Book Review: Black Enough

“…My hope is that Black Enough will encourage all Black teens to be their free, uninhibited selves without the constraints of being Black, too Black, or not Black enough. They will simply be enough just as they are.”

 - Black Enough by, Ibi Zoboi.

This review is going to be a challenge, because quite frankly, I really disliked this collection of 17 short stories in Black Enough. The quote above is taken from the Introduction, setting the tone and purpose of these short stories. I actually thought the Introduction was the best part. 

Short stories can be difficult to pull off; the author has to grab the reader’s attention, set the tone, develop the characters, develop the plot and then bring everything around in really, just a few pages. Short stories often have to be more concise and deliberate, where as in a novel, the author has more space to “play.” The majority of these short stories, for me, failed to do that. Many of them dragged and felt too long in places, focusing on details that were actually not that relevant to the over all story. Also, I felt that the endings of many of the short stories felt rushed, and unsatisfying. I felt like I was left hanging, which is especially alarming, given that I felt that time was taken up in other areas that could have been devoted to a more well-rounded conclusion. Each short story is written by a different person, though the majority of them felt that they were written by one person. I grew bored rather quickly. 

I understand that the purpose of Black Enough is to validate Black teens to be comfortable with who they are, regardless of where they come from, what they look like, their socio-economic status, what their interests are, their sexuality, etc. However, the majority of these stories read as typical high school drama. Take out the Black vernacular, a few identifiable cultural indicators, and the fact that the characters are Black, and you have classic high school drama. Insert characters from other races and ethnic backgrounds and not much changes. Perhaps that was the point; that all teens experience similar things, however, isn’t the point to provide today’s Black youth with something  unique that they can really identify with? I live in an urban city and spent quite a few years working with primarily Black youth between the ages of 5 - early 20s. They had some extraordinary stories of over coming, discrimination, successes, hardships, and milestones that made these fictional stories seem a bit lackluster for me. 

I was actually hoping that some of these stories would incorporate more Black American history and how that has shaped the opportunities and issues that we still have as a community today. Being “Black Enough” not only means being proud of who you are, but where you’ve come from. Paying even a slight nod to the prolific black artists, writers, musicians, scientists, politicians, etc. as part of an overall narrative would have been extremely powerful here. 

Back in February, my Father and I took a trip to Washington D.C. and we visited the African-American History Museum. I thought it was fantastic how today’s Black youth get to visit a museum about their history. There were so many schools there and these young faces were so happy to look at their communities and their history showcased to them in the exhibits. When I went on school field trips as a child, my classmates and I didn’t have that. So yes, I was disappointed that this collection of stories didn’t paint a broader picture of Blackness, from a generational standpoint. My father and I stood in that museum and had a wonderful conversation about how he’s able to see his now adult children obtain things that were closed off to him, my mother and their relatives before them. When I got into the University of Virginia in 2009, my father sat on my bed, teared up and said, “You’re doing it! I wish my grandparents could have seen this! We weren’t allowed to go to these schools. And when they did integrate the racism was so bad, why would you want to go?” I’m having a difficult time reconciling these complexities with these short stories about social media naked selfie drama, dating a guy because he’s considered a “thug” and being the black friends who have a rock band. Not that those narratives aren’t relatable to today’s youth, but lets give them more meat instead of milk. 

Overall, Black Enough was not for me. I was actually a little nervous writing this review.  I hope I don’t seem too harsh here, but this is the beauty of reading. We all have our own relationships with stories because of our perspectives. What did not work for me, may work for you. 

Rating: 2/5

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Black Enough, Stories of Being Young & Black in America by, Ibi Zoboi: ISBN 978-0-06-269873

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Also Pictured Here:

• J. crew Brooklyn Sweatshirt 
• Handmade knit hat, made by myself using Purl Soho Mulberry Merino yarn in the color way turmeric 
• Sudio Tolv Wireless Headphones 
• Drinking: Copper Cow Coffee 

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