Genesis Begins Again
Genesis’s family gets a deal on a rental in a suburb outside Detroit through a coworker of her dad’s. She loves the house but doesn’t know how long they’ll be able to stay given her dad’s history of gambling and losing the rent in his effort to get ahead. They’ve been evicted four times. At her new, predominantly white middle school, Genesis is wary that not even the Black kids will be nice given the darkness of her skin—she’s been called names like “Charcoal” in the past. Even Genesis’s dad, dark-skinned like she is, has made clear when he drinks that he wishes Genesis was light-skinned like her mother, a rejection that’s searing. Genesis finds release in singing, and the choir teacher tells Genesis she has a gift. But putting that gift on display in front of the entire school? Genesis, whose lack of self-worth is itemized in her ongoing list of all the things she hates about herself, can’t image doing so, until doing so becomes the only way she can move forward. An unflinching, candid exploration of the pain and impact of colorism on an African American family builds to a moment of triumph, and hope for healing and change for both Genesis and her family. ©2020 Cooperative Children’s Book Center
CCBC Age Recommendation: Ages 11-14
Age Range:
Grades 6-8 (Ages 11-13)
Grades 9-12 (Age 14 and older)
Format:
Novel
Subjects:
African Americans
Colorism
Confidence
Economic Hardship and Poverty
Families
Fathers
Hope and Healing
Music and Musicians
School
Self-Esteem and Self-Worth
Diversity subject:
Black/African
Publishers:
Atheneum, Caitlyn Dlouhy Books
Publish Year: 2019
Pages: 364
ISBN: 9781481465809
CCBC Location: Fiction, Williams