8 New and Forthcoming YAs with African American Narrators

This Side of Home, by Renée Watson
This YA debut about a girl growing up in Portland, observing its transformation and how it affects those around her—including her twin sister—is one of the most interesting and thought-provoking books I’ve read in a long while. Facing matters of multicultural representation, interracial dating, and socioeconomic disparity head-on, this is one of those books people talk about when they say great diverse reads breed empathy, and it’s definitely the kind of book in which many teens will find themselves.

Pointe, by Brandy Colbert
Theo is a gifted ballerina, destined for greatness. But when her abducted childhood best friend returns and Theo learns she has a connection to the crime, everything in her life is shaken, including her eating disorder recovery. What I love most about Pointe is that it celebrates neither flaws nor perfection; rather, it makes clear that flaws do not eternally damn a person, perfection is not attainable without its price, and one can screw up and still come to her own rescue. I loved the fully fleshed, fully realized character that is Theo, and Colbert’s debut was definitely among my favorite reads of 2014.

Lies We Tell Ourselves, by Robin Talley
Another excellent 2014 debut, Lies features the alternating perspectives of a black girl and a white girl in segregated 1959 Virginia. Sarah is one of the first black students at Jefferson High, and is subject to tremendous amounts of cruel bullying as a result. One of the leaders of the racist charge is Linda, the white daughter of a segregationist who spits her father’s teaching at the new kids like gospel. But Sarah shows her there’s a lot she doesn’t understand about where black people are coming from or what they’re capable of, and the two end up forming what’s at first a tenuous friendship but soon blossoms into a sweet romance.

Endangered, by Lamar Giles
Lauren “Panda” Daniels keeps her identity secret by necessity; the victims of her photo-assisted extortion wouldn’t take too kindly to knowing who’s behind the lens trapping them in compromising positions. But when Panda finds herself on the receiving end of blackmail, and one of her own victims winds up dead, she may have to reveal herself in order to silence the greater threat. Giles’ recent nomination for an Edgar Award for his thrilling debut, Fake ID, was definitely well earned, and makes me all the more excited to read another thriller penned by his capable hands.

Brown Girl Dreaming, by Jacqueline Woodson
As if Woodson’s publication history wasn’t illustrious enough (the woman has three Newbery Honors, among a plethora of other medals and prizes), this beautiful 2014 verse novel went ahead and took home the National Book Award for Young People’s Literature. In it, Woodson details with loving care, skill, and clarity her childhood from birth in Ohio through growing up in both South Carolina and Brooklyn, and the inspiration and influence of family members both past and present. The result is a moving, poetic, and insightful picture of being a black child at the dawn of the civil-rights movement in America, and a worthwhile read for any age.

The Boy in the Black Suit, by Jason Reynolds
From the author of When I Was the Greatest, Reynolds’ latest is a unique and beautiful book about the isolation of mourning and the varied ways in which we go through the grieving process. Matt Miller has just lost his beloved mother, his father is floundering in her absence, and Matt doesn’t know how to handle his mourning alone. He finds the answer in a job at a funeral home, which allows him to observe the memorial services of strangers, and see how others both manage death and celebrate life. He also finds new inspiration for happiness in the form of a girl named Lovey, who, despite being in mourning herself, seems to possess all the strength and fortitude Matt is striving for.

Not Otherwise Specified, by Hannah Moskowitz
While both racial diversity and LGBTQ characters may be increasing in YA, it’s still rare to find intersections of both in YA; so few characters of color are also queer, or also possess mental and/or physical health issues. Enter Moskowitz’s ballet dancer Etta, who’s black, bisexual, recovering from an eating disorder, and struggling to find a place she fits, since it doesn’t seem to be in her little hometown in Nebraska. When Etta makes a new friend who introduces her to others who live outside the box, as well as a potential opportunity to move to New York, Etta thinks she may have found the answer to her problems…but it’s the process of trying to get out that helps Etta learn to accept what’s within.

How it Went Down, by Kekla Megloon
I lost count early on of how many narrators there actually are in How it Went Down, but the African American teen at the heart of it all doesn’t get to say a word: Tariq Johnson is dead, shot by a white man. The book is narrated the many witnesses who saw it happen, but everyone has different viewpoints, different stories, different details. As they each take turns speaking his or her piece, there’s no escaping the parallels to so many recent cases in the American media, the variations in witness accounts, and the assumptions of bystanders. It’s hard to imagine a more relevant book than this one right now, and though it’s painful to read, it’s also so very necessary.