Obviously: Stories from My Timeline

Through 30 candid essays, Hughes, a comedian, writer, and social media influencer, spotlights the tumultuous experience of growing up black, female, and gifted. In “The Little Cheerleader That Couldn’t,” Hughes recounts a wrenching failure to become a cheerleader in grade school, despite encouragement and some natural ability, concluding, “It turns out you can be excellent, objectively, at any number of things, and life will come in hot with the unfairness.” Detailing a mutual vendetta between herself and her fifth-grade teacher, Hughes confronts the question asked by many kids growing up black in a frequently hostile world: Is it because I’m black? Funny, bittersweet, thought-provoking, and deeply sobering, Hughes’s narrative reconstructs countless memories of a childhood spent exploring “band, speech, and drama,” sports, and more to become as “well-rounded” as her mother wanted her and her siblings to be. She also includes sparse recollections of an unsympathetic, unlamented father; a young adulthood spent overcoming setbacks to realize her rapidly coalescing dreams; and the illness that almost stopped those dreams cold. Though primarily aimed at established Hughes fans, anyone facing difficult odds, or those seeking a career in entertainment, will glean much from this collection. Ages 14–up. (Sept.)