Care-Free Black Girls explores and affirms all representations of Black women and also is a critical analysis critique of how we (Black women) and our accomplishments and “wins” in life are devalued and more often than not ignored all together. I love the discussion of Black girls can be "Care Free", and who does not often based on our hair texture, melanin(or lack there of) and body size and shape. More so I love the intersectional lens that they took to include the Gay, Trans and Nonbinary Folx in their analysis of “Care Freedom” if you will.

Zeba Blay wrote in such away that I was able to see my own experiences reflected through her own. As a Queer Fat Black Woman, It’s hard to exist in a society that constantly refuses to recognize and acknowledge your humanity. And yet still we thrive, dance, laugh and celebrate because we deserve to.

I recommend this book to anyone, but especially to Black Women who need a reminder they are seen, heard and deserving of joy.

Carefree Black GIrls are the kind of essays I didn't know I needed but now have changed so many of my perspectives. Zeba Blay is well-spoken and thoughtful about the ideas she connects. She puts them together eloquently in a way that just makes sense, and allowed me to follow her through from start to finish. Each essay is distinct, yet they tie together and at times build upon each other as you read. Because of this, I often found myself compelled to finish each chapter as a cohesive thought before putting the book down.
I appreciated Blay's ability to tie her ideas into evidence from popular culture, including TV shows, news events, books, and more. These styles of argument strengthened her approach, drew upon pop culture, and allowed readers to connect to her ideas more readily.
As a white woman, I know this book was not made for me. But I appreciated that the unravelling of the #CarefreeBlackGIrl hashtag was something I could appreciate the nuance to after reading more from Blay. She inspires viewing each topic from multiple perspectives as she zigs and zags through her essays to get to the bottom of pop events.

Carefree Black Girls explores what it’s like to be a Black woman in this society. It analyzes a variety of topics from fatphobia to police brutality. It’s a love letter to Black Women everywhere!
I love that this book was written for Black Women by a Black Woman. It touched on topics that the average person needs to be introduced to. One of the things that I was glad the author addressed was how social media turned Breonna Taylor into a meme. I don’t hear many people speak on this issue and it was refreshing to have someone finally discuss it.
This novel wasn’t about what I thought it was going to be about. I expected a celebration of Black Women who have paved the way for us or a book about our liberation and joy. Instead, it was a critiquing of how society treats Black Women. Discussing how society treats Black Women is a very important topic to write about, it’s just not what I thought I’d be reading.
My main complaint about this novel was the inclusion and importance of Cardi B. There has been lots of debate over whether or not Cardi B is Black. I have never seen her want to be referred to as Black or identify as Black. So, I don’t agree with her being included in a book that’s meant to celebrate Black Women, let alone having an entire essay dedicated to her when there are so many other deserving Black Women who are proud of their Blackness. I was pleased to see Blay address the discourse about Cardi’s Blackness, however, I would’ve been more pleased if Cardi hadn’t been given such importance at all.
Overall, I love how unapologetically Black this book was. I was ecstatic see Tiffany “New York” Pollard mentioned because she is a staple in Black culture. I really just love books that celebrate US! I’d recommend this book to anyone who’s in the beginning stages of learning about Black Women’s issues and any Black Woman out there who wants to feel seen.

Thank you St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley for this arc. All opinions are my own.

TW: racism; racial slurs; sexual assault (mentioned); suicide attempt (mentioned); suicidal thoughts; and police brutality.

Oh, we are going deep deep! This was my thought upon reading the first couple pages of Carefree Black Girls: A Celebration of Black Women in Popular Culture. At a time when she was falling apart, Zeba Blay wrote essays about Black women to put herself together again and get through. She became reacquainted with joy and freedom.

Zeba Blay touches on subjects relevant to black women: daring to exist in a fat body, not acknowledging blackness, strong black leads, losing ourselves in something other than own pain, mental illness/depression, healthy and damaging manifestation and severe procrastination. Listen, it gets real within these 240 pages. I finished this non-fiction eBook with lots of highlights and annotations.

Zeba Blay claims this book as an offering. Fact! As Black women, we are acutely aware of our influential existence and the stereotypes (Angry Black Woman, THOT, Mammy, etc.) it holds in American society. But to be carefree is to be empowering. So well said in this collection of essays. So thank you to Zeba Blay for that 2013 viral tweet that coined the term #carefreeblackgirl. It created a positive space for celebration and freedom for black women online.

Happy Pub Day, Zeba Blay! Carefree Black Girls is now available.

~LiteraryMarie

Zeba Blay's insights into the ways racism and misogyny play out in pop culture and other aspects of society are quite profound and powerful. Being in my late 50s, I was unfamiliar with some of the pop culture figures she talked about (and I looked some of them up, and my personal interests lie elsewhere)--but that said, I still got a lot out of this book.

I find myself among the pages in this wonderful book about celebrating black girls. Often times we (black girls, women) are expected/made to feel that we aren't enough. Zeba reminds us that we are. Every black girl should read this book and it should be included in college courses.

I may not have been the intended audience for this book of essays, but regardless, this wonderful work by Zeba Blay resonated with me. I think that as women, we have suffered silently, at least in some respects, against the things that hold us back, or put us a box, even if that thing is sometimes ourselves.

For me, I saw this collection of essays as Ms. Blay breaking free of some of these barriers, and showing the rest of the world a glimpse inside her world. As an immigrant to America, she has a unique perspective, and yet, one that can be found in every generation of American, and yet we continue to bury those perspectives that are unlike our own. I truly feel that we are stronger in our diversity. These conversations need to be part of our daily lives. Read this book! Zeba Blay is my new hero. Thank you for sharing your soul.

Thank you to NetGalley, the publishers, and the author for an ARC in exchange for a fair and honest review.

As a US History teacher and a Women's History teacher, I really found this book valuable. I have used aspects to teach myself about the contributions of black women that I didn't know before, and also open the eyes of my students. Great resource.

What a validating read! It's great to have representation from the black female perspective on many of these contemporary cultural issues and events. The dialogue created between the author and the reader is authentic and intelligent. While I may not always agree with the point presented, the opportunity to gain insight from a differing opinion is highly welcome.

This book of essays written about Black women by Zeba Blay during a time when she was struggling with depression. This book touched on so many issue Black women deal with on a daily basis just by existing. The book explores racism, colorism, transphobia and fat phobia. I throughly enjoyed this book because it was so relatable to me as a Black woman. I would recommend this to all women.

Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for this ARC

There have been quite a few essay collections on feminism and race in the last few years, and this one was particularly well done. Thoughtful, honest, and insightful, Zeba Blay talks about the Black women in pop culture who have informed and inspired her on what it means to be a Black woman in America. She shares about her struggles with her mental health, racism and the healthcare system, and how colorism affects self confidence. I highly recommend picking up this book with a highlighter in hand. For fans of Hood Feminism and Eloquent Rage.

This is a book that white women need to read. You’ll get defensive sometimes. That’s why we need to read it. You’ll feel overlooked sometimes. That’s what we need to empathize with. You’ll want to say “not me! I’m not like those white women!” That’s when we need to shut up, sit down, and read it all again. It’s not for us, we’re not the target audience, and that’s exactly why we need to read it. This isn’t our experience. It never can be. We can learn bits, attempt to understand the thoughts and feelings while always keeping in mind that we can never actually know what even one percent of everything written about actually feels like. It’s an invited peek into the window of black womanhood.

It’s vulnerable. It’s angry. It’s soft. It’s heartbreaking. Part memoir, part critique of pop culture and society as a whole…it’s justified. Read it. You’ll be better for it.

Zeba Blay has written a collection of essays examining black female celebrities and their influence on everyday black females in this country. She also shares her ideas on how these celebrities fight to prove their worth in a racially charged society. I found her points of view to be an interesting perspective on how celebrities can reinforce or break apart stereotypes within the black community and also in society as a whole.

Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with an advanced reader's copy of this book. This review can also be viewed on my Goodreads account and on IG @maria.needs.to.read

What a great & informative book. I liked how she wrote different essays (which were each a chapter) & focused on one topic to talk about what being a Black woman in the US is like. It felt very honest & raw as she talked about her personal struggles. Very eye-opening book.

Thank you to the publisher & NetGalley for advanced copy in exchange for my honest review

This story is an opportunity to explore the mind of a Black Woman with emphasis on the components that hinder/alter/shape the ability to be truly Carefree in America. I truly loved her comparison to PTSD as that truly summarized my thoughts on the matter. Likewise, this book defends itself and others like it in such a beautiful way by offering words that may help share the unexplainable.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

An enjoyable, informative collection of essays. It sheds light on black lives in a way we seldom get to see and read. Definitely recommend this book!

I’m a tad surprised I’m rating this four stars as it wasn’t the most amazing book I’ve ever read. It was however well written and heartfelt, so mission accomplished.
I don’t so much hate pop culture… I just don’t follow it. So entire chapters based on the antics of Lizzie, Cardi and Nicky were not the reading I was expecting. The audience of this book is clearly younger. Thankfully there’s always something I can glean.

This book is incredibly insightful, deep, traumatic & joyful in one woman's odyssey so far as the use of pop culture icons as what it means being a Black woman in todays society z7 the burden put on these women. I think it is excellent & a must read. Highly recommend

It's so easy to ignore the stereotypes of Black women in pop culture because you see them so often. Either women are sexualized or they're unwanted. We can't enjoy the lead roles, as we have to suppress our lively personalities to be more marketable. Blay does a phenomenal job of walking people through the #CarefreeBlackGirls hashtag through her essays. It's very insightful and affirms me as a Black woman. I, too, can be carefree, even in a world that makes it challenging.

As an older white women working to learn more about discrimination, this was a perfect book. The essays on different perspectives and experiences were educational. Thanks to NetGalley for my copy of this book.