Book Review: 'The Other Black Girl' – Navigating Microaggressions in the Publishing Industry
BY ZAKIYA DALILA HARRIS
This novel follows Nella Rogers, a young black woman who happens to be one of the only black people in the publishing department of a New York City publishing house.
When Hazel, a fellow black woman, joins the company, Nella is excited to have someone who understands what she is going through.
However, Nella begins to suspect that Hazel is not who she seems to be.
Over the course of the book, Harris examines the complexities of being a black woman in a predominantly white workplace, including issues of tokenism, micro-aggressions and cultural isolation.
The novel explores the pressures black employees can feel to conform to certain expectations, like representing their entire race for example, as well as how companies can use diversity and inclusion initiatives as a way to cover up deeper issues of racism and inequality.
While reading, I found myself feeling very angry towards Nella's and her inaction, I wanted to knock some sense into this woman.The book brought to mind Jordan Peele's film "Get Out" as both works explore similar themes of racism and the micro-aggressions that black people face in predominantly white spaces.
In "Get Out," Peele examines the devious ways in which White people can co-opt and exploit Black culture and bodies, while in "The Other Black Girl," Harris explores the ways in which Black people can be tokenized and used to create an appearance of diversity without addressing deeper issues of racism and inequality.
It was very interesting to me that the majority of the story takes place in a corporate workspace, a sort of " huit-clos" that highlights the disturbing and unsettling nature of the experiences black people can face in workspace.
"The Other Black Girl" analyzes the theme of code switching. This survival tool used by all people of color to survive in white spaces. A survival tool that ironically kills us little by little since it is a source of stress and disconnection from our own culture and identity.
Nella struggles to balance her drive to fit in with her co-workers with her desire to maintain her own identity and sense of self, she must constantly navigate a complex web of social norms and expectations, shifting from one mode of expression and behavior to another depending on who she is dealing with. This constant need to adapt and conform is mentally and emotionally draining and will contribute to her feelings of anxiety and isolation.
In American Psychological Association, Black women are more likely than white women to report experiencing emotional and physical symptoms of stress, including headaches, fatigue, and changes in appetite.
In the Journal of Counseling Psychology found that Black women in predominantly white workplaces were more likely to report feeling isolated, excluded, and stereotyped, which can lead to increased stress and mental health issues.
In Part 3 this quote stood out
"She'd committed one of the real ultimate sins by trying to be herself : Black. Unapologetic.”
Overall, "The Other Black Girl" is a timely and important contribution to the ongoing conversation about race, identity, and power in America today.