Black Boy Joy: 17 Stories Celebrating Black Boyhood

by Kwame Mbalia

Celebrate the joys of Black boyhood with stories from seventeen bestselling, critically acclaimed Black authors--including Jason Reynolds (the Track series), Jerry Craft (New Kid), and edited by Kwame Mbalia (the Tristan Strong series)!

Black boy joy is…

Picking out a fresh first-day-of-school outfit.
Saving the universe in an epic intergalactic race.
Finding your voice—and your rhymes—during tough times.
Flying on your skateboard like nobody’s watching.

And more! From seventeen acclaimed Black male and non-binary authors comes a vibrant collection of stories, comics, and poems about the power of joy and the wonders of Black boyhood.

Contributors include: B. B. Alston, Dean Atta, P. Djèlí Clark, Jay Coles, Jerry Craft, Lamar Giles, Don P. Hooper, George M. Johnson, Varian Johnson, Kwame Mbalia, Suyi Davies Okungbowa, Tochi Onyebuchi, Julian Randall, Jason Reynolds, Justin Reynolds, DaVaun Sanders, and Julian Winters

Genres: Middle Grade, Short Stories, Fiction, Fantasy, Anthologies, Young Adult, Contemporary

5 pages, Audiobook

First published August 3, 2021

Reviews

[ReadAlongWithSue ★⋆. ࿐࿔catching up · Rating 4 out of 5]

I needed a short audio book today and this one was on my audio library to download.
I wasn’t sure what to expect.

This is a middle grade anthology that has different topics in each story, poem, lyric.

All were very different and I enjoyed each one.

[megs_bookrack · Rating 5 out of 5]

I absolutely adored every moment I spent with this collection. I highly recommend the audiobook format, as the narration is so fun. Each story was unique and well-written.

Mbalia pulled together an incredible group of authors to contribute to this important and heart-warming Middle Grade anthology. I could feel the intention, integrity and passion each and every one of these author's poured into these works.

This should be in every public school and local library in the United States. There's so much here to celebrate. 10-out-of-10 recommend to Middle Grade Readers!!



Original:

I respect Kwame Mbalia and his work so much. I've been meaning to get to this collection since it was released, and honestly, I feel like now is the perfect time for it.

I need something uplifting and joyful!!

[Tina Loves To Read · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a collection of Middle Grade Short Stories and Poems. I have to say I really loved most of these stories and poems, and I am not someone that reads a lot of short stories and poems. There was about 4 of them out of the 19 that I did not love. I think these stories cover so much important types. This is a great book. I really loved reading this book. I was kindly provided an e-copy of this book by the publisher or author via NetGalley, so I can give honest review about how I feel about this book. I want to send a big Thank you to them for that.

[Kaytee Cobb · Rating 5 out of 5]

This collection is a layered connection, where each essay builds upon the last and adds dimension and flavor, all while expanding the definition of joy. I loved it.

[Stacy Young · Rating 3 out of 5]

I wish I liked this one more than I did. Love the premise! We need more stories about Black folx that aren’t about pain, suffering, and oppression. And while I normally love middle grade and young adult literature (educator here) this had very little adult appeal. I just couldn’t get into most of the stories, so this was a slow crawl for me with lots of skimming. Ah well. I’m sure it’s the right fit for some kid out there!

[Never Without a Book]

Every story will either make you smile of cry. I absolutely love this collection.

[Natasha Niezgoda · Rating 4 out of 5]

Celebrating and fostering young joy is so special and becoming rare. This was a beautiful celebration through very clever, fun, imaginative, and heartwarming stories.

[Danielle · Rating 5 out of 5]

"Joy is a fragile thing, my boy, and must be treated as such. Too harsh and it disintegrates. Rush, and it disappears. So we coax it forth. Feed it, like kindling to a fire."

The anthologies coming out this summer are absolute fire. This collection is no different. I loved this collection of 17 short stories that celebrate being a young Black boy. Most of the authors I have either read or at least heard of before, and I have a lot of respect for their writing. These short stories made me laugh and cry and cheer and feel a little bit of everything. There is a short story for everyone as so many genres and formats are represented: contemporary, science fiction, fantasy, poetry, graphic novel, LGBTQ+ representation, it's all here. This is an incredible collection of short stories that can be enjoyed by readers of all ages. I think this book is being marketed for readers 8-12 but I think older readers will find just as much enjoyment from reading this collection. A must read, in my opinion.

**Thank you to NetGalley, Random House Children's, and Delacorte Press for an advanced reading copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

[Anniek · Rating 4 out of 5]

This does exactly what it promises, it's so joyful and so precious

[Katelynne · Rating 5 out of 5]

Favorite stories were:
• There’s Going to Be a Fight In the Cafeteria on Friday and You Better Not Bring Batman
• The McCoy Game
• The Legendary Lawrence Cobbler
• Extinct
• The Gender Reveal
• But Also, Jazz
• Our Dill
• Percival and the Jab
• Embracing My Black Boy Joy

[Glenda Nelms · Rating 5 out of 5]

Amazing short story collection celebrating Black Boyhood by a great group of Black male and non-binary authors. These are stories celebrate Black Joy. Here’s are my favorite quotes:

“The world is harsh. Find your joy, Fortitude, and it’ll be your night-light when everything is dark.”

“These same eyes that get all teary when I’m sad…Also see all the beautiful things around me.”

“The life I want for me is the life I want for all kids like me.”

“When there’s death, there will be life, where there used to emptiness, there will be purpose. And where there is sadness there will be joy.”

“Legs that will stand together to make sure others have joy in their lives, too”

Thanks to Kwame Mbalia and the authors who collaborated to write this beautiful book! Thanks to Colored Page tours and Delacote Press for letting me join this book tour and celebrate this amazingly inspiring book.

[Whitney Campbell · Rating 5 out of 5]

Yes to this book. This book feels so important that it exists. When I started, I didn’t know what to expect in terms of diversity and the different ways of being black boy joy. This book even included some no binary joy. What a beautiful book to exist that is positive, fun, silly, powerful, … joy and not just black pain or overcoming some kind of adversity. I hope that black youth can see themselves in this book.

[Rebecca McPhedran · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is pure magic. A collection of short stories that highlight black boy joy, this book is exactly what the world needs! From science fiction, to celebrating the first day of school; from poetry to comics-this book really has it all. I loved it so so much! You definitely should read this one!

[Donna - The Bookish One · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely a great anthology of stories! Looking forward to sharing this book with so many of my students. I had so many favorites.

[Eileen · Rating 5 out of 5]

I absolutely loved this collection. The theme of Black Boy Joy is held together with a story that Kwame Mbalia weaves throughout the collection, and that's what these stories are--stories about the joy of black boyhood! While I loved some stories more than others, there wasn't a single story that I did not like. Early in the collection, I said to myself, "Oh, this is my favorite so far (Legendary Lawrence Cobbler)," but I ended up saying this several times after, so suffice it to say that I really enjoyed this collection. Some of them made me laugh, some made me cry, some made me really think, but they all made me smile. This was beautifully narrated by Amir Abdullah and Taj Leahy and it's something I can see myself listening to over and over.

[Jennifer Ingle · Rating 4 out of 5]

A collection of short stories all by Black male and non-binary authors celebrating Black male and non-binary characters and their JOY. There’s a little bit of something for everyone: realistic fiction, science fiction, low-fantasy, poetry, and even a graphic piece. If I were to rate each story separately, some would get 3, 4, or 5 stars. Some were super engaging and memorable while others were… meh (for me). I think this book would appeal to most elementary and middle school readers, and no doubt it should be a fixture for many classroom and school libraries.

[Christine Chatelain Latimer · Rating 5 out of 5]

These are incredible short stories highlighting black boyhood. I enjoyed and appreciated that this collection of works showcased different experiences of being a young black boy. I do feel all little black boys should pick up this book. Each short story have its own unique storyline which was an astonishing, beautiful, diverse collection of stories that brought me joy, laughter and so many memories. This is definitely a must read!

[Sandra · Rating 5 out of 5]

An entire collection of short stories celebrating Black culture, boys’ everyday lives, and lessons of family, friendship, love, and life? Pure joy. Among my favorites are "The Griot of Grover Street," “There’s Going to Be a Fight in the Cafeteria on Friday and You Better Not Bring Batman,” “The Legendary Lawrence Cobbler,” and “First-Day Fly” (I just LOVE Jason Reynolds’ narratives). This celebration of Black boyhood is every bit triumphant, nourishing, and essential for diverse readers.

[Grace W · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely beautiful!

[Abi Emmett · Rating 4 out of 5]

Obsessed with this book! A collection of short stories. Some made me cry and laugh and fall in love with the characters, some were kinda boring hence the 4 stars. Regardless, I’m 1000% keeping this one for future use to pull out short stories.

[La La]

I was extremely excited for this book, but sadly except for a couple of stories this book was disappointing. RTC

[Renee Hudson · Rating 2 out of 5]

Very disappointed. First of all, in the title. Could a book titled White (anything) Joy be sold in the current market? Absolutely not. But also, after reading all of the stories contained within, I was disturbed that four of the 12 (13?) short stories that compile this book contained references to gay or "nonbinary" people. Seriously? Is this where we are steering our young people? (Notice I left color out of my question.) This is not the NORM. It is not one-quarter of the norm. Why is it being shoved down our young people's throats as if it is normal? Not impressed with where today's authors think our children should be.

[Laisea (grayscalebooks) · Rating 5 out of 5]

***tears of joy****

[Mary Lee · Rating 5 out of 5]

A must-read collection of sort stories. Such variety. So much...JOY!!

[Faloni © · Rating 5 out of 5]

☺️🔥Black Boy Joy by Kwame Mbalia

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/5...

[Rachel · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this collection of stories, specifically aimed at black male kids, all written by black male authors. As a school librarian, black male children are the most difficult to find books for, because there is not a ton out there that they can relate to. However, with this book, and others like it (many written by the authors featured in this collection), that is changing. I loved that, even though all of these stories were written by different authors, there were several common threads among them. For example, I had never heard the term "homegoing" as meaning a person going to Heaven after they'd died, but it appeared in more than one of the stories in the book. I also found it interesting how many of the stories involved superheroes in some way. I think that, with the variety of authors and genres represented in the book, there is something here in which nearly every reader can see himself. My favorite story was "First Day Fly" by Jason Reynolds. Of course, there is very little, if anything, Jason Reynolds does wrong, in my opinion, but I felt his story would resonate the most with the black youth I encounter at my school. However, as I said, there is something here for everyone, and I will be ordering it for my library.

[TheNextGenLibrarian · Rating 4 out of 5]

Black boy joy is…
👦🏾
Picking out a first day of school outfit, racing through space, asking a girl to a ball, designing your perfect birthday outfit to announce you’re non-binary, riding your skateboard, flying on a plane with your grandfather, the birth of a new baby and more. Seventeen Black male and non-binary authors come together to create #blackboyjoy
👦🏾
When I saw this was on the @txbbaward for this year I could have sworn I’d already read it, but Goodreads told me otherwise. I am so happy I took the time to sit and thoroughly read each story because they were so special and important. We read a lot in the news and in literature about sadness and anger for what’s happening (and been happening) to the Black community. It was a much-needed respite and I plan on highlighting this more in my library.

CW: death

[Sarah Krajewski · Rating 5 out of 5]

“Where there’s death, there will be life. Where there used to be emptiness…there will be purpose. And where there is sadness, there will be joy.” In 2021, we need every bit of joy we can muster up, and this book will show readers how to find that joy for themselves. For some, this book will be a window* into the lives of fabulous Black kids, and for others they will see themselves in the characters. Black Boy Joy is a much-needed collection of all forms of joy—skateboarding, looking fly on a first day of school, saving the universe, finding the strength to come out—centering around unforgettable Black, male and nonbinary characters. Included are short stories, poems, and a comic written by 17 of today’s best Black male and nonbinary authors.

Writers include: B. B. Alston, Dean Atta, P. Djèlí Clark, Jay Coles, Jerry Craft, Lamar Giles, Don P. Hooper, George M. Johnson, Varian Johnson, Kwame Mbalia, Suyi Davies Okungbowa, Tochi Onyebuchi, Julian Randall, Jason Reynolds, justin a. reynolds, DaVaun Sanders, and Julian Winters.

*term coined by Rudine Sims Bishop

[Kate Willis · Rating 5 out of 5]

This beautiful anthology is just bursting with joy! Joy in the little moments, the hard times, the wonder of first love, or an out-of-this-world adventure. I really enjoyed experiencing so many different stories from Black male (and non-binary) authors I haven't read anything by before.

Definitely check this book, and it's companion Black Girl Power, out! 💙

CW: magic, spirits, grief. Many crushes including a same-sex one. A teen comes out as non-binary.

[Chelsea Foshee · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is not my preferred style of book, which is why I dislike rating it so much. Short essays about life by multiple authors - in my opinion some were more entertaining than others, but I was never drawn to pick up the book. I think that has more to do with the style than the content, hence the middle-of-the-road rating of a 3. (Can you tell I'm an enneagram 2 and hate rating books because I don't know everything about that author and what their best work looks like🤣).