The Other Black Girl by Zakiya Dalila Harris
(Format used for this read: Audiobook)
Another suggested read from my Scribd app that BLEW ME AWAY.
Yall……
This book was NOT what I expected.
And damn.
Was it a THOUGHT PROVOKING and POWERFUL read.
Not only that, but it was a keep you on the edge of your seat thriller as well.
Wheeewwwwwww….I’m legit still reeling from it!
There are just so many varied pieces and layers to this book I don’t even know where to START.
Plus, there are surprising twists and turns that I do NOT wanna ruin AT ALL so I am also unsure of what to say and what to not say.
Yall know I LOOOAAAATTTHHHEEEE spoilers.
Let me get going with the official summary before I even attempt to gather my thoughts:
“Urgent, propulsive, and sharp as a knife, The Other Black Girl is an 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.”
This book tackles in depth issues regarding race such as microagressions, tokenization, stereotypes, color blindness, workplace inequality, white fragility (or better termed as “white wildness” by activisit/author Rachel Ricketts), and assimilation.
Alongside this social commentary is also a page turning, multi layered thriller which has the reader CONSTANTLY assessing and reassessing what is happening and what the character’s motivations REALLY are.
The story is told from multiple perspectives (which is a book thing yall know I’m SUPER into!) but mostly you hear from Nella. As the story begins, the reader gets an inside look into how she feels to be the “only” in a group of white people.
The reader gets a peek inside Nellas heart and mind as she explains how being one of the only BIPOC in a white enviornment can be degrading, frustrating, and as we see as the story unfolds, even DANGEROUS in multiple ways.
The excitement Nella feels at first when Hazel–another Black woman—becomes her coworker is pronounced. She finally feels like she has another person in her workplace that will understand her in a way NOBODY else can…she feels like the walls she has built up can finally come down a bit and she can pause her code switching for a minute and just be her TRUE SELF.
But allllll that takes on a gradual change as the story deepens and the plot lines unfold….this is where I can’t say too much because I do NOT wanna eff anything up for you as you read!
The dangers and also benefits of assimilating into white culture in society and the workplace is addressed in such a direct and personal way….The author provides not only an exceptional fictional thriller but also a deep social commentary that is SO creatively unique.
While this novel focuses mostly on the publishing world and the corporate world, it also shows that white supremacy is a poison that seeps deep into every foundation in our country…. it can work so silently and sneakily that it seeps into every single community, thought process and person without even making it’s presence known. Even though many are unaware that it is there, the extremely harmful and toxic effects are widespread and awful nonetheless.
I think this book has a Get Out/Stepford Wives/Little Fires Everywhere/Devil Wears Prada type of vibe….which might sound like a REALLY weird combo of items…but TRUST ME…it will make complete sense when you read it!
As the story progresses and shifts, you never QUITE know the full picture of what is REALLY happening beneath the surface of everything—the publishing house, the character’s personal lives—you are ALWAYS guessing to what is TRULY going on or who is REALLY behind the events occuring.
And OMMGGGGGGGGG……
Part 4 of the book it ALLLLLL comes together and I was SHOOOOOOOKKKKKKK.
I would find reasons to do chores or leave the house just so I could keep listening to the audiobook to see what was gonna happen next!!!!
It is evident that the author wants the reader to really sit with their own biases as they read and really process what preconceived notions they have about race.
From my white person perspective, I can say it was a challenging personal assessment for me as I read. Really had me checking myself. Which is always a good and necessary thing.
This book also really helped to broaden my empathy and understanding to what it may feel like to be a Black woman navigating a white supremacist society as a whole.
I think any person who identifies as BIPOC —especially Black women—will have an entirely different experience reading this….I can imagine it will resonate on a very deep and personal level for a multitude of reasons. I think there will be many things that will be tangibly relatable on so many levels. But again…as a white person…I don’t wanna speak into something that I obviously have ZERO clue about.
Anyway….
I don’t wanna say much else because I do not wanna give anything at ALL away in this intriguing and fascinating book.
Definitely recommend this read and give it a BAGILLION thumbs up.