Monday 9 August 2021

100 Real Life Tales of Black Girl Magic by the Rebel Girls


The latest installment in the New York Times bestselling Good Night Stories for Rebel Girls series, featuring 100 barrier-breaking Black women and girls who showcase the spirit of Black Girl Magic.

Good Night Stories for Rebel Girls: 100 Real-Life Tales of Black Girl Magic celebrates the lives and accomplishments of 100 barrier-breaking Black women and girls who showcase the spirit of Black Girl Magic. Edited by award-winning journalist Lilly Workneh, with a foreword by CaShawn Thompson, creator of the hashtag #BlackGirlsAreMagic, the book includes stories of real women from all walks of life written in fairy tale style. Arranged in alphabetical order by first name, each brief biography is accompanied by a vibrant full-page illustration.

Contemporaries like tennis player Naomi Osaka, astronaut Jeanette Epps, and filmmaker Ava DuVernay join historical figures like aviator Bessie Coleman, Empress Taytu Betul, and journalist Ida B. Wells. Readers will also meet chess champion Phiona Mutesi, video game designer Muriel Tramis, punk rocker Poly Styrene, and chef Leah Chase.

The book exclusively features the work of Black female and non-binary editors, authors, and illustrators as they drive the stories of these phenomenal women from around the world and throughout history.

We all know the Rebel Girl format by now, so I won't waste time describing it here. This follows the normal pattern; a page per person, with a full page illustration. There are just over sixty illustrators for the hundred Black women and girls featured in the book.

As with all the Rebel Girl books, there are a lot of people here I didn't know about before. I really enjoyed reading all these new stories. Some of them are a bit upsetting; some are funny, some are heartfelt. All are inspiring.

I loved looking at the illustrations, as well. The variety of styles means they're never boring; I didn't skim over any because they looked similar to the last one, I studied each one. I'd like to spend longer looking at it once I get a physical copy.

I can't wait to share this with the readers in store; it's a great addition to the series, and hopefully will bring in some new readers who haven't tried the series before. I can't wait to see what Rebel Girls will do next; they're going from strength to strength.



100 Real Life Tales of Black Girl Magic publishes on the 28th of September, 2021in the US and on the 5th of October, 2021 in the UK, with the same cover. I received a free copy and am giving an honest review.

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