This book is a study and a celebration of black women’s identities and effect on pop culture by HuffPost critic, Zeba Blay.

Blay created the hashtag #carefreeblackgirls in 2013 and popularized it on Twitter. My reading time for this collection of pieces was significantly longer than usual. Because this isn't my experience, I tried to listen carefully so I wouldn't miss a thing.

To introduce us to influential black women throughout history, Blay takes us on a tour. Uniquely in their own ways. Starting with Josephine Baker, Michelle Obama, then Cardi B and Lizzo! The author reveals personal details about her life and the lives of the ladies she profiles.

What I took away from it, I hope, was a salute to women who refuse to conform. Those women who aren't afraid to speak their minds. Actions are taken by black women. They have been forced to be resilient. What a lovely tribute to the women who shaped our world.

Though the concept spread like wildfire in 2013, the idea of the "carefree Black girl" was always more of an aspiration than reality. It spoke to a hunger and lack in the images and discourse around Black women. As author Zeba Blay notes in her book: "Social media has always been a great place for pretending, for playing, for projecting some idealized version of self. A way to hide in plain sight. I posted the selfie and the hashtag. An attempt to be carefree."

Expanding on the concept and archetype Blay originated, Blay's first book is similarly aspirational, but also deeper and more confessional. Carefree Black Girls: A Celebration of Black Women in Popular Culture is "a meditation on a single idea: what it means to be a Black woman and truly be 'carefree.'" With a clarity of mission that Blay executes masterfully, the book hangs together with admirable cohesion.

Woooooow was this such a difficult read in all the right ways. This book was definitely different than what I thought it would be when I initially picked it up. It's not that the synopsis is misleading, but I just thought the book would focus more on the celebration part (it's literally on the cover). To be fair though, you cannot really discuss the celebrations without also taking a hard look at the tribulations Black women have faced so I understand the decision. It's just not what I anticipated. I honestly learned SO much from everything packed in this short essay collection though and I annotated it nearly to death. It was impactful and meaningful, no questions about it.

The reason I feel this didn't stick with me as much as other non-fic works I've read in the past is that it is very memoir-based, which I'm not a huge fan of. As I said before, the synopsis makes this seem like a look at Black women in pop culture, but that was honestly only about half of it. The other half discussed Blay's own personal experiences, mainly with mental health. I appreciated every single word she wrote and think a collection like this is important beyond words, but I'm just not a big fan of non-fiction like that. I also really disliked the entire essay on Cardi B. Not that I feel any type of way about Cardi B, or even what Blay was saying in the essay itself, it's just that the essay felt out of place in this collection and it honestly disrupted the flow of the works. Maybe it would have done better not directly in the middle or maybe in an entirely different collection, but I just felt like it didn't work here or add much.

The audiobook of this is narrated by Zeba Blay herself and I loved it so much. I don't think anyone else could have captured the message quite as she did. You could feel her pain when discussing mental health. You could feel her passion when discussing the ways in which colorism plays a role in the portrayal of Black women in media. You could hear her pride when mentioning her favorite books or films. Her voice added so much dimension to the written words and I HIGHLY recommend the audiobook when picking this up.

Overall, I liked this a lot and I definitely learned so much. There's an amazing reference list in the back that lists every piece of media she mentioned throughout the book. I already researched a few throughout my reading experience, but I'm definitely going to go in and continue to learn as much as I can from the resources she provided. I'm so happy to have my hands on a copy of this and I recommend it completely!

<.i>Thank you so much to NetGalley and MacMillan Audio for an advanced audio AND physical copy. All thoughts and opinions are, as always, still my very own.</i>

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</i>reading thoughts</i>

24%: loving this & learning SO much!!! really taking my time with this and annotating nearly EVERY page

*received for free from netgalley for honest review* really great read, at first i was going to read this one chapter at a time but ended up not being able to put it down!

Carefree Black Girls by Zeba Blay is a collection of essays about the identity of black women and impact on pop culture. Given the book title and description, I expected this to be a little lighter and more celebratory in content. Instead what we are given is solid critique of society, culture, and representation of black women in the United States. The essays are thoughtful and well-written with a wide breadth, but not especially groundbreaking in ideas. I listened to the audiobook, which was well narrated by the author. This would be a wonderful book for someone looking to learn more about how black identities and stereotypes have permeated culture.

Thank you St. Martin’s Griffin / Macmillan Audio and NetGalley for providing this ebook and audiobook ARC.

If you’re going into this for a celebratory atmosphere around black joy and black success, you will be disappointed. The tone of this celebration is a lot more somber than I originally expected. Unsurprisingly, Zeba Blay knows her stuff and it shows in this collection of essays focused on the black female experience within pop culture and outside it. I learned a lot about black artistry and its history and I will definitely use this new lens through which to view American pop culture. As a person who’s been trying to read more anti-racist literature, this was a solid addition to the genre.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for this ALC.

Recommended for: anyone looking to expand their anti-racism knowledge with a unique perspective.

This is such a thoughtful and insightful book that interweaves the author’s own experience with analysis of pop culture’s depictions of Black women. She dives deep into the complexities of how Black female bodies are analyzed and scorned, how their feelings of anger are turned against them by society, and the ways in which Black women can push back against these forces hurt them. I couldn’t put it down.

Thank you to NetGalley for providing an advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review.

This collection of essays was enamoring and timely. While it wasn't groundbreaking in its content, Blay's essays breathe vital lifeforce into the conversation of how popular culture depicts and often harms black girls and women. She holds nothing back in her examinations of racism, colorism, homophobia, fatphobia, mental health, and black female sexuality. Something I always appreciate in a collection of essays on topics as important as these is an author who honestly and unflinchingly shares their experiences while also sharing their expertise. Blay was nothing if not honest, and that's what makes this collection stand out for me.