SUCH A FUN AGE

Does this beautiful cover look familiar? This book has overtaken IG like a tidal wave these past few weeks! Such A Fun Age is about a 20 something black babysitter, Emira; her white employer, Alix; and a racially charged incident at an upscale grocery story while Emira is caring for her young charge, Briar. This situation sets into motion a series of unlikely connections that reveal the true character of all involved, and invites readers to take a hard look at themselves as the story unfolds.

A highly accessible page-turner, Such a Fun Age satirizes the layers of subtle racism and fetishization that insinuate themselves into the characters’ interactions and attitudes. The book barrels ahead like an accelerating train on a collision course - it’s almost impossible not to watch the impending, inevitable crash you know is coming. At times Alix’s total self-centeredness and juvenile choices threatened to distract me from the book’s primary message - there’s just SO much to dislike about her! But most importantly, Such A Fun Age examines how unaware (seemingly) well-meaning white characters are of their own motivations when interacting with people whose skin color is different from their own. This book says, look closely: even if you think you’re doing it right - even if you *intend* to do it right - chances are you can do better.

Note: if the domestic worker-employer dynamic interests you, you may also want to check out Behold the Dreamers, one of my favorite books ever and just an incredible overall read.

Emira’s birthday celebration starts off with coconut shrimp, pineapple salsa, jerk chicken, cocktails and fun until … well, no spoilers here so let’s just stick with the shrimp, shall we? I discovered this delicious recipe on a food blog called - no joke - Fox and BRIAR! There’s even beer in the batter, perfect for a 20-something’s birthday dinner. I’ll definitely be making these again, and ASAP.