Janet McDonald (1954–2007)

It was nice to go back to the olden days of YA before it was expected for Black leads to explain what racism or microaggressions are. I kid, I kid, but here we just have black characters and they’re not teaching anything. You could say this was written for the Black Gaze.

Twists in Turns is set in the projects of New York. Since this book came out in 2003, it shows with its references, the slang, and the slight ignorance of the time. Unfortunately, the writing feels choppy, and the characters are too flat. I mean there are some genuine tries to add nuance and backstory to some of the characters, but it wasn’t very effective to me.

The story opens with a party. We meet the main characters before being bombarded with the party-goers. All those characters in a span of a few pages without really establishing the main characters, the Washington sisters, was super disorienting. Even as the story continues, the pov might go to a random character at any time. While the dialogue is authentic (it’s filled with AAVE and early 2000’s and/or NY slang), with it being on paper as opposed to video, it could appear stereotypical.

Maybe it’s because I’m looking at this from 2021 eyes, but the dialogue and story felt very tired and messy a la reality show though I did snicker when that girl was about to get the beatdown for dumping the Kool-Aid down the sink. I liked the music references from Missy Elliot to Ashanti to Usher. In addition, I liked how Skye, the librarian, tried to encourage the neighborhood young adults, the focus on gentrification, the salon, and the overall community aspect. For what the story tries to do, it’s okay but definitely not a must-read.… (more)

Like many young aspiring rappers, Hustle dreams of making it big in the music industry. In the meantime, he gets by with his "retail business" (selling stolen clothing). There is a pathos to Hustle's impassioned determination especially when he is unwittingly gamed twice by music execs. But his dicey ways take a turn for the more productive when his girlfriend's mother gives him a book of black poetry and he returns to school at an alternative setting. McDonald is clearly down with the 'hood, authentically portraying its voices and culture. There is humor here, too, in Hustle and Ride's friendship, and the clash of social classes.… (more)

At 16, Raven has dropped out of school to have her baby boy, Smokey. Her best friend Aisha is also in the same situation. Raven had been making payments on her class ring and graduation gown but that's all out the window. Dell, her older sister who's gone to college and works as a legal assistant, feels Raven could have done better than become a welfare mama with a project booty. She wells Raven about Spell for Success, a spelling bee in which the winner wins a four-year college scholarship. Raven thinks Dell is crazy especially since Raven can't spell. She finally decides to give it a try. In the meantime, Raven runs into Jesse, the baby's father. Jesse had no idea Raven was pregnant and now Raven faces eating dinner with Jesse and his upper-class parents and wondering if Jesse can save her from a life with no prospects.… (more)

Third in the sequence of books that begins with "Spellbound." Sisters Keesha and Teeba have finally graduated from high school with no further direction than the next party and hanging out with friends. They do have a talent for braiding hair and when the librarian Skye suggests they open a salon, it seems like a good idea if not for the money required to start up. But with a loan from their friend Aisha who stars in roller-rink commercials, the girls start a salon. Running a business proves challenging when few clients show up after the grand opening.… (more)