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Other Black Girl
Other Black Girl | Zakiya Dalila Harris
A Good Morning America, Esquire, and Read with Marie Claire Book Club Pick and a People Magazine Best Book of Summer Named a Most Anticipated Book of 2021 by Time, The Washington Post, Harper's Bazaar, Entertainment Weekly, Marie Claire, Bustle, Buzzfeed, Parade, Goodreads, Fortune, and BBC Urgent, propulsive, and sharp as a knife, The Other Black Girl is an electric debut about the tension that unfurls when two young Black women meet against the starkly white backdrop of New York City book publishing. Twenty-six-year-old editorial assistant Nella Rogers is tired of being the only Black employee at Wagner Books. Fed up with the isolation and microaggressions, she's thrilled when Harlem-born and bred Hazel starts working in the cubicle beside hers. They've only just started comparing natural hair care regimens, though, when a string of uncomfortable events elevates Hazel to Office Darling, and Nella is left in the dust. Then the notes begin to appear on Nella's desk: LEAVE WAGNER. NOW. It's hard to believe Hazel is behind these hostile messages. But as Nella starts to spiral and obsess over the sinister forces at play, she soon realizes that there's a lot more at stake than just her career. A whip-smart and dynamic thriller and sly social commentary that is perfect for anyone who has ever felt manipulated, threatened, or overlooked in the workplace, The Other Black Girl will keep you on the edge of your seat until the very last twist.
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Well-ReadNeck
Other Black Girl | Zakiya Dalila Harris
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49 likes1 stack add
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sarahbellum
Other Black Girl | Zakiya Dalila Harris
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On to my next IRL book club book. Thrillers aren‘t typically my cuppa and I‘ve heard very mixed things about this one, so trying to keep my skepticism at bay

Ruthiella This is definitely not a thriller. It‘s more like a work place drama with a surreal twist. I‘ll be interested to hear what you think. 3y
sarahbellum @Ruthiella good to know! 3y
sarahbellum @Ruthiella you were so right. This book is far from thrilling- I was bored about 90% of the time :-( 3y
13 likes3 comments
review
Cinfhen
Other Black Girl | Zakiya Dalila Harris
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Mehso-so

Are you fucking kidding me?? I appreciated the insightfulness and urgency the author was creating in highlighting the lack of diversity in publishing and the micro aggressions PoC face in the workplace. There were definitely structural problems with this book & pacing issues but the artistic choices made in the last 1/3 of the book did not work for me at all!! I think it hindered the seriousness covered at the beginning of the novel. Ugh 😩

squirrelbrain Great review Cindy… you‘ve articulated exactly why I didn‘t like the weird twist in this book, but couldn‘t explain myself…it seemed to trivialise the serious issues in the first part of the book and I found it really odd. 3y
TrishB It was very, very odd. 3y
Lindy I‘m a fan of satire, so this blend of dark comedy, social commentary and horror worked for me. 3y
See All 16 Comments
merelybookish The opening line of your review! 😂👏🎉 3y
Cinfhen Thanks so much @squirrelbrain @TrishB @merelybookish I JUST didn‘t get it…. AT ALL but im the minority must people really enjoyed the twist @Lindy I‘m just happy lots of people are reading this book!!! 3y
Megabooks Yeah, this just didn‘t work for me either. 3y
TrishB To be honest I thought it was clever and I don‘t think it did take away from the serious issues. But totally unexpected. 3y
Cinfhen I can see why you probably won‘t revisit it @Megabooks 😁😆😘 3y
Cinfhen Definitely unexpected @TrishB !!! 3y
BarbaraBB You make me curious although I‘m probably in your corner. 3y
Cinfhen I‘m sending you my copy @BarbaraBB xxx 3y
BarbaraBB Thank you so much!! ❤️ 3y
Reggie Lolololol well now I have to read it. 3y
Cinfhen I think you‘ll enjoy the elements @Reggie Definitely worth a borrow 😉 3y
Kaylamburson I completely agree with you, @Cinfhen ! The twist felt abrupt and unexpected, but like you said, it took away from the seriousness and everything I was appreciating early on. 3y
Cinfhen Thanks so much @Kaylamburson I‘m glad it worked for others but for me, it was a big and unnecessary twist 3y
90 likes16 comments
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Zuhkeeyah
Other Black Girl | Zakiya Dalila Harris
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Mehso-so

The first half of the book really pulled me in but as more details emerged I began to disengage. The author created a unique premise that speaks directly to Black culture. I loved that part. The reasons behind the manipulation, not so much.

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EricSwanson
Other Black Girl | Zakiya Dalila Harris
Pickpick

An irresistible blend of social satire and thriller, “The Other Black Girl” is one of the most enjoyable books I‘ve read this year.

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QuintusMarcus
Other Black Girl | Zakiya Dalila Harris
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Pickpick

Kind of funny novel about the hostility, mostly covert, that Blacks face in the professional workplace. Her cringe-inducing description of Diversity Town Halls hit way close to home - I‘ve been to a few, and they are about as thoughtful as the one in The Office. Takes a while to come together, but when it does, it‘s both brutal and satisfying. Absolutely recommended!

12 likes1 stack add
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Lindy
Other Black Girl | Zakiya Dalila Harris
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Pickpick

Office satire? Light horror? Literary social commentary? Slow burn thriller? I‘m not sure what to call this novel about Black women‘s experiences set in a NYC publishing house—a workplace in which the author has a lot of familiarity. Whatever the genre, it‘s great! I was glued to the #audiobook, read mainly by Aja Naomi King, occasionally switching to other points of view read by Joniece Abbott Pratt, Heather Alicia Simms & Bahni Turpin.

SamAnne Looking forward to this one. 3y
TrishB Yes it‘s very hard to pick a genre for this one. And the twist had me doing a wtf moment!! (edited) 3y
Lindy @SamAnne 👍 3y
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Lindy @TrishB Prologue and epilogue are both important for the full impact, right? 3y
TrishB Definitely. Clever book. 3y
Cathythoughts Stacking for audio 👍🏻❤️ 3y
Lindy @Cathythoughts 👍😁 3y
marleed It‘s so good even if I would have gone for a different ending! 3y
33 likes2 stack adds8 comments
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Lindy
Other Black Girl | Zakiya Dalila Harris
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…it wouldn‘t be enough to simply show up to work, to simply wear the right clothes—you had to wear the right mentality. You had to live the mentality. Be everyone‘s best friend. Be sassy, be confident. But also deferential. Be spiritual, but also be down to earth. Be woke, but also keep some of that sleep in your eyes too.

26 likes1 stack add
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Karisa
Other Black Girl | Zakiya Dalila Harris
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“The first sign was the smell of cocoa butter.” Took this from the actual first chapter because I liked it better than the prologue‘s first line (“Stop fussing at it, now.”). Enjoying this book a ton so far. About half way through, and it‘s keeping me guessing.

#FirstLineFriday @ShyBookOwl

51 likes1 stack add
review
Amie
Other Black Girl | Zakiya Dalila Harris
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Pickpick

This was really good. I'm not sure how to describe it - sort of a thriller but kind of slow-paced in the beginning. I've seen it described as horror but it's not the gory or paranormal or hide under the covers kind of horror. The ending wasn't as satisfying as I wanted, but I think that was intentional. A good book for discussion.

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