Sellout - Hardcover

Ebony Joy Wilkins was called worse names in high school than "sellout", but the word did inspire her first novel for young adults. Ebony lives in Chicago, Illinois. Visit her online at www.ebonyjoywilkins.com.

Gr 7-10–This warm if message-heavy novel about race, fitting in, and finding oneself stars high school freshman NaTasha, an insecure African American who attends a snooty white school in suburban New Jersey. Wanting to maintain her popularity with her white friends, particularly Heather, NaTasha painstakingly irons her hair and forces herself to learn ballet. NaTasha spends the summer in Harlem with her grandmother, Tilly, who volunteers at a crisis center in the Bronx. Initially, Tash feels she has little in common with these rough girls whose struggles include addiction, abuse, self-destructive behavior, pregnancy, and prison. They are nasty to NaTasha, considering her a snobby “sellout.” At the center of the story is Tilly, a strong, opinionated community pillar whose loving but firm influence inspires her granddaughter even as NaTasha struggles to make sense of the Amber's Place girls' hostility, Heather's betrayals, and the attentions of two intriguing neighbor boys. Some elements of the story tie up too easily–NaTasha's greatest tormentors warm up to her a bit too quickly to be believed–but the message of staying true to oneself shines through.Megan Honig, New York Public Library
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