“The Misadventures of Awkward Black Girl” by Issa Rae

When I was growing up in the San Fernando Valley in the late 1970s we had a television with a 10-inch screen on our dining room table. It was not hidden tastefully inside a pine armoire; it was smack dab in the center of the dining room table. We watched television during all of our meals because that is how our dad paid the bills, by producing shows like “The Odd Couple,” and “Happy Days.” It was not a mystery to us because he would say things like, “I sold a new show called ‘Laverne & Shirley’ today so Penny gets a job, your mother can buy that new roof she has been asking for, and I can buy a new basketball net.” Thirty years after I moved out of my parents’ house I am still celebrating television, and I appreciate when someone gets a hit show because they can then buy a new air conditioner. One talented newcomer to television is Issa Rae and her TV show  “Insecure,” which will enter its second season on HBO later this summer. Born Jo-Issa Rae Diop in 1985 to Senegalese-American parents, she burst on the scene first with her YouTube show “Awkward Black Girl,” which drew 20 million views and more than 260,000 subscribers. This book is about her life growing up in California and Maryland, going to several different private schools, and later to Stanford. She shares funny stories about her siblings, parents and the fact she always feels plus-or-minus 30 pounds. Her tales are quirky, self-effacing, and charming. She makes it cool to feel anxious and at the same time celebrates the insecurities inside all of us. Her memoir about wanting to fit in, but always feeling uncomfortable and different, is a triumph of spirit, color, gender and humor. My dad always said in order to truly become a big success in television; you have to learn all of the jobs and become a writer, producer, director and actor. If that is the case, then Issa Rae is well on her way to a bright future in television and publishing. To purchase this book on Amazon click here.