

Where can she be free?

Where does she get to just be?

boxes inside, boxes outside

hypocrisy inside, hypocrisy outside

Everybody wanna be Black until it's time to be Black

And the ones we shed. be gentle on yourself

be gentle with yourself

What if we could just be free?

What if we could just be?

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references.

Title on cover: I want to live in a world where Black girls get to be free

National Book Award: Young people's literature, Finalist, 2024. (Shortlisted)

ISBN:

9798890039538

OCLC:

1432336126