Just when she resolves to sweeping her uneasiness under the rug, another Black girl Hazel joins the company. So, so that that part of looking around the table and not seeing anyone who looked like me, that part was very real. The person enjoyed it, but said, I don't know if publishing is ready for it. I tried not to think too much about it. The Other Black Girlis both a sharp social commentary and a thriller. The only Black female editor at Wagner Books, Kendra Rae gave an interview in which she critiqued the racist structures within the publishing world. Password must be at least 8 characters and contain: As part of your account, youll receive occasional updates and offers from New York, which you can opt out of anytime. I love Invasion of the Body Snatchers. Book club questions for The Other Black Girl by Zakiya Dalila Harris will unravel all the key plots and character development in this twisty thriller. Thanks for exploring this SuperSummary Study Guide of The Other Black Girl by Zakiya Dalila Harris. Punctuating these scenes are two chapters told from the perspective of Shani, a woman whose career Hazel sabotaged before coming to Wagner. If you prefer to read in print, you can also find this article in the June 7, 2021, issue of Enter new employee Hazel, who is Black, self-possessed and savvy in a way Nella has always aspired to be. Most recently, she was the Managing Editor at Coveteur, where she oversaw the sites day-to-day editorial operations. Many Black women see hair grease as this benign thing. Get ready to turn that frown upside down. Plus, it's a 352-page book whose plot starts to kick off at the last 32 pages." That is the question I have been asked and expect to continue to be asked more than any other after the seismic news that Fox News had fired its highest-rated host, Tucker Carlson. 'Other Black girls' are the ones that are in cahoots with white people. Heres What Will Happen to Your Fave TV Show If Theres a Writers Strike. As with herNew York Times-bestselling debutThe Mothers, Brit Bennett offers an engrossing page-turner about family and relationships that is immersive and provocative, compassionate and wise. And so to have this flash of color in this space that's usually really drab and frankly, very white Nella's enthusiastic and excited about that and what that could mean for her.". Defeated and somewhat relieved, Nella finally consents to conversion. We got introduced to some new characters, and I was kind of confused and unsure where the story was going. " @calicoedit, A post shared by Ally | Fiction Editor (@calicoedit) (opens in new tab). I also added a prologue, where you see another woman dealing with the effects of the grease before you meet Nella. This entirely unique genre-bender keeps the reader on its toes as you struggle to comprehend, along with Nella, the horrors that slowly begin to unfold. Im not reading to make sure everyones okay.. Many years later, one sister lives with her black daughter in the same southern town she once tried to escape. Kudos to the author for committing to a book that SHE wanted to write." At the beginning I was like, I didn't do this to get a TV show. From being able to tell whos walking by from their footsteps to the impromptu conversations some people thrive on, I was taken right back into the office. That's a hard question. It's not a coincidence that the central conceit of the book has to do with hair, that longstanding preoccupation of the femme. 2023 Met Gala Carpet Is Approved by Your Dentist. Yeah. ), has a great deal to say about what it means to be a woman in the workplace and how wrong it is to refer to women as "girls." Obviously, the hair grease is how people were gettinglet's say changed, for those who haven't read it yet, which is so creepy. The Other Black Girl Zakiya Harris Atria Books | June 1st, 2021. I think what I really found fascinating about Get Out and a lot of Key & Peele sketches is that they're able to get at the ridiculousness of this idea that we're in a postracial society, which is another phrase I think most people dont use anymore for good reason. (@tbretc), A post shared by SP - bookstagram (@booksnailmail), A post shared by Deborah (She/Her) (@lifeaholocislander), A post shared by joy melody| Reader.Advocate. And then one morning, Nella looks through a small crack in a cubicle and sees what she calls "the flash of a brown hand. Theres a lot to unpack in this book. And the endthere's just so many places it could go if the story and the show were to [continue]. Thank you! Previously, she was an editor at Marie Claire, where she wrote and edited culture, politics, and lifestyle stories ranging from op-eds to profiles to ambitious packages. It was George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, and COVID-19, obviously. It was still early on in the querying stage, but it definitely got to me and made me worry. In the Epilogue, Nella becomes a Lead Conditioner who arrives in Portland, Oregon to fix Shani. Before these changes, you would have paid a 2.75% fee. Then after a bit, the book took a turn that I wasnt really expecting. Could it be?!! That character wasnt written specifically for a Black actor Romero just gave it to the person who was the best for the role but its really interesting to read it in the context of what it means to be a Black man in America. "I definitely had really high expectations for this book and my feelings about it went on a bit of a rollercoaster ride as I was reading it. You have to hypnotize the reader into believing the story is one thing then you change the rules, and thats scary. Paulina Jayne Isaac is a freelance writer based in Philadelphia. Do you think that the idea of not being able to put that feeling of racism into words is something Black readers will relate to? When Elle, battling depression, becomes . Why did Diana work with Imani on distributing the hair grease? To revisit this article, select My Account, thenView saved stories. (@tbretc) (opens in new tab). I don't think anyone's actually mentioned that point. What started out as a slow-burn psychological thriller, morphed into a Jordan Peele-esque social thriller, and I am here for it. ', Harriss debut novel is unique and creative, it defies being categorized into just one genre. I fortunately did not have it nearly as bad as Nella does. Terms of Service apply. ', Ive read comparisons toThe Devil Wears Prada, but this is really misleading. New York Magazine. I'd like to think people would know that. Why wouldnt they listen to Nella? @this_kat_reads, A post shared by Kat (@this_kat_reads) (opens in new tab). Remembering one of fashions most problematic faves, Karl Lagerfeld. If you choose the first path, as a young Black woman, you may find yourself sublimating your true self not just style and taste, but the very ideas and principles at your core. Basically, this book is good and relatable. A lot of it is fiction. We finally learn what is behind the curtain of the OGBs (other black girls). View my Affiliate Disclosure page here. Want more stories like this one? But the more we talked about it, I could see it. The black child offers Albert the same ultimatum of giving her the soul and becoming Shiva or dying with his final moments and memories. Im a big fan of horror, sci-fi, suspense I love shows like The Twilight Zone and Are You Afraid of the Dark? Instead, she strives for dominance in the workplace and seems to be edging Nella out and alienating her from her boss and her colleagues. All in all, I would say that you should check this one out if youre looking for a new thriller to read. I had many more thoughts that I couldn't fit here, so check out my full review on the blog (link in bio). I really wanted to get at those spaces of unspoken subtext and microaggressions. Some reviews have discussed the device that connects Nella and Hazel with their older counterparts Kendra and Diana, Kendra having been her best friend Diana's editor on a novel titled Burning Heart that catapulted those two women to fame but also created a deep schism between them. But it seems that no one else is liking the minty-fresh look. When I first started, it made me feel so nostalgic about my time working in publishing. If youve read it and want to discuss, send me an email so we can chat! I really wanted this book to live up to the hype but it wasn't at all what I expected it to be. I also struggle with sensitivity readers as an idea because I understand it completely, and I do think it's better in most cases, but I also cringe against the idea of making a certain person be the person who decides this is okay. hide caption. Atria Books Read an excerpt from Emiko Jean's new novel, here, then dive in with us throughout the month. She is really kind of the poster child for Blackness in a lot of ways she comes from civil rights kind of royalty. Offline, shes likely watching a Heat game or finding a new coffee shop. If youre attracted to someone on the yacht, the worst thing you can do is tell Gary. And I realized I wasnt feeling the thriller aspect of the story. At last, she'll have a co-worker she can lean on when it comes to the pressures she's felt, someone to take coffee breaks with and maybe even learn and get promoted with, a true equal. Did you think it was an interesting plot twist or did you not like it? So that scene where Hazel is telling Nella, Don't you want to be free? That scene was me taking my own personality and my own perspective of what it was like to work on my book and feel like it mattered when, on the other side of it, people are dying. Wagner surprises Nella by hiring another Black woman named Hazel-May McCall. For my twist, I tried to go against some genre expectations and literary conventions. Privacy Policy and Its what happens when Black women slowly learn what it means that 'all skin folk aint kinfolk.' However, after Ian Turner responds to Marley, she decides to set a date and confront Ian. I understand the concept of needing something to compare things to so you can orient a reader; however, Black stories are their own thing. Most impressively it changes genre as the narrative progresses. And, to me, thats the beauty of this book. And honestly, it deserves. Zakiya Dalila Harris began writing The Other Black Girl while working as an assistant editor at Knopf Doubleday, and her textured observations of the overwhelmingly white world of publishing, and the insidious racism lurking therein, laid the groundwork for a tale that grows darker and more surreal as the narrative curls toward a shocking finale. Todays biggest stories, from pop culture to politicsdelivered straight to your inbox. Its an interesting and important read that will leave you thinking long after its done." THE OTHER BLACK GIRL by Zakiya Dalila Harris RELEASE DATE: June 1, 2021 In Harris' slyly brilliant debut, a young editorial assistant is thrilled when her glaringly White employer hires another Black womanbut it soon becomes clear there's something sinister about the new girl, who isn't what she seems. Greg Warren dared to go where no comedian has gone before. We've been talking about plans if it were to go past one season. I read that bookby Celeste Ngand then watched the adaptation. Book Club Questions for The Other Black Girl Review: Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with an eARC of this novel! Warning: This interview contains spoilers. Despite her attempts to start conversations about racial bias in Diversity Town Halls, Nella doubts any meaningful change will occur. Being the only one means a lot of things for Nella. That is, until Nella starts to receive threatening notes to leave Wagner and she realizes Hazel may not be who she seems. Having two bundt cakes in the house can be dangerous, but not as dangerous asIll end this review there to avoid any spoilers!"