A Black Girl In The Middle

This book took 32 years of living and then four years of writing. A Black Girl in the Middle: Essays on (Allegedly) Figuring It All Out (Beacon Press) is a love letter for Black girls near and far.

In 12 essays, I discuss everything from the reactions I've received and the challenges I've had to overcome as a Black girl named Shenequa, my first friendship breakup, being an introvert in an extrovert's world, and more.

With honesty, care, courage, and the right amount of humor when appropriate, A Black Girl in the Middle is a memoir, yes, but also a space for Black girls who haven't experienced the worst or the best of life to see themselves reflected.

If you're looking for trauma porn, I'm sorry, A Black Girl in the Middle isn't that.

If you're hoping to read a book that details breathtaking sadness, again, I'm sorry, A Black Girl in the Middle isn't that.

So often as a Black woman, if your pain isn't rooted in something so terrible, so acidic, it's not valid. My book aims to offer a space for life's regular moments that affect Black girls as well.

A Black Girl in the Middle is both an acknowledgment of the complexity and pride of not always fitting in and a validation of what Black girlhood and womanhood can be. This is my first book, and I am proud to have lived a life that provided me with the inspiration to pen these words that may hopefully speak to and affirm other Black girls.