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The Stars and the Blackness Between Them

by PhoebeH

Book cover for "The Stars and the Blackness Between Them." Two teenage Black girls lay next to the ocean, under a black, starry sky.The Stars and the Blackness Between Them by Junauda Petrus is a YA novel told from the alternating perspectives of two young Black women, Audre from Trinidad, and Mabel from Minnesota. A cosmic thread links the two on their parallel and then interwoven journeys of love, sexuality, and self acceptance. The book does a beautiful job of illustrating the characters’ explorations into spirituality, and what it means to be human in connection to the earth and the universe that we live in. It grapples with confronting death, and what it means to live in the present while having the knowledge of one’s limited time. Even though the author presents us with these large themes, she is still able to keep the book down to earth through portrayals of family, life navigating high school, and Mabel’s relatable obsession with Whitney Houston. This book is a great read with refreshing depth.

 

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