An NPR Best Book of the Year

Proudly introducing the Well-Read Black Girl Library Series, On Girlhood is a lovingly curated anthology celebrating short fiction from such luminaries as Rita Dove, Alice Walker, Toni Morrison, and more.

Featuring stories by: Jamaica Kincaid, Toni Morrison, Dorothy West, Rita Dove, Camille Acker, Toni Cade Bambara, Amina Gautier, Alexia Arthurs, Dana Johnson, Alice Walker, Gwendolyn Brooks, Edwidge Danticat, Shay Youngblood, Paule Marshall, and Zora Neale Hurston.

"When you look over your own library, who do you see?" asks Well-Read Black Girl founder Glory Edim in this lovingly curated anthology. Bringing together an array of "unforgettable, and resonant coming-of-age stories" (Nicole Dennis-Benn), Edim continues her life's work to brighten and enrich American reading lives through the work of both canonical and contemporary Black authors -- from Jamaica Kincaid and Toni Morrison to Dana Johnson and Alexia Arthurs. Divided into four themes -- Innocence, Belonging, Love, and Self-Discovery -- On Girlhood features fierce young protagonists who contend with trials that shape who they are and what they will become. At times heartbreaking and hilarious, the stories within push past flat stereotypes and powerfully convey the beauty of Black girlhood, resulting in an indispensable compendium for every home library.

"A compelling anthology that... results in a literary master class." -- Keishel Williams, Washington Post

"A beautiful and comforting patchwork quilt of stories from our literary contemporaries and foremothers." -- Ibi Zoboi, New York Times best-selling coauthor of Punching the Air

• We started tracking this book on March 12, 2021.
• This book was $9.99 when we started tracking it.
• The price of this book has changed 13 times in the past 1,863 days.
• The current price of this book is $9.99 last checked 5 hours ago.
• This book is at its lowest price in the past 90 days.
• This lowest price this book has been offered at in the past year is $2.99.
• The lowest price to date was $2.99 last reached on June 7, 2025.
• This book has been $2.99 2 times since we started tracking it.
• The highest price to date was $20.98 last reached on April 20, 2021.
• This book has been $20.98 one time since we started tracking it.

• Literature & FictionUnited StatesBlack & African AmericanWomen's Fiction
• Literature & FictionUnited StatesUnited States
• Literature & FictionGenre FictionAnthologies
• Literature & FictionUnited States
• Literature & FictionBlack & African AmericanWomen's Fiction

• Publication Date: October 26, 2021
• Text-to-Speech: Disabled
• Lending: Disabled
• Print Length: 210 Pages
• File Size: 12 KB