Such a Fun Age

Last year at a professional development session I attended, the keynote speaker, Christopher Edmin,  described teachers of color working in private schools as the "Pullman Porters of Education." He said that we make a living helping white students feel comfortable in their own mediocrity.  Yikes!

I don't know about being a Pullman Porter, but I often question if, consciously or sub-consciously, a few of my white students see me as an extension of their first black caregivers.  I wonder how being nurtured by a black nanny during a child’s formative years impacts the development of his or her racial attitudes. Does the child feel a sense of abandonment when the nanny moves on to another family and begin to harbor resentment toward blacks?   Or do they hold on to a need to be accepted and supported by blacks into adulthood?

Kiley Reid's debut novel,  Such a Fun Age, is an easy, enjoyable read that addresses some of these issues.  The story centers around Emira, a twenty-something black babysitter and her white employer Alix.  Alix craves a relationship with Emira, while Emira is preoccupied with navigating a new relationship and feeling like she should be further along in life. Told from the perspective of both women, the novel is fast paced, funny, and full of twists and turns.

Although the narrative begins with a harrowing incident, it is not an exploration of black trauma.  Instead, it examines the relationship between black women, white women, and the children they share.  There are characters that I wish were more fully developed and the ending seemed rushed- but the last line of the book more than makes up for any of its shortcomings.  If you’re looking for something light, but not totally mindless, to read during this Black History Month, Such a Fun Age won’t disappoint.