Nobody's Family Is Going to Change

Reach for this book when your child feels like their interests or identity are being stifled by your expectations, or when they feel misunderstood by the adults in their life. Set in a middle class Black family in 1970s New York, it follows eleven-year-old Emma, who wants to be a lawyer, and her brother Willie, who dreams of being a dancer. Their father, a successful attorney, disapproves of both paths: he believes Willie's dream is unmasculine and Emma's is unrealistic. This story is a powerful exploration of autonomy and the difficult realization that children must sometimes validate themselves when parents cannot. It is a sophisticated, realistic choice for kids ages 10 to 12 who are starting to assert their own independent identities.