“Black Enough”: A New Anthology of Stories of Being Black and Young in America: Our Review

Out this month, Black Enough: Stories of Being Young & Black in America, edited by Ibi Zoboi contains more than 15 stories of Black teens. A star-studded anthology with stories of being young and Black in America from Zoboi, Jason Reynolds, Nic Stone, Renée Watson, and more, the anthology demonstrates a wide variety of experience, across class, region, and religion. To talk through all these stories, two of our book reviewers, Leslie and Carrie, got together. The good and weak, the fantastic and omitted, we cover it all.

Edited by Ibi Zoboi Leslie Light: Let’s start with some establishing questions: Did you know anything about the editor, Ibi Zoboi, when you picked up the book, or did you pick it because of the title? Or some other reason? Carrie McClain: I haven’t had a chance to read any of her work as a writer yet but I’ve seen social media light up about American Street and Pride. I keep seeing both books in Bookstagram land. The Authors in the Black Enough anthology have been talking about the book online, so word spread that way.

LL: I picked the book up because of the writers, but now that I’ve read her short in the anthology, I do want to read her book Pride, as well. It sounds great. CM: Pride and Prejudice adapted with Black and Brown folks in the Bronx? LL: I’m not even a Pride and Prejudice fan and I’d rock with it. Out of the authors in Black Enough, I’d heard of Justina Ireland and Dhonielle Clayton, so this was a chance to read so many more authors I hadn…