Into White

July 4, 2016
Stuck in a mostly white high school in Montgomery, Ala., bullied by black students who should be her allies, Toya Williams prays to Jesus one night to be white. Lo and behold, she wakes up “white as a Bing Crosby Christmas,” though the change is invisible to her family. Blond, blue-eyed Toya (posing as an exchange student) is befriended by the white alpha girls and lusted after by the quarterback. It’s great until she realizes that being white means starving herself (size six is fat in her new world), hearing casual racial slurs, being expected to be available to popular guys, and betraying her beloved older brother. Debut author Pink cuts some corners: the white alphas are caricatures, Toya’s squabbling parents are painted with a broad brush, and the hero who helps Toya see the value in herself and her community seems too good to be true. But Pink isn’t afraid of being provocative (Jesus makes regular appearances), and the book dives into thorny issues of identity, self-image, and the internal effects of racism in a strikingly frank way. Ages 14–up. Agent: Marietta Zacker, Gallt Zacker Literary.

September 1, 2016

Gr 9 Up-After a terrible day at school, and humiliated by a fellow African American student, LaToya Williams decides she wants to be white. As a devoted Christian in Montgomery, AL, she calls upon Jesus to make her "anything but black." Miraculously, she wakes up with the features of a white girl. Her recent change is apparent to outsiders but not her family. For a brief moment, Toya lives life as a white teen and experiences different treatment from the kids at school and people in town. This troubling novel grapples with several conflicts, such as racism, colorism, and economic struggles within the black community. These sensitive topics, as well as rape, are ill portrayed and bleak. Although the ending tries to tie up loose ends, such as the protagonist reclaiming her beauty and speaking out against prejudice and her offender, the conclusion is resolved too quickly. Reading this would be a disservice to the targeted audience or those experiencing similar conditions as Toya. The underdeveloped characters and outlandish plot do an injustice to the issues explored in this work. Language and tone are also not authentic considering the narrator's age. VERDICT Not recommended for any collection.-Briana Moore, Elmont Memorial Library, NY

Copyright 2016 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

Starred review from September 1, 2016
Grades 8-11 *Starred Review* Please Lord, anything but black. With that, Jesus Christ Himself grants Toya her fondest wish, to be a white girl free of the expectations of being black in the South. There are, however, a few catches. Toya's family continues to see her as her old self, while at school she must adopt the new identity of Katarina, exchange student from exotic Kansas City, Kansas (or is it Missouri?). Katarina, with her glamour-girl looks, is quickly accepted by the popular kids but learns that being white comes with its own set of expectations. More important, Toya/Katarina is able to more fully observe the culture she gave up, allowing her to appreciate its warmth, comfort, and beauty. Using the trappings of a fairy tale, Pink pulls readers in with Toya's charming naivete and a highly eccentric version of Montgomery, Alabama (Jesus is a character, and he drives a stolen 1990 Saab and listens to Mariah Carey). Underneath, though, hides a grittier tale of race and gender dynamics in the contemporary South. Pink is careful to never allow the story itself to fall into agenda-pushing. Instead, she lets Toya explore the gray areas teens negotiate as their identities shift and as their belief systems are challenged. This debut ought to inspire readers to have conversations among themselves about family, empathy, community, and respect for others.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2016, American Library Association.)