Vinyl Moon

A teen girl hiding the scars of a past relationship finds home and healing in the words of strong Black writers. A beautiful sophomore novel from a critically acclaimed author and poet that explores how words have the power to shape and uplift our world even in the midst of pain.\n"A true embodiment of the term Black Girl Magic.” –Booklist\nWhen Darius told Angel he loved her, she believed him. But five weeks after the incident, Angel finds herself in Brooklyn, far from her family, from him, and from the California life she has known.\nAngel feels out of sync with her new neighborhood. At school, she can’t shake the feeling everyone knows what happened—and that it was her fault. The only place that makes sense is Ms. G’s class. There, Angel’s classmates share their own stories of pain, joy, and fortitude. And as Angel becomes immersed in her revolutionary literature course, the words from Black writers like Toni Morrison, James Baldwin, and Zora NEale Hurston speak to her and begin to heal the wounds of her past.\nThis stunning novel weaves together prose, poems, and vignettes to tell the story of Angel, a young woman whose past was shaped by domestic violence but whose love of language and music and the gift of community grant her the chance to find herself again.\nFrom School Library Journal\nGr 8 Up-Angel is uprooted suddenly from her California home after an incident with her boyfriend culminates with her arm in a sling. She is resentful of her mother, Elena, for forcing her to take on the role of the adult at home with her four younger siblings. Elena sends Angel to Brooklyn to live with her Uncle Spence, who provides love and stability when Angel needs it most. In her new school, she is placed with Mrs. G. in H.E.R Advisory, which stands for Her Excellence is Resilience and Honoring Everyone's Roots. Together the students in the group process their struggles and work towards hope and healing. For Angel, this respite includes reading books by powerful Black writers, such as Toni Morrison, Maya Angelou, and Jesmyn Ward, and finding that these stories remind her of home. As she explores Brooklyn, the hip-hop history resonates with her and she creates Soundcloud playlists to honor it. The playlists add a lyrical quality to the words she is reading, and the author intertwines the two. Angel's character continually evolves in this love letter to Brooklyn and hip-hop, told in a candid combination of poetry, prose, and vignettes. She develops new friendships and grows into someone more confident. Brooklyn comes to life via places, food, clothing, and music. All of this results in Angel healing not only her arm, but her soul as she flourishes in her new environment. A content warning is advised for domestic violence. VERDICT An important asset for all school and library collections.-Lisa Krokα(c) Copyright 2011. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.