I received a physical arc of this from a YALLFest giveaway, but when I realized parts of it were told in verse, I knew I wanted to listen to it rather than read it, and I’m so glad I did.
It’s 2022 and I believe its important for us to read books about cultures and situations outside of our own and what we know. As a white reader, I always learn something by reading a book with a Black MC written by a Black author.
Title: Vinyl Moon
Author: Mahogany L. Browne
Series: Standalone
Genres: Contemporary, Poetry
This is a short yet intense book. Vinyl Moon is about Angel, a teenage girl who is forced to move from her home in California to live with her uncle in Brooklyn. She arrives in Brooklyn with her arm in a sling, but we don’t know what happened.
Throughout the story it becomes abundantly clear she was abused by her boyfriend, Darius, who “loved” her. Angel’s mother was also abused by her husband who later left the family. Angel’s life may have been in California, but it wasn’t the best environment for her to grow.
In Brooklyn, we see her enrolled in a special homeroom class meant for young girls in leadership and with the help of her teacher and peers, she begins to flourish and make new friends. I love seeing Angel’s journey and struggles along the way. This is a fast paced story and only a brief snapshot into Angel’s life, but I learned a lot, just like Angel.
I loved the way this was told, usually in short moments lasting only a few pages, and sometimes in poems. It made this story easy to digest in small snippets.
Since parts of this are told in verse, I highly recommend listening to this one. I always enjoy hearing verse spoken aloud, I feel like it adds another element to hearing it rather than just reading it on the page. Bahni Turpin narrates this and I’ve listened to her many, many times, and shes one of my all time favorite narrators. I think she has a wonderful voice and am always happy to see her narrating a book I want to read.
My Rating:
I highly recommend reading this one – I learned a lot and I feel like anyone can learn something from this book. Either you have experienced something similar and can relate, or you haven’t and you can learn how others might be living without you even knowing.
Frayed Books 
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