Homebodies

I loved this book, mostly because it made me feel so many things. Mickey is a young Black woman, working in media. Her job can be tedious and she isn’t getting to write the stories she wants to write, but she has a supportive girlfriend and a fun, vibrant life that comes from her flashy job. When she finds out that she is being replaced, her whole world is upended. She takes to Twitter, posting a letter that outlines the racism she’s experienced as a Black woman working in media. When the letter is met with silence (even from her girlfriend), Mickey unravels and retreats to her hometown. There, she settles into a quieter life at her grandmother’s house (save for a flirtation from her ex), able to reflect and start to heal from the trauma that has come with working in the industry she loves – that doesn’t love her back. Just as things start to slow down a little and Mickey has caught her breath, things are upended again. When a scandal erupts at her old company, her letter is suddenly getting a lot of attention. Suddenly, everyone wants to talk to her. She is thrown into the spotlight and forced to make hard decisions.