Parable of the brown girl : the sacred lives of girls of color

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Title:

Parable of the brown girl : the sacred lives of girls of color

Author:

Adams, Khristi Lauren author.

ISBN:

9781506455686

Physical Description:

xvi, 148 pages ; 22 cm.

Contents:

Parable of the weak brown girl -- Parable of the insecure brown girl -- Parable of the voiceless brown girl -- Parable of the Fass brown girl -- Parable of the alienated brown girl -- Parable of the angry brown girl -- Parable of the white-acting brown girl.

Subject Term:

African American girls -- Religious life.

African American girls -- Conduct of life.

African American girls -- Psychology.

African American teenage girls -- Religious life.

African American teenage girls -- Conduct of life.

African American teenage girls -- Psychology.

Summary:

The stories of girls of color are often overlooked and ignored rather than valued and heard. Instead of relegating these young women to the margins, minister and youth advocate Khristi Lauren Adams brings their stories front and center where they belong. Thought-provoking and inspirational, Parable of the Brown Girl is a powerful example of how God uses the narratives we most often ignore to teach us the most important lessons in life.

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Library	Call Number	Status
Searching... Oakdale Library	TEEN 264.2833 ADA	Searching... Unknown
Searching... R.H. Stafford Library (Woodbury)	264.2833 ADA	Searching... Unknown

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Summary

"Illuminating ... these profound profiles will be eye opening for any reader." --Publisher's Weekly

Enlightening and extremely helpful Parable of a Brown Girl deepens cultural awareness by relaying heartfelt stories from girls of color. Author, speaker, minister, and youth advocate, Khristi Lauren Adams introduces readers to the resilience and hope held within each of their diverse lives. Loaded with valuable insights from people of color, referencing Black feminist and political thought, Adams brings each story front and center with grace and wisdom.

By sharing encounters she's had with girls of color, profound cultural and theological truths are highlighted. Adams magnifies the struggles, dreams, wisdom, and dignity of these important voices that offer deep understanding of social justice and reconciliation for all readers. Thought-provoking and inspirational, Parable of the Brown Girl is a powerful example of how God uses the narratives we most often ignore to teach us the most important lessons in life. It's time to pay attention and learn from the societal pressures, expectations, and stereotypes often put on multi-ethnic girls. Now is the time to forge new understanding and engage in community dialogue that Adams so confidently leads us into.

Author Notes

Khristi Lauren Adams is a speaker, advocate, chaplain, and ordained Baptist minister. She is the founder and director of The Becoming Conference, designed to empower, educate, and inspire teenage girls. Her ministry and youth advocacy have been featured on CNN and her work has appeared in HuffPost, Off the Page, and the Junia Project. She is currently the Firestone Endowment Chaplain and an instructor of religious studies and philosophy at The Hill School in Pottstown, Pennsylvania. When not in residence at The Hill School, she lives in East Brunswick, New Jersey.

Reviews (2)

Publisher's Weekly Review

In this illuminating work, chaplain Adams (The Misinterpreted Gospel of Singleness) shares stories of girls and women of color she met while working in a residential treatment facility for mental health and behavioral issues, focusing on how her subjects cope with injustices and insecurities. Setting up each chapter as a "parable" of one girl and a main struggle she faces, readers first meet Deborah, a nine-year-old with divorced parents who tells Adams: "Why did God make me a warrior when I'm really just weak?" The exchange prompts Adams to ruminate on the need for women to appear strong. Elsewhere, 19-year-old Leah learns that "God never intended for us to see people as less or as something negative, something other. We are created in God's image and likeness"; 16-year-old Mary confronts issues of body-image, with Adams explaining how hypersexualization was never God's intention; and 17-year-old Nimi unpacks the complexity of identities, considering what it means to be black in America as opposed to other countries around the world. In the final portrait, 17-year-old Ebony explores the experience of being too black for the white community and too white for the black community. Though directed toward Christians, these profound profiles will be eye-opening for any reader. (Feb.)

Library Journal Review

Minister and advocate Adams, creator of the Becoming Conference, notes that Jesus did his best teaching using the parables. The author then wonders about those parables with young brown girls at their center. Adams reminds us that, similar to the protagonists of the parables of Jesus, brown girls represent all girls. In this slim narrative, Adams is viciously critical of the myth of the strong black woman; a trope that normalizes the pervasive mistreatment of black women since, the myth infers, they are tough enough to rescue themselves. Adams uses anecdotal and personal experience to demonstrate that these stereotypes and labels often lead to young women rarely asking for help. Profound insights are offered throughout this work, interweaving theological paradoxes within historical Christianity, including those in which weakness is considered a strength and the poor and hungry are the blessed. VERDICT Adams is a keen observer of the difficult life stage of adolescence, and her words will provide support to young girls and all who work with this population.--Sandra Collins, Byzantine Catholic Seminary Lib., Pittsburgh

Acknowledgments	p. ix
Introduction	p. xi
1 Parable of the Weak Brown Girl	p. 1
2 Parable of the Insecure Brown Girl	p. 21
3 Parable of the Voiceless Brown Girl	p. 43
4 Parable of the Fass Brown Girl	p. 61
5 Parable of the Alienated Brown Girl	p. 83
6 Parable of the Angry Brown Girl	p. 103
7 Parable of the White-Acting Brown Girl	p. 121
Conclusion	p. 137
Endnotes	p. 140

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Summary

Summary

Author Notes

Reviews (2)

Publisher's Weekly Review

Library Journal Review

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