Genesis Begins Again By Alicia D. Williams

Some stories settle into your bones and stay there. This is one of them.

Meet Genesis, a thirteen-year-old who keeps a list of every reason she has to dislike herself. Ninety-six and counting. Because her family keeps getting put out of their house. Because of her dad’s troubles. Because she wasn’t born looking like Mama. Because, she believes, she is too black.

What follows is a tender, unflinching journey as Genesis learns the hardest lesson of all: how to love herself. Along the way, she discovers that changing her own heart just might be the first step toward changing the world around her.

The critics couldn’t put it down, and neither could we. The New York Times called it “reminiscent of Toni Morrison’s The Bluest Eye.” Kirkus Reviews, in a starred review, praised it as “an emotional, painful, yet still hopeful adolescent journey…one that needed telling.” Sharon M. Draper, bestselling author of Out of My Mind, simply said, “I really loved this.” And Colby Sharp, founder of the Nerdy Book Club, called it “one of the best books I have ever read.”

This award-worthy debut tackles internalized racism, family struggles, and self-worth with rare honesty and grace. Perfect for readers ages 8 to 12, and the grown-ups who love them.

It’s the kind of book you’ll want to press into someone’s hands the moment you finish it. Come browse, linger, and find your copy here on the cove, where the sea air and a good story are always waiting.

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