The Other Black Girl Audiobook By Zakiya Dalila Harris cover art

The Other Black Girl

A Novel

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The Other Black Girl

By: Zakiya Dalila Harris
Narrated by: Aja Naomi King, Joniece Abbott-Pratt, Heather Alicia Simms, Bahni Turpin
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Instant New York Times Best Seller

A Good Morning America and Read with Marie Claire Book Club Pick and a People Best Book of Summer

Named a Most Anticipated Book of 2021 by Time, The Washington Post, Harper’s Bazaar, Entertainment Weekly, Marie Claire, Bustle, BuzzFeed, Parade, Goodreads, Fortune, and BBC

​​Named a Best Book of 2021 by Time, The Washington Post, Esquire, Vogue, Entertainment Weekly, The Boston Globe, Harper’s Bazaar, and NPR

​​​​Urgent, propulsive, and sharp as a knife, The Other Black Girl is an electric debut about the tension that unfurls when two young Black women meet against the starkly white backdrop of New York City book publishing.

Twenty-six-year-old editorial assistant Nella Rogers is tired of being the only Black employee at Wagner Books. Fed up with the isolation and microaggressions, she’s thrilled when Harlem-born and bred Hazel starts working in the cubicle beside hers. They’ve only just started comparing natural hair care regimens, though, when a string of uncomfortable events elevates Hazel to Office Darling, and Nella is left in the dust.

Then the notes begin to appear on Nella’s desk: LEAVE WAGNER. NOW.

It’s hard to believe Hazel is behind these hostile messages. But as Nella starts to spiral and obsess over the sinister forces at play, she soon realizes that there’s a lot more at stake than just her career.

A whip-smart and dynamic thriller and sly social commentary that is perfect for anyone who has ever felt manipulated, threatened, or overlooked in the workplace, The Other Black Girl will keep you on the edge of your seat until the very last twist.

©2021 Zakiya Dalila Harris. All rights reserved. (P)2021 Simon & Schuster, Inc. All rights reserved. African American Genre Fiction Literary Fiction Movie, TV & Video Game Tie-Ins Women's Fiction Fiction Scary Mystery

Interview: 'The Other Black Girl' Nails Down What It's Like to Navigate a White Industry

The Other Black Girl
'I think it's really important for writers of all races to really lean into that experience.'
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  • The Other Black Girl
  • 'I think it's really important for writers of all races to really lean into that experience.'

Critic reviews

"King does an excellent job portraying the conflicted protagonist and is at her strongest delivering dialogue. The other narrators also are very good. This slow-building audiobook is built on psychological tension. Part suspense, part publishing industry takedown, it's both entertaining and thought-provoking." (AudioFile Magazine)
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This novel tackles micro-aggressions in the workplace, assimilation, tokenism, and performative diversity. And it does it beautifully and uniquely. The plot is very complex, with a lot of characters. The narrators fit the characters well, and I enjoyed their performance. It is genre-bending; literary fiction, thriller/suspense, mystery, and a touch of sci-fi. Though this book is unsettling and leaves many questions to think about, I enjoyed listening to it. I would definitely recommend it!

Thought-provoking!

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Nella was one of the most annoying, aggravating characters I’ve ever come across. She was pathetic, meek and indecisive. I enjoyed the book until the end. The ending felt rushed and unfinished.

I hated the ending

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I really appreciate the inner thoughts of Nella. They remind me of my own personal thoughts when interacting with other women in my culture. I like the alternate world of protection from the OBG's. This is a wonderfully addressed, unspoken true pink elephant in the room. It gripped several emotions at once and left me shaking my head or holding my breath till the next chapter started. Well written, well examined.

Written with me, in mind

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We dipped into an odd world toward the end of the book. I was hoping this book would show a fictional recounting of how Black women in corporate aren’t a monolith. While this kind of did this, the way they approached how we navigate White spaces as a Black face felt cheapened by the authors insertion of fantasy. I’m trying to word this carefully so there are no spoilers but I was disappointed with what we uncovered regarding the root of Nella’s tribulations. I would’ve liked it to show corporate race dynamics using more realistic examples.

The ending overshadowed the rest of the book!

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I was planning to give this book 3 stars until the end. I thought it was horrible. The only reason I didn’t give it one star is because i thought it was a pleasant read until the idiotic ending. This book had tremendous potential. The author has talent but the book was all over the place. I do get what she was trying to do and would even chance reading another novel written by the author. I wouldn’t purchase another book by this author until I read a second book that was a better representation of her talent.

I wanted to love this book.

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This was one of the few books that I almost considered giving up on after being half finished. There were character introductions in places that left me more confused than intrigued. I also felt that the story line was not something I could buy into. I had an unsettled feeling as I listened to the book. I read fiction for enjoyment and to relax.

Very hard to follow

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The story line, the characters, the ending never connected! I kept waiting. Disappointing book! I wasted a credit on this one

It never connected

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It was hard to follow. It picked up in the last 4 hours of listening.

The Other Black Girl

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Great read and story line…unexpected end! Love it a must read I couldn’t put the book down!

Loved it!

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Expected better

Very slow start and could not keep my interest but I wanted to finish. Could’ve been less than 11hours and more thrilling. Did not start to get moving until the last 2 hours. Very disappointed

Really

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