So what does hair have to do with this book? It doesn't really have much to do with it but there is a small excerpt that had me connect with it on a deeper level.
Everything, Everything
Is about a young girl that suffers from a disease that prevents her from going outside. Whenever she comes in contact with the outside world she gets sick. Essentially she is a girl that lives in a bubble.
It wouldn't be much of a story if there was a kink in the system. The kink the plan to keep her in the bubble, is a young man that moves in next to her and they fall in like... love.
What about the hair?
Yes, lets get back to hair. The main character is Black. I can't remember if she was multicultural or not, but she is Black and with that comes kinky curls. At the time, it was the first time I read a book with a character having hair similar to mine AND being described that way. Normally it's "curly hair..." which we all know that can mean a huge variety of curls.
The Scene... in a complete benign part, the author describes her hair as she is in water and when she comes out.
Like I said it's completely simple but it stuck with me because when my hair is wet it takes a while to actually get soaked and then when it does it's still very curly and tangled. My hair doesn't slick back into super straight and water kind of beads on my hair if it doesn't have a chance to get absorbed.
I just resonated with that description and it was a big reminder of how important it is for all of us to have representation in the books that we read.
So if you are a fan of the young adult(teens) romance book then definitely check out Everything, Everything. If you are teacher, definitely recommend to your students especially your Black and Brown girls.
If you need tips and ideas on what to do with your hair check this blog post on Nurturing Black Hair
Where can I get the book???
The library, start at your local library and check it out. It came out several years ago so it shouldn't have holds and if you can't find a library, then your local bookstore and if you can't find it there then do the Amazon route.
I don't like to read...
I got you... do audio books!! But, in any case there is a movie and it's cute but the BOOK IS WAY BETTER SO GET THAT BOOK.
About the Author
Nicola Yoon is former engineer turned author. When I learned this, I was even more excited because I'm a scientist too! She also has other books that are also equally amazing. Check out her website! (you can purchase too)
Happy Reading!
Ayla