FOR BLACK GIRLS LIKE ME (audiobook) by Mariama J. Lockington

 

Published by Listening Library in 2019.
Read by Imani Parks.
Duration: 6 hours, 35 minutes.
Unabridged.

Winner of more than 15 awards, including "A 2020 ALA Notable Middle-Grade Novel" and "A Bank Street Best Book of the Year"

Makeda and her family are moving from Maryland to New Mexico. Her father got a position in a symphony in New Mexico. Her mother doesn't have a job right now, but she used to tour the world playing the violin before she had a family.

The author, Mariama J. Lockington

Makeda is loved by her mother, her father and her older sister, but she is different. They are white and she is black. Her family never makes her doubt their love, but strangers make her keenly aware of the differences when they ask where her parents are in stores or when they stare at her getting out of the car with the rest of the family until they finally figure out their relationship with one another. The older she gets, the more she wonders about her own roots.

While the family tries to set down roots in New Mexico, Makeda is struggling. She left her best friend behind in Maryland - a girl with a similar background. She has failed to make new friends in New Mexico - twice falling victim to the age old story of being the new girl that everyone bands up against because they feel she is an interloper.

Makeda wants her differences to be recognized and appreciated for what they are, not necessarily pushed to the side for the sake of family unity. For example, there is an extended discussion about Makeda going to get her hair done by a beautician that specializes in African American hair. The mother sees this as a rejection of her efforts as a mother. Makeda sees her mother's reaction as a denial of her.

If you read this book, you should be aware that the mother has a serious case of bipolar disorder. When Makeda's father goes on an international tour with the orchestra, it gets worse. 

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Makeda's mother becomes more and more erratic as the book goes along, careening back and forth between crippling depression that won't let her get out of bed to a manic state that builds to a fever until she finally tries to kill herself when her daughters are out of the home.

The story ends up with the mother getting appropriate treatment and the family dealing with , but I know that some families and some readers have a special sensitivity to depictions of suicide. 

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My review:

I don't normally read YA novels aimed at middle school girls, but I decided to read this one when I found an article about how the Attorney General of Oklahoma was looking into a list of 51 books that were submitted to his office for being "pornographic" by groups like Moms for Liberty.

I found nothing remotely pornographic in this book. Moms for Liberty is pretty active in referring books to be banned at schools with racial content out of critical race theory concerns (see their linked articles on their website here and here). For example, last month I reviewed this book about the little girl that desegregated schools in New Orleans - Ruby Bridges. Moms for Liberty had complained about it in Tennessee.

This book was good, but I am not the target audience. For example, as a 53 year old adult, I found the father to be frustrating because he left an obviously mentally ill woman alone to take care of the family while he went on an extended, multiple week work trip to play with his orchestra. Clearly, she was not up to this task. However, most kids probably wouldn't even see that angle to the story.

I rate this audiobook 4 stars out of 5. It can be found on Amazon.com here: For Black Girls Like Me by Mariama Lockington.