Inspired by the bestselling teen anthologyOphelia Speaks, What I Know Is Meunifies the diverse experiences of black girls through short stories, essays, and poems. Compiled by an accomplished teenager, Christen James, with award-winning adult writer Natasha Tarpley, this moving collection is broken up into sections that highlight specific areas of black girlhood, including racial identity, family, sex and relationships, body image, neighborhoods, and spirituality.With contributors hailing from all over the United States and the African diaspora, the stories resonate with honesty, revealing the courage each writer needed to tell her story. Highlights include"The Basket," a lyrical essay set in Haiti, where the author remembers her grandmother, a"basketwoman" merchant;"Hairstories in Two Parts," a dynamic poem that uses black hairstyles as a vehicle to explore other countries and pop culture; and"The Choice," a thoughtful short story that explores the dilemma faced by a beautiful, intellectually gifted teen when she has to decide if she's going to become a"music video ho" in order to earn money for college. There’s also a special section where black female adults write words of inspiration for the younger generation.InWhat I Know Is Me, black girls will see and hear themselves in their own voices, thereby affirming and strengthening the journey they must make from girlhood to womanhood. Copyright (C) Muze Inc. 2005. For personal use only. All rights reserved.