The Unboxing of a Black Girl - by Angela Shanté (Hardcover)

About the Book

"Set in New York City in the '90s, Angela Shantâe's poems and stories paint a mosaic of childhood that is shaped by the past and reverberates into the present. As Shantâe navigates the city through memory, this timeless book illuminates the places where Black girls are nurtured or boxed in, through stories and poems about expectations, exploitation, love, loss, and self-realization. Her poems center on pivotal moments of Black childhood, using footnotes that encourage you to listen to songs, watch movies, and even learn how to play Spades to further contextualize and celebrate Black culture in every aspect of life. But even with Black joy, life ain't no crystal stair. Between fond memories, Shantâe also explores the dark corners of childhood by showing us the ways adultification, misogynoir, and sexual assault can impact girlhood. Every piece in this memoir invites you to unpack the past--to find and transcend the expectations and boxes the world puts Black girls in"--

Book Synopsis

National Book Award Finalist

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.

Review Quotes

Finalist for the National Book Award
Finalist for the 2025 YALSA Excellence in Nonfiction for Young Adults Award
An ALA 2025 Rise: A Feminist Book Project Top Ten Book
2025 NCSS-CBC Notable Social Studies Book Winner
A Chicago Public Library Best of the Best Book of 2024
An SLJ Best Book of 2024
A Bank Street 2025 Best Children's Books of the Year Selection
A Children's Book Review Best Kids' Nonfiction Book 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

"The author's story is split into the boxes that Black women do and don't fit into, proving perseverance in a binary world and providing readers with the tools they need to understand [these] limitations[...]"
--Booklist

"A vivid witness to the trials and truths of being young, Black, and female. The smart sister, the generous friend every young woman wants, Angela Shanté shows how you can break away from constraints, become your own masterpiece, and find your own freedom."
--David Groff, author of Live in Suspense

About the Author

Angela Shanté is an elementary education teacher by trade. She taught for ten years in her hometown of New York City where she received an MFA in creative writing from the City College of New York. Currently she's an education content editor and Literacy consultant in southern California. Her first two books and third on its way were released through West Margin Press.