Token Black Girl is a very different kind of book for me, I don't usually read Memoir books, I really thought this was a book that needed to out their for young girls to read, I think it should be read at high schools. I found it very disturbing how the fashion industry could be, the things this young girl did to herself, just to try and fit in, for a black girl trying to fit into a white girl world, at that time, I think Danielle did a lot of research while writing this book, I think it had just the right amount of every emotion through the story. I will look for more books, maybe Novels, by this Author. I received this book from Ney Galley, in return for my honest review. Thank you for allowing me to read and review this awesome book

Danielle Prescod’s memoir was a moving testament of growing up black in an upper middle class white world. I found myself looking back quite often on past shared experiences (books, magazines, movies, etc) in a whole new light. It made me think a lot about my non-white childhood friends and what it must have been like for them. I’m not into the fashion scene but it was fascinating to read about her experiences. Thank you for sharing your lived experience. I hope it gives voice to some and perspective to others.
*Copy provided by NetGalley for honest review.

There are points in this book where I relate a lot to Danielle. Being brought up around few Black people, it was hard to adjust to moving in and out of Black and White spaces. From trying to figure out your hair to music to seeing yourself in media. Danielle and I are close in age and I could see what the early 2000s was like trying to be a teenager with the media that we were consuming at this time.

This book will give other Black girls, or non-white people in general, a sense of comfort when it comes to trying to figure out who we are when raised outside of our predominate culture.

My only complaint is that the book gets chapter titles, it would help to know what chapter is which.

This book is an experience more than a story. Danielle Prescod has done a great job of sharing her perspective and reality growing up Black in a white world. I admit, this one was so difficult for me because I grew up in exactly the same time, in such similar circumstances, but with an experience that was worlds apart. We read the same books and magazines, watched the same shows and movies, were influenced by the same trends yet we had entirely different experiences. This book is important and is written in a way that really highlights the struggles and confusion of the token black girl, and the ridiculous pressure white society puts on young girls. Highly recommend!

This is an important book for everyone to read, whether they have been a token black girl, if they have known one, or if they have no experience or knowledge of this phrase. It shows the struggles of the main character in a relatable way that speaks to the reader's heart. The flow between chapters wasn't there, but the information found within the chapters makes up for that. An excellent memoir.

Prescod's book is a welcome addition to the current canon of Black women's memoirs on the impact of race on their lives.

This book has an elevated but still very accessible writing style that I think will appeal to all kinds of readers. She explains her experience with Big Ideas like tokenization and whiteness in the media are explained with tact and care. This book is a great primer for those less experienced in racial discourse, but also adds enough of a unique and personal experience that it's worth reading no matter your knowledge of these issues.

I was especially interested in the sections dealing with the beauty and fashion industry! Prescod has a great "inside" look into these industries and offers a perspective that you can't get from an outsider.

This book covers some heavy material. Race, beauty standards, media messages, eating disorders, and sexism are only a few of the topics. This isn't a book to read to make you feel good, it's one to read to make you think, make you challenge how you think and view the world and your place in it, and one to learn from.

This was not an easy book to read, but it was important and it was well-written. As a girl who grew up in the 2000's, I didn't understand all the references, as I am a little young. However, that doesn't make the messages about the role the media plays with body image any less poignant. I relate to the struggle of bulimia myself, all too well. There were parts of this memoir where I felt I was being spoken to directly.

I understand what it's like to be a minority and feel separate from your peers. However, I had an option that Danielle did not. I was able to hide and not disclose what made me a minority. I'm gay, and while I was forcibly outed, I still was able to largely blend in.

This book also forced me to look at how I view race. This is something I try to do regularly. I am white, and I am very aware of this fact. I know I come from a place of privilege in many ways. Along with this, I'm an educator and the demographics of the school district I teach are predominately black, latinx, and middle eastern. This book forced me take some steps to help dismantle my understanding of race and the biases I hold within that understanding, and as uncomfortable as it made me, that was exactly what I needed this book to do.

Thank you Danielle, for sharing your story. It's not your responsibility to educate white people, just as it isn't any singular minority person's responsibility.

AMAZING story of how it feels to grow up black in this age. I loved how modern it read, often the noted POC literature is decades plus old, and while important, it lacks the new age flair that Prescod brings. Reading about her time and experiences in the fashion and social media industry as one of the few (only) black girls was inspiring and honest. The idea of tokenism has become a popular topic lately, and seeing the way it affects young girls is a great insight as to way we need to change our behavior, especially in these industries. This book deals with some heavy topics, but it is a worthwhile read- anyone can either relate to or learn from Prescod’s work.

In Token Black Girl, Danielle Prescod shares her experiences growing up in a predominantly white environment, as well as working in the white-dominated fashion world. Many of the experiences recounted will have looked like nothing to bystanders, but the author makes obvious to readers the racial implications behind seemingly innocent interactions.

For those of us who are or have been token black girls, Danielle's stories are relatable, letting us know we are not alone. Many times while reading, I felt I was reading my own words, with some of my own experiences being word-for-word, exact replicas of those recounted in the book.

For anyone who has not played this role, Token Black Girl is an education. Readers get an honest look through the eyes of the author, learning how tokenism affects not only the token but society as a whole when it comes to representation not just in fashion but in all media.

The structure of the book begins well, with the first half focusing on the author's childhood in relatively chronological order. The latter half of the book does jump around a bit, between the author's experiences working in fashion and media, and her struggle with disordered eating. While both topics were interesting, the flow between chapters leaves something to be desired. However, pushing forward through any jumps in time is certainly worth the content within.

Token Black Girl is a must-read for anyone who is or who has ever known a "token black girl".