Book Description Review “[An] empowering autobiographical novel fused with magical realism and allegory . . . with the nods to Langston Hughes, Maya Angelou, Malcolm X, and Alice Walker. This revelatory YA book deserves space on bookstore and library shelves for its healing power for all readers to break the chains of intergenerational pain and trauma.“―School Library Journal, starred review “Brown has written a guidebook of survival and wonder….Brown’s greatest gift is evoking intimacy, and as she delicately but firmly snatches the reader’s attention, we are allowed to see this girl of multitudes and her neighborhood of contradictions in full and specific detail.” ―The New York Times “A graphic look at the magical black girls who are often forgotten or fetishized. Through Echo’s lessons, readers learn what it’s like to persist despite hopelessness, survive in a world propelled by oppressive and exploitative systems, and cope with feelings of connection and disconnect. A much-needed story. Just brilliant.“―Kirkus Reviews”Brown’s prose is searingly beautiful and painful in its imagery . . . Echo is an unforgettable heroine, and her tale makes a compelling counterpart to Nikki Grimes’ memoir, Ordinary Hazards, or a first step toward Octavia Butler. ” ―The Bulletin “Brown’s novel deals with some very heavy themes including sexual violence, drug addiction, depression, and racism. However, it treats these themes and readers with care while uplifting both its main character and readers who may share Echo’s struggles. A treasure of a story that’s poignant, soulful, and inspiring.“―Booklist “Brown’s quasi-memoir blends magical realism with a coming-of-age story in this mold-breaking novel. The novel never shies from tough subject matter (drug addiction, sexual assault), at the same time deftly integrating magically realistic components and allegory into contemporary scenes.”―Publishers Weekly Read more About the Author Echo Brown is an African-American writer, performer, and playwright from rural Ohio. A Dartmouth alumna and the first female college graduate in her family, she is currently based in Northern California. Echo is best known for her one-woman show Black Virgins Are Not For Hipsters. Black Girl Unlimited marks her debut. Read more Customers Review: Wow, just wow. It has been a very long time since a book touched me on this level. And I say this after having read several emotionally charged books dealing with the difficult topics of race, violence, and abuse. Echo Brown is an incredible writer with the most unique approach to a memoir I’ve ever seen. I consumed her book as an audiobook, narrated by Ms. Brown herself, and her unique position in telling her story made this a beautiful way to read Black Girl Unlimited. But after hearing the book, I bought a physical copy because this is a book I want in my house, and I want all of my future children or house guests to see it and read it. It was that impactful. Her honesty and her complete loss of herself following a traumatic experience – and her subsequent reawakening surrounded by the strongest women in her life – was a story woven with magic, but at the same time, so very real and raw. Thank you, Echo Brown, for your willingness to let this book flow from you!
I don’t think I have read a book that has affected me this strongly in years.Echo is a remarkable human being. The first chapters follow her as a young child and I was surprised at how quickly I fell in love with this brilliant little girl. As her life unfolds Echo begins to more fully comprehend the hopelessness of her situation, but she also gains incredible insight and strength.This Book does not shy away from the reality of being a poor Black woman. Echo is almost completely unprotected during her most vulnerable years but she is not the only one, as she says more than once, almost every woman she knows has been raped or assaulted. They have all had to put themselves back together again, to rekindle their light and have done it with varying degrees of success.More than anything this book is about putting yourself back together after trauma. It is a handbook for survival that needed to be written and I am so glad it was.
Echo Brown, actress, and storyteller has written a moving YA novel in Black Girl Unlimited: the Remarkable Story of a Teenage Wizard. The novel is infused with magical realism and enumerates the nineteen lessons of becoming a wizard. Teenage Echo has been growing up in a challenging situation in Cleveland. A straight-A student, she struggles with family stability. Her father abandoned the family, her mother is an addict, her brothers are pushing down on the corner, and Echo tries to remain laser-focused on her goals. She wants to perform well enough in school to go to her dream college- Dartmouth. How she manages to do this while surviving abuse, neglect, and sexual assault is a powerful story of survival. Brown focuses less on the overall reality of being black in America and more on the realities facing black women. The rawness of the effects of the physical and sexual abuse she says are commonly visited upon women of her community is described in terms of metaphor- the black veil that drops around a person who has been abused or the floating on the ceiling dissociation that allows a victim to survive their abuse.The audiobook, narrated by the author, is a vivid performance of her book.This is a powerful book but it may be difficult for some who have been through similar experiences to read. As a result, I offer content warnings.CW: rape, child sexual abuse, murder, alcoholism, drug abuse, addiction, overdoseI received a Digital Review Copy and a Libro.fm audio review copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
First, an admission. I almost stopped reading this book. Echo Brown’s style is really, really different and it was hard for me to get into. It took me about a hundred pages to get used to the style… and I still didn’t really understand the point or purpose until about halfway through. I swear, though, once I *got* it, it was like a magical light flipped. The stylistic choices started to make perfect sense and suddenly I found myself cheering hard for Echo, hoping things would go right for her, the right people would listen, and she’d learn to trust herself. And now I’m so, so glad I finished the book. Black Girl Unlimited has some truly powerful things to say — and they’re not easy lessons. Especially knowing that the book is largely autobiographical.This is a really heavy book, but it’s also powerful and empowering. There are so many issues brought up in the story — I could give you a laundry list, but instead I’ll just offer a warning that sensitive readers may have a tough time with this one. But that warning comes along side a recommendation for anyone ready to deep dive into an own voices book that really explores intersectionality, trauma, and heartbreak.Thank you Fierce Reads for sending me a free advanced readers copy of Echo, Unlimited! All opinions are my own.
(Disclaimer: I received this book from Edelweiss. This has not impacted my review which is unbiased and honest.)Black Girl Unlimited is a story that is itself a journey. It’s one of those books where reading the book is a journey. I went into Black Girl Unlimited expecting a fantasy. While it isn’t not a fantasy, it’s not a fantasy like you might expect. Echo’s story mixes surrealism, magic, power, and belief. We witness Echo’s coming of age story. Beginning with paragraphs told from a child’s perspective, we begin to see things between the lines. These scenes are some of my favorites because they are innocent, but also insightful in a way that is heart breaking.Black Girl Unlimited is more about the magic of protection. The ways we can build a protective shell around ourselves. At the beginning it felt surreal, but as Black Girl Unlimited progresses, the magic deepens. It made me wonder if she was really a wizard, but also what does it matter either way? That’s what I mean about belief. Is it more important to have the powers than it is to believe in your own power? And potential? Black Girl Unlimited broke my heart in so many big and small ways. |
6 reviews