Cover Image

Genesis begins again

by Williams, Alicia, 1970-

Format: Print Book 2019
Availability: Available at 38 Libraries 39 of 41 copies

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Andrew Carnegie Free Library Juvenile Fiction j FIC WILLIA
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Millvale Community Library Juvenile Fiction JFIC WIL
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Mt. Lebanon Public Library Children's Fiction j WILLIAMS Alicia
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Scott Township Library Juvenile Fiction J FIC WILLIA
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Western Allegheny Community Library Middle Grade MG WILLIAMS
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CLP - Squirrel Hill Children's Fiction Collection CHECKED OUT
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Summary
A Newbery Honor Book
Winner of the Correta Scott King - John Steptoe for New Talent Author Award
A Morris Award Finalist
An NPR Favorite Book of 2019
A School Library Journal Best Middle Grade Book of 2019
A Kirkus Reviews Best Middle Grade Book of 2019

This deeply sensitive and powerful debut novel tells the story of a thirteen-year-old who must overcome internalized racism and a verbally abusive family to finally learn to love herself.

There are ninety-six things Genesis hates about herself. She knows the exact number because she keeps a list. Like #95: Because her skin is so dark, people call her charcoal and eggplant--even her own family. And #61: Because her family is always being put out of their house, belongings laid out on the sidewalk for the world to see. When your dad is a gambling addict and loses the rent money every month, eviction is a regular occurrence.

What's not so regular is that this time they all don't have a place to crash, so Genesis and her mom have to stay with her grandma. It's not that Genesis doesn't like her grandma, but she and Mom always fight--Grandma haranguing Mom to leave Dad, that she should have gone back to school, that if she'd married a lighter skinned man none of this would be happening, and on and on and on. But things aren't all bad. Genesis actually likes her new school; she's made a couple friends, her choir teacher says she has real talent, and she even encourages Genesis to join the talent show.

But how can Genesis believe anything her teacher says when her dad tells her the exact opposite? How can she stand up in front of all those people with her dark, dark skin knowing even her own family thinks lesser of her because of it? Why, why, why won't the lemon or yogurt or fancy creams lighten her skin like they're supposed to? And when Genesis reaches #100 on the list of things she hates about herself, will she continue on, or can she find the strength to begin again?
Published Reviews
Booklist Review: "Her dad is an alcoholic with a gambling problem who never pays the rent, so her family keeps getting evicted from their homes. But that's not the only reason Genesis hates herself. Mostly it's because she is dark-skinned, and she wishes she were lighter. Genesis tries multiple ways to lighten her skin and help her family, both with disappointing results. Only after she learns to appreciate herself for who she is does everything else starts to fall into place. The year in the life style of this story gives readers an opportunity to look into someone's day-to-day, observing experiences that might be quite different from or similar to their own. This lengthy debut includes many common tropes the inspirational teacher, the group of best friends, the mean girls but its final message is powerful and challenges Genesis to define her life on her own terms, not society's. Genesis comes out stronger in the end, and the reader who sticks with her story will hopefully feel the same.--Florence Simmons Copyright 2018 Booklist"
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Publisher's Weekly Review: "Genesis Anderson is a fragile middle schooler whose turbulent home life and drive for acceptance fuel this emotionally rich debut. Forced to start over time and again because of a series of evictions, Genesis has a dearth of self-confidence (and a list of 96 reasons that she hates herself) and trouble making new friends. That slowly begins to change when her African-American family moves to an upscale white suburb, and Genesis has to find her footing in an entirely new environment. While some students uphold the same racist ideas she's familiar with, others treat her with a depth of compassion that has her questioning the colorism that's seeped into her own psyche. It's agonizing to follow Genesis through attempts to bleach her skin to fit in, but the lows only make her triumphs feel sweeter as she slowly begins to find strengths she never suspected she possessed, friends who love and accept her, and a mentor who encourages her to let herself shine. With its relatable and sympathetic protagonist, complex setting, and exceptional emotional range, this title is easy to recommend. Ages 9-13. (Jan.) © Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved."

Additional Information
Subjects Human skin color -- Juvenile fiction.
Self-esteem -- Juvenile fiction.
African Americans -- Juvenile fiction.
African American girls -- Juvenile fiction.
Dysfunctional families -- Juvenile fiction.
Prejudices -- Juvenile fiction.
Moving, Household -- Juvenile fiction.
Human skin color -- Fiction.
Self-esteem -- Fiction.
African Americans -- Fiction.
Family problems -- Fiction.
Prejudices -- Fiction.
Moving, Household -- Fiction.
Publisher New York :Atheneum,2019
Edition First edition.
Audience Ages 9-13.
Language English
Notes "A Caitlyn Dlouhy book."
Awards Coretta Scott King John Steptoe Award for New Talent, author, 2020
Newbery Honor Book, 2020
Description 364 pages ; 22 cm
ISBN 9781481465809
1481465805
9781481465816
1481465813
Other Classic View