Genesis Begins Again

Genesis Begins Again
Alicia Williams
Atheneum, 2019 384 pages
Grades 5-7
Realistic Fiction

Our story begins with thirteen-year-old Genesis bringing new friends home from school, only to find her family's possessions out on the lawn. They have been evicted--again--and Genesis and her mom must move in with Grandma until Dad can find a new home. The place Dad finds is the house of Genesis' dreams. It is in the suburbs and the neighborhood is safe and clean. Her new school has many opportunities and Genesis begins to slowly make real friends for the first time in her life. She decides on a whim to audition for the school's talent show and blows her new classmates and teacher away by her voice, earning a spot in the show. Popular kids suddenly want to befriend her and invite her to join their acts. The only problem is that Genesis does not feel pretty enough to have the confidence to stand up to people who don’t have her best interests at heart, including her father who is behind on the rent and has lost his job due to a drinking problem. To fix her troubles Genesis purchases cream to lighten her complexion, hoping that this will make her more beautiful and therefor worthy of being loved. Will she learn to love herself the way she is?

First time author, Williams, explores what it means to be beautiful and learning to love yourself. Genesis has an addicted parent and a backwards Grandmother, who makes her feel insecure and inferior for inheriting her father's dark skin. Through the love of her mother and support of a kind teacher and new friends, she begins to realize that she truly is worthy and lovable just the way she is. This lesson is important for young people, regardless of skin color, and readers will hopefully see themselves in this revelation. The skin lightening made me very uncomfortable, but this may be the point of the author. Hopefully readers will learn from our protagonist’s mistakes and misconceptions. The story line about Genesis' alcoholic father will ring true to many young people in similar circumstances and will reassure them that their parents love them regardless of their addictions. Genesis's spashy singing success is a bit unrealistic, especially considering she has had no formal training, but it was nice to see her excel at something to help boost her confidence. The story ends a bit cleanly with a sense of hope that will satisfy young readers. A timely book with a lot to say that will both reassure and educate.