Read Online Genesis Begins Again Alicia D Williams 9781481465809 Books

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This deeply sensitive and powerful debut novel tells the story of a thirteen-year-old who must overcome internalized racism and a verbally abusive family to finally learn to love herself.

There are ninety-six things Genesis hates about herself. She knows the exact number because she keeps a list. Like #95 Because her skin is so dark, people call her charcoal and eggplant—even her own family. And #61 Because her family is always being put out of their house, belongings laid out on the sidewalk for the world to see. When your dad is a gambling addict and loses the rent money every month, eviction is a regular occurrence.

What’s not so regular is that this time they all don’t have a place to crash, so Genesis and her mom have to stay with her grandma. It’s not that Genesis doesn’t like her grandma, but she and Mom always fight—Grandma haranguing Mom to leave Dad, that she should have gone back to school, that if she’d married a lighter skinned man none of this would be happening, and on and on and on. But things aren’t all bad. Genesis actually likes her new school; she’s made a couple friends, her choir teacher says she has real talent, and she even encourages Genesis to join the talent show.

But how can Genesis believe anything her teacher says when her dad tells her the exact opposite? How can she stand up in front of all those people with her dark, dark skin knowing even her own family thinks lesser of her because of it? Why, why, why won’t the lemon or yogurt or fancy creams lighten her skin like they’re supposed to? And when Genesis reaches #100 on the list of things she hates about herself, will she continue on, or can she find the strength to begin again?

Read Online Genesis Begins Again Alicia D Williams 9781481465809 Books

"This book is so fundamentally important, and yet it never once feels heavy-handed. Williams deftly weaves important issues that real kids are dealing with into a funny, sometimes sad, and ultimately triumphant story. The strong voice carries the reader through, and it's honestly one of the best middle grade books I've read in a while."

Product details

Age Range 9 - 13 years
Grade Level 4 - 8
Lexile Measure 670 (What's this?)

Hardcover 384 pages
Publisher Atheneum/Caitlyn Dlouhy Books (January 15, 2019)
Language English
ISBN-10 1481465805

Read Genesis Begins Again Alicia D Williams 9781481465809 Books

Genesis Begins Again Alicia D Williams 9781481465809 Books Reviews :

Genesis Begins Again Alicia D Williams 9781481465809 Books Reviews

This lovely, heartfelt debut deals with issues we don't confront often in middle grade fiction, specifically internalized racism passed down through generations (hence the comparison to Toni Morrison's The Bluest Eye), as it examines our cultural standards of beauty and what damage those standards can do to the self-esteem and dignity of young people. Genesis doesn't pass "the paper bag test" her family uses to determine beauty and suitability--she's dark and her hair refuses straightening--some of the most excruciating moments come when she's torturing herself to unkink her hair and lighten her skin.

Genesis is also dealing with a dishonest, alcoholic father whom she adores and whose approval she's desperate for, but Williams does a deft job of threading in the father's backstory so we can empathize with what brought him to this pass. Thankfully, Genesis does have others she can lean on -- her practical and loving mother, a music teacher who recognizes her talent for singing and who brings her out of her shell by passing her recordings of Etta James and Billie Holiday, and a boy who who supports her to resist her bullying peers and go her own way.

This book is getting a lot of attention for its frank look at external and internalized racism, deservedly so. Highly recommended.
Sometimes you come across a book that encompasses so much of the human condition, it speaks to your entire soul. Genesis Begins again is one of those books.
While this story follows the journey of Genesis specifically and the many ways she hates herself, I believe the author tells this story in such a way as to speak to anyone who has ever felt 'less than' in one way or another. I also loved that she tackled the difficult conversation of blackness from within the black community. It's clearly a topic people within the community need to address, but as a white reader, I learned a lot from this glimpse at Genesis's life. Thank you to Mrs. Williams for sharing Genesis with the world. I can't wait to read your next offering!
Thirteen-year-old Genesis struggles with her family's financial troubles and her father's alcoholism, and now she's forced to attend a new school in a mostly white suburb of Detroit. Navigating unfamiliar waters is a challenge for Genesis, who also is self-conscious about - and deeply unhappy with - the color of her skin; specifically, how dark she is compared to her beautiful, light-skinned mother. As the story unfolds, Genesis discovers the meaning of self-acceptance with the help of new friends, a caring teacher, and music. Always... music. A powerful, gorgeously written debut with heart and humor. Highly recommended!
You know, as a parent, we often have to remind ourselves what it's like to be a young person again. The peer pressure, the "being cool", wearing the right clothes, listening to music that everyone else does, picking sports to play...as soon as you get away from it, you forget how traumatic it was! Genesis' voice brought me back to that time and reminded me of learning the hard lessons of who "real" friends are - and how much better off we are when we find and stick with them, no matter how unlikely our friendships may be! I LOVED this book. Alicia Williams' writing is real, relatable, and relevant. It makes me want to hug Genesis, my middle school self, and my middle school son - and tell us all you're too awesome to worry about what anyone else thinks - you got this!
This book is so fundamentally important, and yet it never once feels heavy-handed. Williams deftly weaves important issues that real kids are dealing with into a funny, sometimes sad, and ultimately triumphant story. The strong voice carries the reader through, and it's honestly one of the best middle grade books I've read in a while.
This is one of the best Middle Grade books I've read in a while. I found myself 'talking'(at times yelling) to the main character as I sometimes do to TV shows - that's how involved I was in this story. I was drawn in by young Genesis, and rooted for her all the way. A Great read.
This was such a powerful book! As the step-mom of a biracial daughter and an educator of middle and high school students, I reas this book with interest, but sadness. As I walk into the school...as I talk with my daughter...I canâ€™t help but think about and wonder how much they all carry under the surface. This book makes me want to do a better job of trying to empathize with their pain that they never talk about.
I had heard the author speaking on this book on the Georgia Public Broadcast station and ordered it shortly thereafter. I was not quite sure what to expect. It was more than expected and was a GREAT read that I would definitely recommend to others.

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