I’m Still Here: Loving Myself in a World Not Made for Me (Adapted for Young Readers)
Austin Channing Brown
Convergent Children’s
Published April 4, 2023
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About I’m Still Here
An adaptation of the powerful New York Times bestselling account of growing up Black and female in America, completely rewritten with new stories for young readers
Austin Channing Brown’s first encounter with race in America came at age seven, when she discovered that her parents had named her Austin to trick future employers into thinking she was a white man. Growing up in majority-white schools and churches, Channing Brown writes, “I had to learn what it means to love Blackness,” a journey that led to a lifetime spent navigating America’s racial divide as a writer, speaker, and expert helping organizations practice genuine inclusion.
In this adaptation of her bestselling and critically acclaimed memoir, she explores how America’s racial dynamics show up in the classrooms, friend groups, and conversations kids inhabit every day. “I love being a Black girl,” she writes. “And sometimes being a Black girl in America is hard.” Covering topics like representation, self-love, allyship, and being Black in public, Brown helps kids nourish their identity and make sense of how they fit into the world.
For students navigating a time of racial hostility, and for the adults and educators who care for them, I’m Still Here is an empowering look at the experiences of young Black kids, inviting the reader to confront apathy, find their voice, and discover how Blackness—if we let it—can save us all.
My Review
While I’m not the target audience for this book, I still learned a lot reading it. Listening to the author describe her experiences in a predominantly white school made me reflect back about my own school and church experiences and what those spaces may have been like for the BIPOC students and attendees.
Reading this book brought up some things that I had heard before and have embraced, such as not touching a Black girl/woman’s hair. It’s wild to me that people do this, but I have seen it happen. I know no one is making it up. I’m not a touchy person, so I easily empathize in not wanting people to touch without asking first. But I know it’s more than that because of the racial context and history.
I can see myself reading this book more than once. The author does a great job bringing readers into the full spectrum of her experience, and offering not only her perspective in the moment, but some reflections from her position now as an adult on the things she went through.
I love that her intended audience is young Black girls specifically. I imagine this must be an empowering, validating read for a lot of people. Nonblack readers would benefit from reading the book and simply listening to her experiences. Without necessarily setting out to do so, the author answers some of the questions that I imagine people want to ask Black girls. She offers her perspective on how different teachers and adults made her feel by singling her out, supporting her, or acknowledging their own failures.
This is a really quick read. It’s less than 150 pages. If you’re looking for a short nonfiction book to add to your Black history month reading, I recommend this one. I’m certain this will not be the last time I read this book.
Content Notes
Recommended for Ages 10 up.
Profanity/Crude Language Content
None.
Romance/Sexual Content
Brief, vague references to romantic relationships.
Spiritual Content
References to attending church and the author’s engagement with her church community.
Violent Content
References to the N-word (not printed). References to racism and microaggressions. Reference to the death of a family member. (Not shown on page.)
Drug Content
None.
Note: This post contains affiliate links, which do not cost you anything to use but help support this blog. I borrowed a copy of this book from the library. All opinions are my own.
