Join the Virtual Book Club on Thursday, May 19th, 2022 at 5:30 pm to discuss The Other Black Girl by Zakiya Dalila Harris. Published in 2021, this novel is about Nella Rogers, an editorial assistant at a large publishing house—and the only Black employee, which makes her feel like an outsider. When a new Black woman joins the company, Nella is optimistic, but soon the whole balance of her working life is upset and the workplace starts to feel dangerous.
Copies of The Other Black Girl are available in print, as an eBook on Libby/OverDrive, and in eAudio on Libby/OverDrive. You can register for this discussion on our events page.
About the Author
Zakiya Dalila Harris worked as an editor at Knopf/Doubleday before leaving to write her bestselling debut The Other Black Girl. She holds an MFA in Nonfiction Creative Writing from The New School. Her essays and book reviews have been published in Guernica and The Rumpus. She lives in Brooklyn and has a passion for “writing (and talking) about Blackness, books, and oldies music”.
Notable Book Reviews
Bethanne Patrick’s NPR review of The Other Black Girl proclaims “… occasional chapters seem to rise out of nowhere, but they are actual plot thickeners, devices that will ultimately take The Other Black Girl out of the realm of “office novel” and into another genre entirely…”. That sentiment is echoed by Oyinkan Braithwaite in the New York Times Book Review: “Race politics is at the very heart of this novel. The book explores how the dynamics between Black and white people potentially distort the Black relationship… But whatever you think is happening in this novel, you are only half-right. Two-thirds of the way in, “The Other Black Girl” takes on traits of the horror genre with a dash of magical realism. There is certainly something very Jordan Peele-esque about the plot.”
For the author’s own perspective, read this interview for The Chicago Review of Books, where Harris talks about her reasons for setting the book in the publishing world specifically: “Solidarity and Jealousy in ‘The Other Black Girl’”.
Did You Know?
The Other Black Girl is currently in development to be a Hulu TV series, with author Harris serving as co-writer and executive producer of the show.
Readalike Suggestions
All Her Little Secrets by Wanda B. Morris, 2021
Ellice Littlejohn is living the dream as a corporate attorney, and having some friends-with-benefits fun with her boss – until she finds him in his office, shot dead. Suddenly she is promoted to replace him – and to deal with the shady transactions to which he was privy. This book is available for checkout in print, as an eBook on Libby/OverDrive, and in eAudio on Libby/OverDrive.
Black Buck by Mateo Askaripour, 2021
In this sharp satire of race and assimilation to office culture, Darren is content with having an unambitious life until a chance encounter with the CEO of a tech startup transforms his life and his personality. When things go too far, Darren starts a scheme to revolutionize corporate America. This book is available for checkout in print, as an eBook on Libby/OverDrive, in eAudio on Libby/OverDrive, and in eAudio on Hoopla.
Imposter Syndrome by Kathy Wang, 2021
A lowly tech worker at a prestigious company and its high profile COO are drawn together by sinister secrets and ethical dilemmas in this thriller about women in the tech industry. This book is available for checkout in print, as an eBook on Libby/OverDrive, and in eAudio on Libby/OverDrive.
Lakewood by Megan Giddings, 2020
Family debt forces Lena Johnson to enroll in an in-depth research study that pays well, but requires her to move to Lakewood, Michigan and live in the facility. Soon Lena learns that the program is creepier, weirder and its effects more consequential than she had anticipated. This book is available for checkout in print, as an eBook on Libby/OverDrive, as an eBook on Hoopla, and in eAudio on Hoopla.
Sophia of Silicon Valley by Anna Yen, 2018
It’s not easy to be the right-hand “man” to a powerful CEO, but this is where Sophia Young finds her niche, and becomes so successful that she is poached to another company. She has to figure out if it is worth it to continue to be ruthless and keep making money in an increasingly toxic environment. This book is available for checkout in print, as an eBook on Libby/OverDrive, as an eBook on Hoopla, and in eAudio on Hoopla.
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