📖 BOOK REVIEW⠀📚 The Other Black Girl
AUTHOR: Zakiya Dalila Harris @zakiyadalilaharris
Publisher: Atria Books @atriabooks
Stars: ⭐⭐⭐⭐ + 🐰
Published: June 1, 2021
The Review 📚
✨ The Title/Cover Draw:
- I hadn’t even heard about this book until Gabby chose it for @thebooktroop for this month! I was able to get my hands on it from @bookofthemonth
💜 What I liked:
- This was an extremely fast read. This book does explore the dark world of publishing but also keeps you guessing about who is behind the intimidation of Nella.
😱 What I didn’t like:
- I don’t think I can fully appreciate this book as some of the references did go over my head a bit as a caucasian lady. But I feel like this is an important book for anyone to read. Also while the ending was unexpected, I felt like some of the plot twists were a little apparent. This did not lessen the experience of the whole book though.
💁♀️ The Characters:
- Nella works at a publishing house as the sole African American woman. Then along comes another, Hazel. But is she really what Nella wanted?
🚦 My face at the end: 🙈
💭 5 Reasons to Read:
- Super quick read that keeps you guessing.
- The main character is suspicious enough to discover the truth.
- A general uneasiness that you can’t trust anyone.
- A unique take on publishing and race in the workplace.
- Books about books!
🕧 Mini-Summary:
- Nella wants a POC ally at the publishing house, but is she a friend or opportunist?
All thoughts and opinions are my own.
📘 Summary 📚 The Other Black Girl
Get Out meets The Stepford Wives in this electric debut about the tension that unfurls when two young Black women meet against the starkly white backdrop of New York City book publishing.
Twenty-six-year-old editorial assistant Nella Rogers is tired of being the only Black employee at Wagner Books. Fed up with the isolation and microaggressions, she’s thrilled when Harlem-born and bred Hazel starts working in the cubicle beside hers. They’ve only just started comparing natural hair care regimens, though, when a string of uncomfortable events elevates Hazel to Office Darling, and Nella is left in the dust.
Then the notes begin to appear on Nella’s desk: LEAVE WAGNER. NOW.
It’s hard to believe Hazel is behind these hostile messages. But as Nella starts to spiral and obsess over the sinister forces at play, she soon realizes that there’s a lot more at stake than just her career.
A whip-smart and dynamic thriller and sly social commentary that is perfect for anyone who has ever felt manipulated, threatened, or overlooked in the workplace, The Other Black Girl will keep you on the edge of your seat until the very last twist.