Calling My Name

July 15, 2017
An African-American girl living in Houston, Texas, with her close-knit family--parents, younger sister, and older brother--grows from flat-chested preadolescent to a young woman about to go to college. Readers meet her on a Sunday morning when she uses the excuse of an upset stomach to stay home from church--and loves it. Brought up in a strictly religious household, Taja begins to question the existence of God and the way of life that she has been taught to lead. When she falls in love for the first time, her inner conflict strains further, and Taja is faced with the biggest challenge of her life thus far. Taja deals with the insecurities that most young people feel regarding identity, love, and fitting in. Her relationship to her spirituality as well as her negotiations with self-discovery, acceptance, and burgeoning sexuality are also explored. With Taja as narrator, readers see her life juxtaposed against her older brother's, who is given the freedom traditionally afforded boys and not girls, not just in church, but also by society in general. It's a slow-build narrative coated in ornate language that may initially distract readers but pays off in the end, bringing them close to the heart of Taja and the higher power she yearns toward. Stylish prose brings home quiet depths. (Fiction. 14-18)

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September 1, 2017

Gr 9 Up-This lush debut novel is written in distinct prose that reads like poetry. The coming-of-age tale follows the journey of Taja Brown. Readers are introduced to Taja when she is 11 years old, and continue follow her story through the end of high school. She struggles to maintain her relationship with God in her close-knit and religious community in Houston, Texas while still exploring sex without shame. Each chapter is a short vignette, giving teens a peek into the girl's progression into adolescence. Tamani's writing taps all of the senses; readers will taste and smell Taja's stifling world. Taja is a quirky character filled with wonder and subtle subversion, surrounded by an ensemble of characters and a setting that is oppressively narrow. Young adults will connect with this protagonist and this dynamic new voice. Fans of The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas will especially love this lyrical novel. VERDICT A tender story that will make a great selection in any library collection.-Christina Vortia, Hype Lit, Land O'Lakes, FL

Copyright 2017 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

September 11, 2017
Tamani’s debut novel brims with heart and soul, following its African-American protagonist, Taja Brown, as she searches for spirituality, love, and a sense of self during middle school and high school. Expressive writing creates intimacy from the outset, and Taja’s relationship with God is especially absorbing; even when her spirituality isn’t explicitly discussed, it shapes her actions and the way she views the world. Her honesty about her doubts and her desire find God on her own terms make her relatable and real. “I want to tell Gigi everything: my doubts about good people going to hell just because they happen to be a different religion or happen to mow their lawns or wash their cars or plant begonias on Sunday instead of going to church,” Taja reflects during a visit to see her ailing great-grandmother. “Most of all, I want to tell Gigi about the God I feel inside of me when I get still.” The discussion of religion never feels heavy handed or prescriptive; it’s clear that Taja’s journey is hers alone. Ages 14–up. Agent: Jennifer Carlson, Dunow, Carlson & Lerner.

This audiobook introduces Taja, a teen who wrestles with religion and family expectations. As Taja ages from preteen to near college-age student chapter by chapter, narrator Imani Parks's voice doesn't mature accordingly; consequently, she sounds too juvenile for Taja's later experiences. This might be narrating inexperience by Parks, though her acting chops are present as she distinctly delivers Taja's intimate thoughts and the voices of other characters. An additional problem is that the rich literary quotes the author sprinkles throughout the audiobook are barely noticeable until Parks states the writer's name. Does Parks know the significance of the quotes to the flow of the story? Unfortunately, her bland narration misses the mark in portraying an engaging, relatable character. M.P.P. � AudioFile 2018, Portland, Maine

Starred review from September 1, 2017
Grades 9-12 *Starred Review* Through 53 vignettes set in the 1990s, Tamani deftly weaves a story of family, friendship, and identity. Taja Brown lives in Houston with her older brother, Damon; her younger sister, Naima; and her thoughts. Living with devout Christian parents, Taja must figure out how to navigate movements she feels that bring her closer to God but aren't her parents' kind of religion. She grows up through crushes, first kisses, and losing her virginity to her first boyfriend, even after her parents give them both purity rings. Later, she denies to a friend that she is no longer a virgin and grapples with feelings of shame and guilt. Taja also questions why Damon thinks it's OK to call girls easy; why he can have his own phone line but her dad says that's just the way it is when she asks why she can't have her own; and the weight of societal pressures put on girls and women. Although Taja thinks often about the unspoken rules and misogyny of African American religious culture (Sister Davis has to wear looser skirts, lighter lipstick, and panty hose if she wants to continue reading church announcements), she doesn't publicly challenge them with her friends or family members. An excellent portrayal of African American culture, gorgeous lyrical prose, strong characters, and societal critique make Tamani's debut a must-read.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2017, American Library Association.)