Yoruba Girl Dancing

Reach for this book when your teenager is navigating the friction between their home culture and a dominant social environment, or if they are preparing for a major transition like boarding school or international study. This semi-autobiographical novel follows Remi, a young girl from a privileged Nigerian family who is sent to an English boarding school in the 1950s. It explores the lonely, often confusing process of assimilation and the subtle, sharp edges of prejudice. While it deals with heavy themes of identity and racism, it is written with an intelligence and grace that helps teens articulate their own feelings of being an outsider. It is a sophisticated choice for readers aged 12 and up who are ready to discuss how we choose which parts of ourselves to keep and which to change to survive.