The Other Black Girl

A Novel

By: Zakiya Dalila Harris

Narrated by: Aja Naomi King, Joniece Abbott-Pratt, Heather Alicia Simms, Bahni Turpin

Length: 13 hrs and 33 mins

Publisher's summary

Instant New York Times Best Seller

A Good Morning America and Read with Marie Claire Book Club Pick and a People Best Book of Summer

Named a Most Anticipated Book of 2021 by Time, The Washington Post, Harper’s Bazaar, Entertainment Weekly, Marie Claire, Bustle, BuzzFeed, Parade, Goodreads, Fortune, and BBC

​​Named a Best Book of 2021 by Time, The Washington Post, Esquire, Vogue, Entertainment Weekly, The Boston Globe, Harper’s Bazaar, and NPR

​​​​Urgent, propulsive, and sharp as a knife, The Other Black Girl is an electric debut about 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.

A whip-smart and dynamic thriller and sly social commentary that is perfect for anyone who has ever felt manipulated, threatened, or overlooked in the workplace, The Other Black Girl will keep you on the edge of your seat until the very last twist.

©2021 Zakiya Dalila Harris. All rights reserved. (P)2021 Simon & Schuster, Inc. All rights reserved.

Critic reviews

"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." (AudioFile Magazine)

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.

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!

The Other Black Girl

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

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.

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.

Loved it!

Great read and story line…unexpected end! Love it a must read I couldn’t put the book down!

Really

Expected better

Very slow start and could not keep my interest but I wanted to finish. Could’ve been less than 11hours and more thrilling. Did not start to get moving until the last 2 hours. Very disappointed

Must read for every black girl!!

Well written and eye opening!! Thank you! One of the best books I have read in a long time

Clever story!

The Other Black Girl is an interesting story with an unusual idea behind it. It is about one black young woman working at a publishing house who ends up being joined by another black woman at work. They become rivals in a sense, but the first one isn’t sure why. I would tell the readers to keep on reading because it takes a turn that is not expected!