The Other Black Girl in Play Book Tag

Jul 20, 2024 Anita Pomerantz rated it liked it

I was hoping for some inside baseball type social commentary on the publishing industry. And there was some of that, and I could tell the author had worked in publishing and had important insights to share.

What I was not prepared for and did not care for or about was the “thriller” that was overlaid on top of the publishing narrative. I found it confusing to say the least. And uninteresting until the last couple of chapters. It’s hard to really critique rwithout spoiling, but the structure had t ...more

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Jun 26, 2022 Susan Tunis rated it really liked it

So, I reread this book for a second and third time in preparation for leading a book group discussion. I had enjoyed it and found it provocative when I first read it a few months ago, but I was somewhat surprised by how much additional nuance I picked up on with additional close readings. It held up well to repeated readings, and I was impressed with the greater rewards that came with greater attention. Some of this was due to layers and subtly in the text, but some was due to awkward and someti ...more

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Jun 16, 2021 Nora Alexander rated it liked it

Shelves: audiobooks, book-of-the-month

I’m still not sure I really understand what all was happening.

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Jul 27, 2021 Nadine in NY Jones rated it really liked it

Shelves: social-issues-social-sciences, lotsa-buzz, suspense-thriller, literary-schmiterary, fantasy-and-sci-fi, fiction, r2021-in-2021, social-horror, is-it-real-or-is-it-memorex

This book was just a blast.

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Jul 04, 2021 Kristina rated it really liked it

Shelves: alternating-points-of-view, thriller, alternating-timelines, work-rivalry, racial-strife, alternating-narrators, publishing-industry, microagressions

I finished 'The Other Black Girl' fairly quickly then thought about it for several days before attempting a non-spoilerish review.

I knew little about the plot other than the book was described as a cross between 'Get Out' and 'The Devil Wore Prada'--sort of apt as Nella Rogers, the protagonist, works as an editorial assistant for Wagner, an elite NYC-based publisher and there are numerous painfully funny bits early on in the novel that seem far too real.

A popular (white) author, Colin Franklin, I finished 'The Other Black Girl' fairly quickly then thought about it for several days before attempting a non-spoilerish review.

I knew little about the plot other than the book was described as a cross between 'Get Out' and 'The Devil Wore Prada'--sort of apt as Nella Rogers, the protagonist, works as an editorial assistant for Wagner, an elite NYC-based publisher and there are numerous painfully funny bits early on in the novel that seem far too real.

A popular (white) author, Colin Franklin, considered the firm's "cash cow," has a new novel on the opioid crisis with the too cute title of 'Pins and Needles' featuring a Black, 19-year-old addict with several children by the name of Shartricia is so loathed by Nella she has to think carefully about how honest she wants to be with her boss who won't necessarily see how offensive the character is.

The 'Get Out' comparison is even more realized in 'The Other Black Girl' as the early 1980s prologue introduces Wagner's well known (only) previous Black editor and co-author Kendra Rae as she attempts to flee NYC and avoid recognition. That she keeps scratching her scalp is a bit of foreshadowing about the role of hair, hair products, and particularly the distinctive scent of hair grease in the plot. A distinctive whiff of hair grease is how Nella realizes the publishing house hired another Black girl in the form of Hazel.

"This meant one of two things: One of her white colleagues had started using Brown Buttah. Or — more likely, since she was pretty sure none of them had accidentally stumbled into the natural hair care aisle — there was another Black girl on the thirteenth floor." (I use the term girl as the novel did consistently throughout the book.)

At first Nella enjoys having a colleague with a similar background, but tensions in the workplace escalate as Hazel seems to be somehow show where Nella is lacking. Hazel is somehow more stylish, seemingly more authentic in owning her 'Blackness' and is suddenly the assistant Nella's boss wants to have in meetings. Notes telling her to leave Wagner arrive anonymously on Nella's desk only heighten her paranoia.

To say more would spoil some of the wonderful twists of the plot, but the book 'OBG' often ended up reminding me of was an older one: Ira Levin's 'The Stepford Wives' which tackled feminism, marriage, an insidious plot, and those who'd prefer women remain submissive.

I'd love to have seen a few plot strands given more resolution in 'The Other Black Girl,' but those complaints are minor. This has been my favorite novel of 2021 thus far. ...more

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Dec 17, 2023 Jael rated it it was ok

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

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Sep 12, 2021 Heather rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: audiobooks

Wow. Great debut. Took a turn I was NOT expecting. Great build up/slow burn for most of the novel, but once the twist comes into play it felt rushed and confused. I’ll be thinking about the themes in this book for a while.

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