Book Review: The Skin I'm In

Flake, Sharon G. The Skin I'm In. New York: Hyperion Books for Children, 1998.

The skin I'm In, is a great book that I could not put down once I started reading it. The main character Maleeka, is tormented daily for her clothes, her good grades, and her dark skin. She is pushed around by a girl who claims to be her friend, and does things like this girl's homework in exchange for clothes to wear that aren't handmade by her mother. There is a new English teacher, Miss Saunders, who is a little different than the rest of the people in the school. Everyone can tell she has money, and she has a very distinguishing mark on her face that makes her the target for constant ridicule. She has also never been a teacher before. She forms a relationship with Maleeka where she tries to bring her true potential out. Maleeka is resistant to this, but ends up finding out that she has a hidden talent in writing. She then learns that this is a talent that she shares with her father who passed away.

This story is truly inspirational, and I feel that Maleeka is a character that anyone could relate to. In the beginning, Maleeka is a meek girl that has no self confidence. Throughout the book Maleeka begins to form her own identity and become more comfortable with the way she is. Through expectations that Miss Saunders places on the class, Maleeka learns that she has talents. She also learns that being smart and getting good grades is not as bad of a thing as her classmates make it out to be. On page 167, Maleeka says, "Call me by my name! I am not ugly. I am not stupid. I am Maleeka Madison, and ,yeah, I'm black, I'm real black, and if you don't like me then too bad 'cause black is the skin I'm in". I feel that this statement is very powerful and sends a great message to other girls who relate to Maleeka, as well as anyone who is not comfortable in their own skin. Maleeka could be a great role model for any teen.

The Skin I'm In is also a Coretta Scott King Award winning book.


For more information about Sharon G. Flake please visit:http://www.sharongflake.com/