Black Girls Must Die Exhausted is a contemporary fiction novel that follows Tabitha “Tabby” Walker, a young Black journalist navigating the pressures of her career, a complicated romantic relationship, family challenges, and unexpected fertility struggles. It is the first book in Jayne Allen’s trilogy, followed by Black Girls Must Be Magic and Black Girls Must Have It All.
This story captures not only the experiences of women, but more specifically, the unique struggles and triumphs of Black women. It provides the relatability of having to juggle so many things in life while simultaneously trying to succeed. Additionally, it portrays how we can reach the highest of highs while simultaneously enduring the lowest of lows.
Throughout the novel, Tabby experiences this repeatedly. Happiness always seems just within her grasp yet somehow remains out of reach.
In the first half of the book, Tabby finds herself surrounded by the toxicities of romantic relationships, while navigating one of her own.
She finds herself stuck in a cycle with her boyfriend, who is hesitant about taking the next step in their relationship. Her experience shows the danger of compromising and how crucial it is to be with someone who shares your vision for the future, rather than someone uncertain about the life you hope to build together.
The novel offers a realistic portrayal of how understanding someone’s background can open a gateway to empathy. After learning details about her father’s childhood from her grandmother, Tabby begins to see him in a new light, softening her feelings of abandonment that stemmed from his infidelity and remarriage.
It is a great example of showing how important having conversations is. Although she began to learn things about her father through her grandmother and realize the importance of open conversations, the lack of honesty and openness ultimately drives her and her friends further apart as the story progresses.
As a journalist, it’s important to be a voice for the voiceless, which is something Tabby consistently kept at the forefront of her career.
She strived to serve as an outlet for her community while resisting the limitations of being labeled solely as “the Black journalist” who only covers stories about the Black or urban community. Earning a promotion at her station was something she had worked tirelessly toward, wanting to be recognized for her talent and dedication—not simply as a Black journalist, but as a great journalist. Although Tabby ultimately received the promotion over her counterparts, not long after, her happiness from the promotion was quickly subdued by the critiques of her boss about how she has been going about her career and that she basically got the promotion because her boss sees her potential.
Tabby first took this advice in a negative way but after talking to her family and friends it motivated her. When I originally read this, I didn’t understand her frustration with receiving news like this. I think it’s important to have individuals in your life who can see your potential and confront you when they think you aren’t performing to the best of your ability, which is exactly what Tabby’s boss was doing.
While Tabby was navigating her career, she was also forced to confront her fertility issues. The novel did a great job in bringing up realistic issues some women face, as Tabby had to debate whether to use the money she had been saving up for a down payment on her house to instead freeze her eggs.
Although the book addresses real and relatable issues that can make readers feel seen, some of the characters lack depth. I would have loved to learn more about Tabby’s mother, as well as understand why her friend resorted to such an extreme decision as attempting to take her own life after being involved with a married man.
Additionally, I wish Tabby had shared with her father the things her grandmother revealed about his childhood. There were several narrative avenues the story could have explored further, which I hope the next two books in the trilogy will develop in some way. I understand that this novel serves as the beginning of a trilogy, making it cliffhanger of an ending somewhat acceptable. With Tabby being pregnant, reconciling with the drama among her friends, and leaving unresolved questions about her relationships with both her father and her ex-boyfriend, Marc, the “resolution” leaves a lot to be desired.
As women, we face a lot of pressures that often make it feel as though a clock is hovering over us every single day, and this is something readers see clearly in Tabby’s life. Especially as young adults, we constantly struggle with questions like: How do we maintain time for our friendships? How do we prove our worth at work without being confined to the limitations of gender? How do we ensure we have enough time to start a family?
Juggling all these responsibilities can be exhausting, and seeing Tabby navigate these challenges can be both validating and insightful for many women.
Delivered by Chloe Cowans
