Sellout

Reach for this book when your teenager is struggling with the label of being not enough of something: not Black enough, not cool enough, or not fitting into the boxes their peers have created. Sellout follows NaTasha, a girl comfortable in her affluent suburban life, who is forced to confront her own identity and cultural assumptions when she is sent to stay with her grandmother in Harlem. Through her interactions at a crisis center, she learns that heritage is not a performance but a connection. It is a thoughtful exploration of class, race, and the courage it takes to stand your ground when your identity is challenged from both within and outside your community. It is ideal for middle and high schoolers navigating social transitions or cultural code-switching.