Conducting interviews for Sugar in the Raw, Rebecca Carroll traveled to 12 cities across the country, and talked to more than 50 girls. From that number, she selected 15 who tell their stories in their own words in this stereotype-breaking book. Nicole, a 17-year-old biracial girl living in Vermont, tells us she checks the boxes for every race category on census forms. "You can call me whatever you please," she says, "but I'll still be Nicole." Elsewhere, Laninka, also 17, from Birmingham, Alabama, tells of her love for ballet and African dance, while Sophie, 20, who lives in Freehold, New Jersey, tells of growing up in her adoptive white family and her search for her black identity. Throughout, the girls show their strength and their determination to make a way for themselves in a world that does not always appreciate them.

From School Library Journal
YA?A collection of 15 spirited and thought-provoking monologues based on conversations and interviews the author held with over 50 young black women. The selections reflect the girls' diverse experiences, attitudes, and dreams, and represent a broad spectrum of social class and geographical regions. Jo-Laine of Brooklyn, NY, observes, "The kind of girl I am has everything to do with the kind of woman I think I'll be. I know that I am bold and straightforward. When it comes time to deal with boys and whatnot, I will make clear who I am and how I expect to be treated." Aisha, of Seattle, WA, declares, "My strong suit is what I can do with my mind and my personality. Yes, I am beautiful, too, but it's not a priority to me." Reacting to the author's project, Reni of Birmingham, AL, says, "I think the concept of this book is very inspirational because it is so important for black girls to hear what other black girls are thinking. People create who they are based on their experiences with and their exposure to other people." The book is entertaining and instructional both for what it tells readers about the hearts and minds of black teens and for the model it serves for those who want to learn to evoke personality and power in their own writing.?Cynthia J. Rieben, W. T. Woodson High School, Fairfax, VACopyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist
If these young women represent the voice of the next generation, then there is hope! Carroll interviewed 50 young African American women; she selected 15 of her subjects to include in this volume. The book is a "nonfiction profile of young black girls in America between the ages of eleven and twenty years old." The participants spoke with honesty, wisdom, and promise, and articulated (some using more vernacular than others) their views on race, gender, and their future as black women in the U.S. So often the media profiles young women as an "underclass," particularly those from urban settings and underrepresented groups. Carroll proves definitively that these young woman are thinking (and wisely) about their realities both now and in the future. Carroll adds an epilogue that sums up some realities for young black women: "Black and white America have different codes of ethics. . . . We are not advocating segregation, nor are we black nationalist. We are loving folks and shouting out to one another because we need to." Lillian Lewis

From Kirkus Reviews
A vibrant collection of first-person narratives based on interviews with young African-American girls. Educator Carroll traveled the country, interviewing dozens of black girls between the ages of 11 and 20. The essence of 15 of these interviews makes up this brash and compelling oral history. While the book presents a wide range of voices from vastly different social and economic backgrounds, all of the subjects share a singular sense of independence, self-reliance, and pride. Fourteen-year-old Jo-Laine says, ``Being a part of black culture feels very good to me . . . and even though I know that no matter what I do or say, there will always be somebody who's going to try and put me down or make me feel like less of a person than they are, all I have to do is think about how far we've come.'' In their determination to succeed in a world buffeted by self-destruction and self-indulgence, sex is not something these girls take casually. Fourteen-year-old Latisha observes that the only thing many young men want is sex, ``and if we keep giving it to them, they gonna think they can get it anytime they want it. It's disrespectful.'' Religion seems to play a significant, positive role in the lives of these young women, providing strong support. Many of the interviewees have had considerable interaction with white people and express impressions ranging from distrust to genuine affection. Of particular interest is 20-year-old Sophie, who, like the author, was adopted into a white family. Having grown up among upper-middle-class whites, Sophie makes a conscious decision to marry a black man and immerse herself in his world. Carroll succeeds at both giving shape to these profiles and keeping the text convincingly real. Young black voices that move and enlighten. -- Copyright ©1996, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved.

From the Publisher
"An urgent dispatch from a group of girls who will not--and must not--be ignored. Carroll allows her subjects to tell their own, unfiltered stories, and they do: joyfully, painfully, and always powerfully."--Peggy Orenstein, author of School Girls: Young Women, Self-Esteem, and the Confidence Gap

"A stunning achievement."--Henry Louis Gates, Jr.

From the Inside Flap
With raw candor, elicited by Rebecca Carroll's perceptive questioning, 15 black women between the ages of 11 and 18, from places as diverse as Brooklyn and Seattle, Alabama and Vermont, speak out about their inner and outer lives. What they say about identity, self-esteem, the role of race in their perceptions and treatment, personal values, and their hopes for the future is both enlightening and moving. 144 pp. National pubilcity. 15,000 print.

FROM THE PUBLISHER

With raw candor, elicited by Rebecca Carroll's perceptive questioning, 15 black women between the ages of 11 and 18, from places as diverse as Brooklyn and Seattle, Alabama and Vermont, speak out about their inner and outer lives. What they say about identity, self-esteem, the role of race in their perceptions and treatment, personal values, and their hopes for the future is both enlightening and moving. 144 pp. National pubilcity. 15,000 print.

FROM THE CRITICS

Publishers Weekly

In Sugar in the Raw: Voices of Young Black Girls in America, Rebecca Carroll profiles 15 of the more than 50 girls, ages 11-20, she interviewed throughout the country. Singly and together, they speak eloquently for the generation of young women coming of age in a complex world. Carroll writes in her introduction: "many black girls don't know that individual accountability is not a myth or a crime: It is what makes it possible for us to live together on the planet as human beings." Her work is enabling and enlightening. The foreword is by Ntozake Shange.

School Library Journal