This book was OK at best. It is a book about a child's life badly told by an adult. it. If I child had written it I would have liked it better. I tends to whine a bit and and has very little insight into what the adult Jennifer thinks about the events in retrospect. Understandably the child is upset about being called names, what does the adult think? and why? Did the adult learn anything? any insights for future integration problems that children today may face?

It seem she is angry still and has little more to offer than a poor me story. No triumph at making it out alive and living well, is she still miserable?

What the author should consider is most children have a difficult time. Large noses, strange hair color, accents, odd parents, being poor among affluence are all part and parcel for the those who are new to the neighborhood. It is survival of the fittest and a gold star for those who can finish the race. Look for the silver lining it is in there! ( )

Up and down this was one hellva rollercoaster ride! Your pinch on the cheek shouldn't hurt as much as my slap in the face was the first emotion I dealt with following Jennifer's journey caught between bigotry and prestige. Possibly a deep observation, and perhaps too, an innocent hindsight of Jennifer's, but I couldn't help but raise an eyebrow as she explained how a white child being the brunt of pranks and teasing because he was `different', was not as bad as the racial bigotry she faced. I don't know... but pain is pain, regardless of why or who's administering it; a fact that illuminates from many perspectives as Jennifer moves through her story.

There is just too much to comment on here... Jennifer even raises the bar teasing us with a little romance. Perhaps more appropriate for another venue, but it would be remiss if I didn't at least add that Jennifer's story shares what my children have expressed to me about growing up in the suburbs... which all I can hand down to them is the same sentiment that was handed down to me by my mother, from her mother to her, and so forth and so on, "I did my best with what I was handed down to work with." And this is exactly what puts The Black Girl Next Door over the top! Jennifer's raw honesty throughout is unshakable!!! ( )

Couldn't put this one down! I recommend this for anyone who grew up in the 70s and 80s... ( )