by Mahogany L. Browne
Critics' Opinion:
Readers' rating:
Published Jan 2022
176 pages
Genre: Literary Fiction
Publication Information
A teen girl hiding the scars of a past relationship finds home and healing in the words of strong Black writers. A beautiful sophomore novel from a critically acclaimed author and poet that explores how words have the power to shape and uplift our world even in the midst of pain.
When Darius told Angel he loved her, she believed him. But five weeks after the incident, Angel finds herself in Brooklyn, far from her family, from him, and from the California life she has known.
Angel feels out of sync with her new neighborhood. At school, she can't shake the feeling everyone knows what happened—and that it was her fault. The only place that makes sense is Ms. G's class. There, Angel's classmates share their own stories of pain, joy, and fortitude. And as Angel becomes immersed in her revolutionary literature course, the words from Black writers like Toni Morrison, James Baldwin, and Zora Neale Hurston speak to her and begin to heal the wounds of her past.
This stunning novel weaves together prose, poems, and vignettes to tell the story of Angel, a young woman whose past was shaped by domestic violence but whose love of language and music and the gift of community grant her the chance to find herself again.
"In short, sharp chapters that interweave poetry and prose, Browne offers snippets of Angel's life before and after the incident, bringing readers into her growth and portraying with nuance a group of Brooklyn teens unpacking their traumas and finding their joy." - Publishers Weekly (starred review)
"All of the novel's characters are refreshingly layered and endearing, even when they aren't at their best...A beautiful love letter to Brooklyn, Black authors, and the beats that create the soundtrack of a young life evolving." - Kirkus Reviews
"Powerful and life-affirming." - Brendan Kiely, New York Times bestselling co-author of All American Boys
This information about Vinyl Moon was first featured
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Any "Author Information" displayed below reflects the author's biography at the time this particular book was published.
Mahogany L. Browne is a writer, organizer, and educator: executive director of Bowery Poetry Club, artistic director of Urban Word NYC, poetry coordinator at St. Francis College. Browne has received fellowships from Agnes Gund, Air Serenbe, Cave Canem, Poets House, Mellon Research, and Rauschenberg. She is the author of recent works: Chlorine Sky, Woke: A Young Poets Call to Justice, Woke Baby, and Black Girl Magic. Founder of the diverse lit initiative Woke Baby Book Fair, Browne is also the author of a poetry collection responding to the impact of mass incarceration on women and children, I Remember Death by Its Proximity to What I Love. She lives in Brooklyn, NY.
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