Celebrate the joys of Black boyhood with stories from 17 best-selling, critically acclaimed Black authors - including Jason Reynolds (the Track series), Jerry Craft (New Kid), and Kwame Mbalia (the Tristan Strong series)!

Black boy joy is...

Picking out a fresh first-day-of-school outfit.

Saving the universe in an epic intergalactic race.

Finding your voice - and your rhymes - during tough times.

Flying on your skateboard like nobody’s watching.

And more! From 17 acclaimed Black male and nonbinary authors comes a vibrant collection of stories and poems about the power of joy and the wonders of Black boyhood.

Contributors include: B. B. Alston, Dean Atta, P. Djèlí Clark, Jay Coles, Jerry Craft, Lamar Giles, Don P. Hooper, George M. Johnson, Varian Johnson, Kwame Mbalia, Suyi Davies Okungbowa, Tochi Onyebuchi, Julian Randall, Jason Reynolds, Justin Reynolds, DaVaun Sanders, and Julian Winters

Cover illustration by Kadir Nelson

Listening Length

6 hours and 29 minutes
Author

Kwame Mbalia - editor
Narrator

Amir Abdullah, see all
Audible release date

August 3, 2021
Language

English
Publisher

Listening Library
ASIN

B08X1GMHBY
Version

Unabridged
Program Type

Audiobook
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Product details

Listening Length	6 hours and 29 minutes
Author	Kwame Mbalia - editor
Narrator	Amir Abdullah, Taj Leahy
Whispersync for Voice	Ready
Audible.com Release Date	August 03, 2021
Publisher	Listening Library
Program Type	Audiobook
Version	Unabridged
Language	English
ASIN	B08X1GMHBY
Best Sellers Rank	#40,011 in Audible Books & Originals (See Top 100 in Audible Books & Originals) #34 in Anthologies & Short Stories for Children #37 in African American Stories for Children #223 in Children's Short Story Collections

Customer reviews

4.8 out of 5

1,226 global ratings

5 star		89%
4 star		8%
3 star		2%
2 star 0% (0%)		0%
1 star		1%

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Top reviews from the United States

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Pamela F.

A fun, often profound, and affirming cultural romp

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on January 7, 2023

Verified Purchase

I would probably buy anything that Jason Reynolds is involved in, but along the way I discovered some really great writing and storytelling from authors I had never heard of. My 13yr old son really enjoyed this book. A lot of it is authentically colloquial and dialectic, so I found that me reading it aloud was best to keep the messages intact, and make it so that my kid could understand what was going on. This made for fantastic bedtime storytelling.

Helpful

Xylina Rodriguez

Great great great book.

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on November 14, 2022

Verified Purchase

We all love this book. It’s our bedtime read aloud book for my 2.5yo and nearly 8yo. Great contemporary stories. Great mixture. Nice Sci-fi elements, beautiful imagery and very useful conversation starters about real life issues. Great for learning varied perspectives which builds empathy and Insight for children. It has also very clearly expanded my son’s vocabulary. He loves the language and vocabulary used.

To address the 1star reviews: there is LGBTQ+ content in this book. Nothing that I as a parent feel uncomfortable speaking to my 2.5yo and 7/8yo about. I actually found it a great opportunity to expand on previous conversations and appreciate the way that those parts were written. If you want to keep your kids in a cave, in denial of average, everyday occurrences in world, if you want to keep your child’s mind small then this may not be the book for you. If you want to raise a conscious, empathic and well rounded child then this is a good book for you. Love the book all around.

6 people found this helpful

Helpful

Janice

Came in a timely manner.

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on January 14, 2023

Verified Purchase

The book is in good condition.

Helpful

Erika

A Feel Good Read

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on November 25, 2022

Verified Purchase

I really enjoyed how each story was fresh and original. They celebrated Black Boy Joy with each one having his own triumphant ending. The boys were all so lovable and pure. A lot of the stories were heavy on the fantasy element. That’s not a genre that I love, but I could still appreciate the message. I would recommend gifting this to any Black preteen boy. There was something relatable for any boy looking to see himself in these pages. Black Boy Joy is such a treasure.

Helpful

Paige B.

Wonderful Collection of Stories

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on December 24, 2021

Verified Purchase

This is one of the best anthologies I've ever read. I'm so excited to have been introduced to a number of writers that I was previously unaware of (especially P. Djèlí Clark; I think his story was my favorite), and to have finally read a bit of writing by several writers I've been been hearing a lot about but hadn't gotten around to reading yet (like George M. Johnson and Justin A. Reynolds; absolutely loved their stories!).

There's a delightfully wide range of genres, formats and kinds of characters featured in this book, and I loved all of it--there's fantasy, slice-of-life, a comic, poetry, and prose. And much of the African diaspora is represented here: there are characters from and settings include America, Africa, and the Caribbean. Truly something for everyone.

Anthologies are often an uneven reading experience, as the stories can feel hit or miss, and there might be 2 or 3 stories that I really enjoy while feeling unmoved by the rest. But THIS collection is very strong throughout, which only maybe 2 stories that felt like they were written by writers on the very early side of developing their craft.

I loved that these stories featured and uplifted Black boys and were written by Black men and nonbinary writers. I loved that the level of conflict included in the actual stories was kept light so that none of it was a traumatic read, even while knowing via context that some of the characters had probably had a hard time at some point or another. I loved that some stories starred queer Black boy characters--we don't get to see that enough in middle grade.

A treat and a delight and incredibly well done. Highly recommend.

9 people found this helpful

Helpful

delora bennett

A most enchanting and delightful read

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on September 19, 2022

Verified Purchase

The stories contained here are a compilation of uplifting stories of life, fantasy, love, joy, and everything ‘in between’. It is perfect for young and old. Take a marvelous ride and find your ‘joy’.

3 people found this helpful

Helpful

LNarcisi

Son loved this book.

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on August 20, 2022

Verified Purchase

My son picked this book out for summer reading, and we both really liked it. Short stories are very satisfying and the focus on joy is brilliant. Highly recommend.

2 people found this helpful

Helpful

Renita Johnson

Mother Son Bonding

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on January 6, 2022

Verified Purchase

My son and I have read this book and their stories together. As a mom of a black son or has a variety of stories you can just talk about. My son is 10 and I feel that this book is appropriate for him as he is about to go to middle school and will have the "pre-teen" experience. It helps open the floor for honest conversation and to see what your kids knows and may not know. Even some of the authors where I've read their books as an adult have great stories that can relate to Black Boys.

5 people found this helpful

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Top reviews from other countries

Mary Josefina Cade

Sharing the joy!

Reviewed in the United Kingdom 🇬🇧 on August 15, 2021

Verified Purchase

I really enjoyed reading 'Black Boy Joy' even though I am a white UK grandmother so not in the target audience. No problem for me, I just loved these stories!

Luckily I also have children in my life who do fit the profile, so can share the joy with them. 9 to 12 year olds are too young to have an Amazon account, so won't be able to review Kwame Mbalia's fabulous story collection. On their behalf I'd like to say thank you to all the authors, poets and artists who have created such a positive, imaginative, beautiful book. And have introduced me to US ways of speaking, lots of it poetic, great use of words, creatively different to the UK. The language of magic and love is universal.

Most of all, 'Black Boy Joy' is inspiring. Don't give up, keep trying, keep believing and helping each other.
And laughter always helps!

6 people found this helpful

Costa

Amazing

Reviewed in the United Kingdom 🇬🇧 on November 4, 2021

Verified Purchase

My kids loved it.

Mike Murray

Was this used?

Reviewed in Canada 🇨🇦 on December 15, 2022

Verified Purchase

I am excited to gift this book to my son however I will have to first remove a sticky residue from both the front and the back of the dust jacket. I thought I was buying something new but perhaps not. Either way I am disappointed with the condition of the dust jacket.

The one star was for the condition of the dust jacket. Otherwise this book is an AMAZING collection of stories!

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Black Boy Joy: 17 Stories Celebrating Black Boyhood Audible Audiobook – Unabridged

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