Black Boy Joy

17 Stories Celebrating Black Boyhood

By: Kwame Mbalia - editor

Narrated by: Amir Abdullah, Taj Leahy

Celebrate the joys of Black boyhood with stories from seventeen bestselling, critically acclaimed Black authors--including Jason Reynolds (the Track series), Jerry Craft (New Kid), and Kwame Mbalia (the Tristan Strong series)!

Black boy joy is…

Picking out a fresh first-day-of-school outfit.
Saving the universe in an epic intergalactic race.
Finding your voice—and your rhymes—during tough times.
Flying on your skateboard like nobody’s watching.

And more! From seventeen acclaimed Black male and non-binary authors comes a vibrant collection of stories and poems about the power of joy and the wonders of Black boyhood.

Contributors include: B. B. Alston, Dean Atta, P. Djèlí Clark, Jay Coles, Jerry Craft, Lamar Giles, Don P. Hooper, George M. Johnson, Varian Johnson, Kwame Mbalia, Suyi Davies Okungbowa, Tochi Onyebuchi, Julian Randall, Jason Reynolds, Justin Reynolds, DaVaun Sanders, and Julian Winters


Cover illustration by Kadir Nelson

Critic reviews

An Amazon Best Book of 2021
A Washington Post Best Book of 2021
A Boston Globe Best Book of 2021
A New York Public Library Best Book of 2021
A Chicago Public Library Best Book of 2021
A Kirkus Reviews Best Book of 2021
A Publishers Weekly Best Book of 2021
A School Library Journal Best Book of 2021
A BookPage Best Book of 2021

"From stories to poetry and comics, Black Boy Joy has something for every type of reader."—The New York Times Book Review

★ "Luminous . . . Filtering perennial subjects such as friendships, gender identity, and family through the lenses of magic, science, space travel, superheroes, and more, this is an exuberant celebration of carefree Black experiences; while it will especially resonate with Black readers, any reader will appreciate how this genre-bending collection expands the horizons of what joy for Black boys can be."—Publishers Weekly, starred review

★ "This book is a must-have in every collection for its variety of topics and its celebration of Black boyhood in all its forms."—School Library Journal, starred review

★ "In a world where Black boys' stories are often tragedies, statistics, and stereotypes, this work surely reclaims ownership over the boldness, creativity, and wholeness they possess." —Booklist, starred review

★ “Some are humorous, some are poignant, but all are compelling reading... A unique, timely, and necessary read.” —Kirkus Reviews, starred review

★ "This anthology for middle-graders is beautifully and unapologetically written, allowing anyone, regardless of age, sex or race, to feel a sense of pride and joy in being true to themselves."—Shelf Awareness, starred review

“A book that in addition to celebrating joy reminds readers that getting excited and caring—about people, about stuff—is cool and rewarding.” —The Bulletin

"Honest and fresh . . . Black Boy Joy is a treasure to share and return to again and again."—BookPage

This Book was a Joy!

Listened to this book during carpool drives with 2 black boys. We enjoyed it! Each story made all of us smile. I would buy full book versions of some of the stories in a heartbeat.

A joy to read!

I enjoyed Black Boy Joy. It’s like the beginning of 17 books I would love to read and share with black boys on their journey to becoming men.

Black Boy Joy

I am always excited to hear stories about flying in planes, so the story about the grandson and granddad taking a flight warmed my heart.

Not just for Black boys

Such a wonderful story of joy! The stories are very diverse; they make you laugh, make you feel sadness, some are fantastical and all are just cool. It was a pleasure to read & to listen to the audible. Everyone should read this book.

Extraordinary Tales of Exuberance!!!

Black Boy Joy grades away the dense sediment of pain and dismal prospects that the entertainment industry at large has placed on our childhood, and excavates out the pure jubilation that is our youthful existence. All authors capture the joyfulness that comes with childhood with the use of imagination, whimsy, finding happiness where ever it can be found, and just the pure bliss of knowing, being, and sometimes even the introduction of oneself. Black children, boys in particular, are often robbed of the public showcase of their joy, but this tome radiates rapture in its most idealized form. Some stories play to the imagination, while others ground the listener into the 'now,' but all are age appropriate, taking situations that are less than ideal, and finding the utter jocundity in them. No curses, no sexual situations, and no violence. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED for all ages.