I was a teenager in the 90’s in a southern Black Christian culture where being sad was for White girls and people who didn’t know Jesus. I watched Moesha but saw myself in My So Called Life.

I was impacted by each of these books because they all revealed something to me about myself and helped me to know and understand myself in hindsight and in real time. They all star girls and women who are aware of how perpetually out of place in the world they are and accept it. They are socially awkward, chronically misunderstood and completely at home with/inside themselves.

SPOILERS. Baby, the way I swooned? I was twelve in that movie theater just blushing.

“Imagine if Judy Blume’s novel had been adapted with Black characters and the groundbreaking cultural impact it would’ve had. Imagine missing the opportunity to be the filmmaker to do that.”

Hi! I write books about bookish teens being bookish and the books they get bookish with. Classic novels anchored my teenage life, so they also anchor the books I write for teenagers. They’re not tossed in for vibes or as props. I’ve touched on this in interviews and I’m almost positive some of this is explored in the lesson plans on the free downloads section of this website. Here are the 5 books featured in Finding Jupiter…