The Other Black Girl

A Novel

De: Zakiya Dalila Harris

Narrado por: Aja Naomi King, Joniece Abbott-Pratt, Heather Alicia Simms, Bahni Turpin

Now a Hulu Original Series

“Riveting, fearless, and vividly original” (Emily St. John Mandel, New York Times bestselling author), this instant New York Times bestseller explores the tension that unfurls when two young Black women meet against the starkly white backdrop of New York City book publishing.

Twenty-six-year-old editorial assistant Nella Rogers is tired of being the only Black employee at Wagner Books. Fed up with the isolation and microaggressions, she’s thrilled when Harlem-born and bred Hazel starts working in the cubicle beside hers. They’ve only just started comparing natural hair care regimens, though, when a string of uncomfortable events elevates Hazel to Office Darling, and Nella is left in the dust.

Then the notes begin to appear on Nella’s desk: LEAVE WAGNER. NOW.

It’s hard to believe Hazel is behind these hostile messages. But as Nella starts to spiral and obsess over the sinister forces at play, she soon realizes that there’s a lot more at stake than just her career. Having joined Wagner Books to honor the legacy of Burning Heart, a novel written and edited by two Black women, she had thought that this animosity was a relic of the past. Is Nella ready to take on the fight of a new generation?

“Poignant, daring, and darkly funny, The Other Black Girl will have you stressed and exhilarated in equal measure through the very last twist” (Vulture). The perfect read for anyone who has ever felt manipulated, threatened, or overlooked in the workplace.

Reseñas de la Crítica

"King does an excellent job portraying the conflicted protagonist and is at her strongest delivering dialogue. The other narrators also are very good. This slow-building audiobook is built on psychological tension. Part suspense, part publishing industry takedown, it's both entertaining and thought-provoking."

Thought-provoking!

This novel tackles micro-aggressions in the workplace, assimilation, tokenism, and performative diversity. And it does it beautifully and uniquely. The plot is very complex, with a lot of characters. The narrators fit the characters well, and I enjoyed their performance. It is genre-bending; literary fiction, thriller/suspense, mystery, and a touch of sci-fi. Though this book is unsettling and leaves many questions to think about, I enjoyed listening to it. I would definitely recommend it!

I hated the ending

Nella was one of the most annoying, aggravating characters I’ve ever come across. She was pathetic, meek and indecisive. I enjoyed the book until the end. The ending felt rushed and unfinished.

Written with me, in mind

I really appreciate the inner thoughts of Nella. They remind me of my own personal thoughts when interacting with other women in my culture. I like the alternate world of protection from the OBG's. This is a wonderfully addressed, unspoken true pink elephant in the room. It gripped several emotions at once and left me shaking my head or holding my breath till the next chapter started. Well written, well examined.

The ending overshadowed the rest of the book!

We dipped into an odd world toward the end of the book. I was hoping this book would show a fictional recounting of how Black women in corporate aren’t a monolith. While this kind of did this, the way they approached how we navigate White spaces as a Black face felt cheapened by the authors insertion of fantasy. I’m trying to word this carefully so there are no spoilers but I was disappointed with what we uncovered regarding the root of Nella’s tribulations. I would’ve liked it to show corporate race dynamics using more realistic examples.

I wanted to love this book.

I was planning to give this book 3 stars until the end. I thought it was horrible. The only reason I didn’t give it one star is because i thought it was a pleasant read until the idiotic ending. This book had tremendous potential. The author has talent but the book was all over the place. I do get what she was trying to do and would even chance reading another novel written by the author. I wouldn’t purchase another book by this author until I read a second book that was a better representation of her talent.

Very hard to follow

This was one of the few books that I almost considered giving up on after being half finished. There were character introductions in places that left me more confused than intrigued. I also felt that the story line was not something I could buy into. I had an unsettled feeling as I listened to the book. I read fiction for enjoyment and to relax.

It never connected

The story line, the characters, the ending never connected! I kept waiting. Disappointing book! I wasted a credit on this one

The Other Black Girl

It was hard to follow. It picked up in the last 4 hours of listening.

Basically a good story

Basically like the story, I just didn’t like the ending I was hoping Nella would have escaped.

Not what I expected

I started off watching the first two episodes on Hulu before listening to this book which was a big mistake. I was definitely looking forward to more of a thriller, but this was mostly commentary mixed with a tiny bit of sci fi in like the last two chapters. But the sci fi was so minimal it didn’t truly fit the book. It was a bit slow which I didn’t so much mind at first, but it took the book until the fourth section and last three chapters for anything to really happen, and even then it’s pretty minimal. I will say, as a black woman the relatability factor is off the charts. So much of the narrative was parallel to my life which was very refreshing. Still it kinda fell flat to me.
Then several characters just disappeared without any closing for them. Towards the end, you hear nothing about malayka, Owen, or Diana.
Aside from the context the actual voice of two of the narrators was somewhat distracting and the main narrator tended to be flat at times often ruining the excitement of movement in the plot.
I would still really recommend reading as the commentary needs to be read bc it’s spot on, but read it without the expectation of a thriller, sci fi, or fast paced book.