Kimani Tru

Harlequin got hip to marketing to Black teens and introduced the Kimani Tru series this year. I've read the first two, Indigo Summer (http://www.amazon.com/Indigo-Summer-Kimani-Monica-McKayhan/dp/0373830750/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1/104-2987405-1465548?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1187193566&sr=8-1) and The Edification of Sonya Crane (http://www.amazon.com/Edification-Sonya-Crane-Kimani-Tru/dp/0373830777/ref=pd_sim_b_img/104-2987405-1465548?ie=UTF8&qid=1187193566&sr=8-1). From what I've read so far, this series is a bit tamer than more "gritty" urban-lit, but there's still drama. Indigo is fifteen, wants to fit into school, has to deal with her best friend moving away, and wants to make the high school dance team. I'll leave it up to you to figure out how it all ends. As for Sonya Crane? I'd skip it: poorly written, and it's all about a White girl who wants to "pass" as Black (huh?). She never really gets into the reasons why she makes this decision, and the book has some sexual abuse that is never addressed by adults who are around. While I know that YA tries to distance itself from adults, I have a hard time thinking that someone made a decision not to say anything.

So, problematic, but I guess we have to start somewhere. I need to catch up on the latest ones: Kimani Tru is trotting out a new book every month! If you like Indigo from Indigo Summer, she's coming back in another book (around December, I think).