15 Mar / Chlorine Sky by Mahogany L. Browne [in Booklist]
Mahogany L. Browne takes aural control of her novel-in-verse – a first novel for the prolific poet and writer (Black Girl Magic, 2018) – enhancing her story with soft, determined rhythms. “ME & LAY LI AIN’T TALKING,” Browne opens, “cause she think she cute / cause she think I ain’t.”
BFF-ship with Lay Li seems to be over, adding to the too many “ain’t”s that make the narrator feel like she’s never enough. Her mother is mostly absent, her older sister wavers between dismissive and attacking. While Lay Li turns mean with the male gaze upon her, the narrator seeks solace in the pool or on the basketball court. Not until the final pages can she discard the damning labels of being “… & ugly & stupid,” and proudly claim her voice and her name: “SKY SAYS … I am Sky & / I got now.”
At just over two hours, Browne’s verses pass quickly; what lingers is the tenacious strength of ready-to-claim girl power – “I get to take up space too / … Like I can look in the mirror & / Like my own me.”
Review: “Media,” Booklist, March 1, 2021
Readers: Young Adult
Published: 2021