Yesterday, I finished reading Frizzy by Claribel A. Ortega and Rose Bousamra. This realistic fiction graphic novel is about Marlene, a young Dominican girl who feels pressure to straighten her hair at the salon from her mom. Marlene actually hates the salon, though, and doesn't understand why her curls aren't considered pretty by the people around her. After her cousin Diana's quince, Marlene and her best friend, Camilla, look for videos online for how to style her curls. When that doesn't go well and some of her classmates bully her the next day, including putting tape in her hair, Marlene gets into big trouble for standing up for herself. Then, Marlene's day gets even worse when Tío Ernesto and Diana come over and she gets into a fight with Diana about her hair. Afterwards, Marlene's mom decides to allow her to spend the weekend with Tía Ruby. Wondering if she'll ever find a way to style her hair in a way that feels like herself, Marlene learns to appreciate her curls with Tía Ruby's help.
Although this graphic novel does have emotional moments, it was definitely a joy to read. I felt really bad for Marlene because her mom couldn't see how much she hated straightening her hair at the salon and she was made fun of by not only some of her classmates, but her own cousin. On the other hand, I laughed during parts, like when Marlene spent time with Tía Ruby, and thought she had an awesome best-friendship with Camilla. I definitely loved the message that all hair is beautiful. It was also enlightening how self-esteem issues are passed down from generation to generation of families with Black ancestry because of anti-Blackness. All in all, Frizzy is a sweet story of self-acceptance and all girls should read it.
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