BLACK GIRLS DON’T CRY

Book Cover

Seventeen-year-old Ida Carter, who’s Black and bisexual, understands that beauty is currency. As the vice president of Banneker High’s Black Student Union, Ida is “Black popular.” She’s earned respect among the few Black students at her predominantly white school, but she’s nowhere near the top of the overall social hierarchy, and she’s not considered desirable by the white majority. When a crude list ranking the school’s hottest girls starts making the rounds, Ida isn’t surprised to find that Black and brown girls are excluded—even Ashley Beckett, the ultra-feminine Black co-captain of the girls’ tennis team, who only dates the “WASPiest, palest white boys,” is missing. The BSU members decide to publicly condemn the list by championing a Black girl to run for prom queen, and they settle on a reluctant Ida. As Ida navigates her campaign, she encounters an even greater threat than her competition. Someone is physically harming the other prom queen candidates on the list. Can Ida find the culprit before she’s next? While the premise echoes classic teen slashers, the narrative fails to deliver a satisfying third-act resolution. Travis realistically depicts themes of colorism, racism, interracial dating, identity, and misogyny, but these topics would have benefitted from clearer, more focused treatment. The family dynamics are refreshingly uplifting, however, thanks to Ida’s openly supportive parents.

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