Black Boy Joy: 17 Stories Celebrating Black Boyhood

This is one of the best anthologies I've ever read. I'm so excited to have been introduced to a number of writers that I was previously unaware of (especially P. Djèlí Clark; I think his story was my favorite), and to have finally read a bit of writing by several writers I've been been hearing a lot about but hadn't gotten around to reading yet (like George M. Johnson and Justin A. Reynolds; absolutely loved their stories!).There's a delightfully wide range of genres, formats and kinds of characters featured in this book, and I loved all of it--there's fantasy, slice-of-life, a comic, poetry, and prose. And much of the African diaspora is represented here: there are characters from and settings include America, Africa, and the Caribbean. Truly something for everyone.Anthologies are often an uneven reading experience, as the stories can feel hit or miss, and there might be 2 or 3 stories that I really enjoy while feeling unmoved by the rest. But THIS collection is very strong throughout, which only maybe 2 stories that felt like they were written by writers on the very early side of developing their craft.I loved that these stories featured and uplifted Black boys and were written by Black men and nonbinary writers. I loved that the level of conflict included in the actual stories was kept light so that none of it was a traumatic read, even while knowing via context that some of the characters had probably had a hard time at some point or another. I loved that some stories starred queer Black boy characters--we don't get to see that enough in middle grade.A treat and a delight and incredibly well done. Highly recommend.

These stories are written by a diverse group of authors that portray real life stories in a easy to understand scenario. However, some of the subjects may be too much for young boys under 16 to digest. Parents read the stories WITH your child so you can answer their questions.

This book is AMAZING! I highly recommend it and think all kids should read it, especially young black boys. Black men should read this book too, but really everyone can and should read it. The stories are so good, well written, creative, and imaginative. There are cultural references, fun scenarios, heartbreaking moments, hilarious events, and so much more. The book came nicely presented and very well packaged. I thoroughly loved everything about it!

Recommend for early teen

This book is so good for immediate readers. Black boy joy. Well written. Highly recommend

I really enjoyed how each story was fresh and original. They celebrated Black Boy Joy with each one having his own triumphant ending. The boys were all so lovable and pure. A lot of the stories were heavy on the fantasy element. That’s not a genre that I love, but I could still appreciate the message. I would recommend gifting this to any Black preteen boy. There was something relatable for any boy looking to see himself in these pages. Black Boy Joy is such a treasure.

This is full of joy 😊It covers a multitude of topics from sexuality, history, fantasy, and middle school. These boys have a story to tell whether they're living with a single parent, both parents, or grandparents. Everyone can relate to at least 1 of these stories and at the end of it all it's about joy!

I would probably buy anything that Jason Reynolds is involved in, but along the way I discovered some really great writing and storytelling from authors I had never heard of. My 13yr old son really enjoyed this book. A lot of it is authentically colloquial and dialectic, so I found that me reading it aloud was best to keep the messages intact, and make it so that my kid could understand what was going on. This made for fantastic bedtime storytelling.

I am excited to gift this book to my son however I will have to first remove a sticky residue from both the front and the back of the dust jacket. I thought I was buying something new but perhaps not. Either way I am disappointed with the condition of the dust jacket.The one star was for the condition of the dust jacket. Otherwise this book is an AMAZING collection of stories!

I really enjoyed reading 'Black Boy Joy' even though I am a white UK grandmother so not in the target audience. No problem for me, I just loved these stories!Luckily I also have children in my life who do fit the profile, so can share the joy with them. 9 to 12 year olds are too young to have an Amazon account, so won't be able to review Kwame Mbalia's fabulous story collection. On their behalf I'd like to say thank you to all the authors, poets and artists who have created such a positive, imaginative, beautiful book. And have introduced me to US ways of speaking, lots of it poetic, great use of words, creatively different to the UK. The language of magic and love is universal.Most of all, 'Black Boy Joy' is inspiring. Don't give up, keep trying, keep believing and helping each other.And laughter always helps!

My kids loved it.