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Keywords

Brooklyn, New York, black young women, socio-economic disparity, racial tension

Preview

Brooklyn in 1990 is all about rapid gentrification and rising social tensions. For Sage, a young black girl growing up in this setting, life is all about change. Her community, her friendships, and even her view of herself are all shifting. Sage questions if she fits into the evolving version of Brooklyn that she sees rising up all around her. Due to her newfound awareness of socio-economic divides as well as rising racial tensions in her neighborhood, she grapples with feelings of losing the only place she’s ever called home. Happy memories of Brooklyn and her community feel disconnected from this new reality that she does not fully understand but that she intuitively feels. The novel captures the universal feelings of growing up in a changing world, as Sage wonders “if the place I come from will always fit me, or if I’ll grow out of it, like shoes too small for the journey ahead.” This line beautifully sums up Sage’s internal battle for understanding where she belongs as well as the bittersweet nature of outgrowing what has been familiar, which may be deeply relatable for those young readers who face their own changing landscapes.

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