Black Enough: Stories of Being Young & Black in America

Black Enough: Stories of Being Young and Black in America is a collection of short stories edited by Ibi Zoboi, a prominent Haitian American young-adult writer. The collection of young-adult stories, first published in 2019, explores the lives of young Black people and the struggles they face with belonging—both within the idea of “Blackness” and the world around them. These characters battle the expectations placed on them by their families and their culture, while also exploring the internal pressures of their sexualities, dreams, desires, and their struggle to fit in.

This guide uses the first edition of the text published by Balzer + Bray in 2020.

Content Warning: The stories in this collection explore issues of racism, anti-gay bias, sexual assault, mental health, and suicide.

Plot Summaries

“Half a Moon” tells the story of Raven, a camp counselor at an all-Black summer camp. She discovers the first day that her 10-year-old half-sister, Brooke, is at the camp. She initially holds resentment toward Brooke, as her own father left her and her mother to start a family with Brooke’s mother. However, after Raven witnesses Brooke getting bullied and fails to intervene, Brooke’s temporary disappearance sparks her to support Brooke and build a relationship with her, ultimately leaving camp ready to be a sister to her.