Carefree Black Girls is an honest journey of a black girl from depression to self-acceptance. She reviews how culture forms how people view themselves. This is especially true for the author as a Black female. She describes the difficulty with accepting and feeling safe in her black body under the sense of judgment and safety. Young black people are often commenting on each other negatively through social media and rappers as well as the role of black women in television and movies. She refers to the history and culture of growing up as a black woman. She explores how depression can result from all the expectations can have devastating results. Therapy and support are important for creating a supportive environment for the concept of being a carefree black girl. ( )

Title: Carefree Black Girls A Celebration of Black Women in Popular Culture
Author: Zeba Blay
Publisher: St Martin's Press
Reviewed By: Arlena Dean
Rating: Five
Review:
"Carefree Black Girls A Celebration of Black Women in Popular Culture" by Zeba Blay

My Opinion:

This author gives the reader a beautiful collection of essays that will leave you to ponder over long after the read. The author hits it when giving us a good explanation of what pressure and what it's like to have a black body and see how our world sees all of the expectations that have been set on them in our society and pop culture... Now, why is that?
This novel gives the reader input on 'subjects such as racism, colorism, fatphobia, mental health, sexuality and what it means to be a black girl.' It was engaging learning about this author's persona regarding her own experiences, thoughts, and how well they relate to the subjects so well in an honest way. For it is essential that this type of information is put out there to be shared.

Be ready for a well-written read that shares a 'reference section that includes articles, songs, and names that the author presents in the read along with her commentary that will give one a deeper exploration of topics and issues' that is fascinating and a must-read.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me an advance copy of this book in exchange for an honest review! ( )

Carefree Black Girls by Zeba Blay is a collection of powerful essays that move from popular culture to history and from the public to the personal.

I wasn't sure what to expect when I started reading. The subtitle, A Celebration of Black Women in Popular Culture led me to think I might be reading about several celebrities and their impacts on their field of art and on society as a whole. I was wrong, or at least partially wrong. This is less a critique or overview of Black women in popular culture than it is a critique of the society and the various industries (music, film, TV mostly) that impose limitations and how at the various periods Black women have pushed against those limitations. Ultimately, it is a personal journey using popular culture as a springboard to discuss white supremacy, misogyny, and the many ways these are supported by presentations of Black women. It is also very much about these women taking more control and putting more images and messages out there that support each other rather than white supremacy.

While I am not the target readership, there is much an old mostly white man can learn here. This book is not meant to educate people like me, but that doesn't mean I can't learn a lot. In other words, the task is mine to actively learn, understand as best I can, and decide what actions I can take to make this a better world. The sharing that Blay offers serves as a catalyst for my improvement, not a textbook to simply learn a perspective.

I would highly recommend this to anyone who knows that this society and culture is based on white supremacy but might not know the many subtle ways that popular culture can enforce it. And, importantly, how it can offer alternatives to it.

I almost forgot to mention an aspect of the book that really is appealing to me. The references section includes the articles, songs, names, etc that Blay mentions in the book. With so much material being readily available online, this is a treasure trove of interesting material which, coupled with Blay's commentary in the body of the book, makes for some wonderful deeper exploration of the topics and issues.

Reviewed from a copy made available by the publisher via NetGalley. ( )