VINYL MOON

After a traumatic incident with her boyfriend, Angel gets a fresh start at a new school.

Darius was the first person to call Angel beautiful, but he called her other, terrible things too. After the events of a night that Angel can’t forget, Darius’ words are among the memories Angel carries when her mother sends her away from California to live with her uncle in Brooklyn. Worse than the memories, Angel blames herself for what happened. At her new high school, 11th grader Angel is assigned to a homeroom/advisory class entitled Her Excellence is Resilience & Honoring Everyone’s Roots. Guided by their teacher, Ms. G, H.E.R. advisees work through their feelings in an encouraging environment. They deal with betrayals, young motherhood, and other challenges, but no one here is tragic. All of the novel’s characters are refreshingly layered and endearing, even when they aren’t at their best. As the school year progresses, Angel sees her life reflected in books by writers including Toni Morrison, Zora Neale Hurston, and Jason Reynolds. Angel’s poignant poems are interspersed among passages of compelling prose. Her community reflects a diverse array of Black cultures as well as sexual identities and personalities.

A beautiful love letter to Brooklyn, Black authors, and the beats that create the soundtrack of a young life evolving.