Colorism is a fact of life in many countries and in the lives of many people of color. In many societies, families sometimes favor offspring who are lighter in color and often encourage their children to marry people who are lighter. It is all in an effort to "better" the family and possibly increase their chances of success in life. Skin whitening products do a roaring trade in many parts of the world also.
Author Alicia D. Williams introduces us to Genesis, a young teen who wants what most teens want-social acceptance. This is a challenge for her due to the many upheavals her family experiences and also, in her mind, because of her dark skin. Genesis gets a chance to broaden her social circle when her family moves to the suburbs of Detroit but she finds some other obstacles in school. Luckily, she has a loving family, true friends and caring teachers who are there.
Williams adeptly tackles a variety of social issues such as colorism, social pressure, identity, family issues and generational trauma. It is sometimes said that people spend their adult years getting over their childhoods and evidence of this is true to some extent with some of the characters in this novel. One takeaway from this book for young readers is that kids should never be expected to fix the messes made by adults and should seek help from those qualified to do so (teachers, counselors, mentors etc.)
I recommend this book for older tweens and teens. Some read alikes are Like Vanessa by Tami Charles, The Skin I'm In by Sharon Flake and The Fold by An Na.
#ownvoices
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