ARC Review: “Who Put This Song On?” by Morgan Parker

“Who Put This Song On?” by Morgan Parker

Publishing Date: September 24, 2019

Genre: YA, Contemporary, Fiction

Page Length: 336 pages (electronic review edition)

Synopsis:

Trapped in sunny, stifling, small-town suburbia, seventeen-year-old Morgan knows why she’s in therapy. She can’t count the number of times she’s been the only non-white person at the sleepover, been teased for her “weird” outfits, and been told she’s not “really” black. Also, she’s spent most of her summer crying in bed. So there’s that, too.

Lately, it feels like the whole world is listening to the same terrible track on repeat–and it’s telling them how to feel, who to vote for, what to believe. Morgan wonders, when can she turn this song off and begin living for herself?

Life may be a never-ending hamster wheel of agony, but Morgan finds her crew of fellow outcasts, blasts music like there’s no tomorrow, discovers what being black means to her, and finally puts her mental health first. She decides that, no matter what, she will always be intense, ridiculous, passionate, and sometimes hilarious. After all, darkness doesn’t have to be a bad thing. Darkness is just real.

Loosely based on her own teenage life and diaries, this incredible debut by award-winning poet Morgan Parker will make readers stand up and cheer for a girl brave enough to live life on her own terms–and for themselves. (description from Goodreads)

Review:

Who Put This Song On? follows the story of Morgan who is a girl who lives with depression, anxiety, and feels like a constant outsider. She’s one of the very few minority students at the school and on top of that, people place her into the typical Black girl stereotype. She loves indie emo music, wearing quirky outfits, and is nerdy.

I’ve lost track of how many times I’ve been told I’m not really black, how many times I’ve been the only black girl at the sleepover, the only black person in the mosh pit, the only black person in the theater for The Squid and the Whale, or the only person at all who listens to Sunny Day Real Estate. I get that I’m not like black people on TV, and I don’t only listen to rap or dress like any of my cousins, but being unique and depressed doesn’t change my skin color.

Morgan is on a journey of self discovery that is raw and emotional. She finds it hard to define what is considered normal when she is already dealing with depression and anxiety. To help with this she journals, goes to therapy, and finds a system of support in her family and friends. She goes through a process and slowly realizes that everything won’t change overnight and that she has to work at her own pace for healing.

The novel is read like a diary and each chapter felt like a personal essay of some sorts. The overall tone of the novel is emotional, snarky, and somewhat humorous even though the story tackles some heavy subjects. I felt like the story is relatable and talks about how mental illness is stigmatized in the black community. I thought the narrative important because lots of Black women of all ages are going through the same things Morgan is.

From the first page of this novel really felt as if I could relate to Morgan’s character. I shared some of the shared experiences from the school she goes to, music she likes, being a Blerd, and being labeled as something you’re not. I appreciate how personal this book felt and how the author pulls from her own experiences. Some YA books with mental illness as the main topic have the “love cures all” trope and I appreciated that this book isn’t. The love interests are there but the story isn’t heavily focused on the romance.

All in all, there is no happy ending but rather a open ending that suggests that Morgan is still on her path to finding her “normalcy” in life that she working on. Among depression and anxiety, this book tackles issue if racism, drug abuse. It very heavy but is filled with lighter moments. I think this was such difficult but important read Morgan journey of self love shows readers that self-love is a long journey.

Final Verdict: