I ordered a copy of this book for our library collection. I started reading it and clearly am not the target audience... it did not particularly speak to me. I just wished it was a little more interesting? Idk. I think it was just me though. There is so much merit to this book and I would love to be a part of a book discussion and hear others' thoughts on this. I do recommend.

This book uncovers what it means to be young, gifted and black. By looking at the way that history has impacted people of colour, Rowe describes the struggle that young black people face today. It is beautifully written, tells powerful stories and is overall a really great book. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read and review.

Based on the blurb, I was hoping for an insightful, profound guidebook. Instead, this was fairly shallow and not particularly well-written. I'm disappointed.

Sheila Wise Rowe beautifully tells the stories of young men and women whose wounds run deep. She provides hope in these spaces where hurt could take over, recognizing "God's purpose and plan for restoration in lives, families, communities, and church". I especially loved her inclusion of Reflection and prayer practices at the end of each chapter, making this book not just about the stories of the people included, but about each of our stories and we strive to take part in the restoration of this broken world.

Young, Gifted, and Black tells the stories of young, black adults that have overcome trauma, discrimination, and other types of suffering to excel at a craft or professionally. Tapping into her background as a Christian counselor, Sheila Wise Rowe walks through what healing looks like while illustrating the impact of racism on millennials and gen Z, an age group that is often thought to not really deal with racism by many.

In Chapter 1 (The Starting Line), Rowe starts by addressing this book to young, black millennials. On page 5, she gives a glimpse into her own childhood, as someone who grew up going to court-mandated desegregated schools. She also addresses some of the unspoken rules of interaction for many black people in America. There’s a pressure that many feel to not rock the boat and be as unassuming as possible just to get by, so she is unpacking a lot of those things both for people who get it and people who don’t.

Chapter 2 (The Color Line), overviews how to heal from racial trauma and gives a very helpful explanation of the impacts of systemic racism and how there are ripple effects of that today. Rowe heavily relies on scripture to give a biblical look at healing. In Chapter 3 (The Family Line), Rowe turns to how the family impacts trauma, contributes to it, and how it also impacts the healing process.

One of the most impactful chapters for me was chapter 4 (Fall in Line). This chapter addressed the pressure many black Americans and other people of color (especially those that are seen as gifted) feel to alter their behavior, not just to fit in, but to also not be treated differently or as less than. For those that have seen the movie Encanto, you’d probably be familiar with Luisa’s song, “Surface Pressure.” The line “I’m pretty sure I’m worthless if I can’t be of service” is exactly in line with what this chapter touches on. There’s this pressure that when you do something, you’re doing it for the whole community, not just yourself or your family.

Chapter 5 (Between the Lines) addresses how the pressure towards high performance often results in loss and how to process that grief and loss, using comfort from knowing that we serve a God who cares and can understand our pain. Rowe encourages the reader to not see grief as linear, there are days that will be harder and days will be easier, but in the words of John Green in The Fault in Our Stars, “Pain demands to be felt” (yes, a real wide variety of quotes coming to you lol).

In Chapter 6 (Out of Line), the book shifts to address the choice to be vocal. For many, the murders of Trayvon Martin in Sanford, FL or Michael Brown in Ferguson, MO represented a turning point in their ability to sit on the sidelines, so many took those situations as a time to be vocal and stand against police brutality, as well as various forms of oppression.

Chapter 7 (A Fault Line) talks about the fallout that can come from making the choice between right and wrong. There is always a cost to doing the right thing (there’s also a cost to doing the wrong thing and that gets some attention in this chapter, too), but knowing that we serve a God who stands with us when we choose to obey makes obedience easier and worth it.

Chapter 8 (The Front Line) turns towards fighting the real enemy here. Most of the conflicts up to this point have dealt with friends, family, or internal conflicts, but this shift goes towards addressing those on the outside, who are being hateful. Rowe’s focus here is submitting to Christ while standing up for justice and truth.

Chapter 9 (Holding the Line) encourages the reader to hold fast and endure the trials, pointing to a few of Paul’s epistles as comfort. In Chapter 10 (The Boundary Line), Rowe points to the importance of building healthy boundaries and why we should do so.

Chapter 11 (Walk the Line) encourages the fight to not be tokenized while truly standing for your personal morals and values. Rowe reiterates that black people are not a monolith and that your voice isn’t only valuable if it fits neatly into a prepared box. Lastly, Chapter 12 (Finish Lines) brings a call to surrender all situations, people, and things to God and endure to the end in a God glorifying way.

All of this being said, I have mixed feelings about this book. Quite a few things really resonated with me and encouraged me. Sheila really is a marvelous storyteller. There were definitely some great points made about mental health, as well. The book would be most age appropriate for anyone 16 and older and it could be done well as a small group study for a support group or book club.

While I do appreciate the overall message, there’s some areas where Sheila interprets scripture in a way that I don’t fully agree with. I would say that if you’re able to read those you disagree with in an open minded way, this book could give some good conversations, especially if you have a friend to talk about it with. All in all, I’ll give this one 3.5 stars out of 5.

Thank you to NetGalley & IVP for giving me a copy of this one in exchange for an honest review!

Sheila Wise Rowe has comprised the book Young, Gifted, and Black with experiences and quotes that can touch you deeply in your soul. The objective is to seek the journey of healing, to grow from within, to shed away the idea of others, and be proud to be yourself. It has even a first-hand account of what the healing process was that took place, to believe in your Faith as the guiding force to healing. It is uplifting and inspiring, you will be motivated to embark on your own healing because you will recognize you are valuable.