Awkward Black Girl

Quick Book Review

“(…if I could go back in time and slap

all the idiocy out of my mouth,

I would be a busy time traveler.)

“My new nickname was ‘skinny bitch.’

It was the best compliment I ever could

have received and allowed me

a new confidence.”

The two previous quotes come from Issa Rae’s recently published autobiography, The Misadventures of Awkward Black Girl. This is a story whose wit and humor is matched by its profundity. It’s comfortably written and relatable to awkward and comfortable readers alike. For young ladies going through awkward periods this is a testament that you are not alone. Further, Rae assures the insecure that within oneself it's okay. I recommend this autobiography.

As an aside, the title comes from Rae’s award winning web series. Check it out, if you haven’t had a chance to view it.

I’ll close the way I opened with a quote from the book; “Whether you’re an awkward black girl or an irritated disabled stripper, everyone should have the opportunity to feel represented in some way.”

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Lavinia Bell, A Story to Pass On (Part 1)

Born in Washington DC / Enslaved in Texas / Interviewed in Canada 1861 I was going over newspaper and magazine interviews, 1827-1863 in collection edited by John W. Blassingame. Lavinia Bell’s story is particularly touching in her determination to be free at all costs yet disturbing in the raw violence to which she was subjected. Born free in Washington she was stolen as an infant and enslaved in Galveston, Texas. As the property of William Whirl, his wife, Polly, taught Lavinia to be a performer, “taught to dance, sing, cackle like a hen, or crow like a rooster…” About the age of 13 or 14, she was sent to the cotton field an exposed to a different level of bondage. In the Galveston, Texas cotton field the Whirl's laboring slaves were exposed to the relentless sun naked, their hair shaved close to their heads, and receiving fifty lashes daily, whether they worked or not. Bell reported that “they were also compelle...

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