The Unboxing of a Black Girl

Finalist, 2024 National Book Award for Young People's Literature

Finalist, 2025 YALSA Excellence in Nonfiction for Young Adults Award

The Children's Book Review, Best Kids Nonfiction Books of 2024

The Chicago Public Library's Best Books of 2024, Teens Nonfiction

School Library Journal (SLJ), Best Poetry Books of 2024

"Shanté adeptly addresses racism, implicit bias, gender, sexuality, sexual violence, and mental health, encouraging readers to care for themselves, think, research, and act. VERDICT Strongly recommended for all young adult collections."

--SLJ, starred review

"[A]n intoxicating and lyrical celebration of the complexities of being a young Black woman in America."

--National Book Foundation

"By weaving her personal experiences with reflections and observations, the author provides a rich tapestry of perspectives on Black girlhood. [...] A highly creative way of providing insightful social commentary."

--Kirkus Reviews

Written as a collection of vignettes and poetry, The Unboxing of a Black Girl is a creative nonfiction reflection on Black girlhood. The debut YA title, by award-winning author Angela Shanté, is a love letter to Black girls set in New York City and serves as a personal and political critique of how the world raises Black girls.

As Shanté navigates the city through memory, she balances poetry with vignettes that explore the innocence and joy of childhood eroded by adultification. Through this book, she illuminates the places where Black girls are nurtured or exploited in stories and poems about personal and political boxes, love, loss, and sexual assault. Many entries are also studded with cultural footnotes designed to further understanding.