Who Put This Song On?, Morgan Parker
Who Put This Song On?, Morgan Parker
List: $25.00 | Sale: $17.50
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Who Put This Song On?

Author: Morgan Parker

Narrator: Bahni Turpin, Morgan Parker, Jorjeana Marie, Michael Crouch, Bailey Carr, Tim Andrés Pabon, Dan Bittner

Unabridged: 9 hr 9 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Published: 09/24/2019


Synopsis

"Unflinchingly irreverent, laugh-out-loud funny, and heartbreakingly honest." —Elizabeth Acevedo, National Book Award winner and New York Times bestselling author of The Poet X

In the vein of powerful reads like The Hate U Give and The Poet X, comes poet Morgan Parker's pitch-perfect novel about a black teenage girl searching for her identity when the world around her views her depression as a lack of faith and blackness as something to be politely ignored.

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?

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.

"Morgan Parker put THIS song on--and I hope it never turns off." —Nic Stone, New York Times bestselling author of Dear Martin and Odd One Out

“A triumphant first impression in the YA space.” —Entertainment Weekly

“An incredibly heartfelt, deep story about a girl's coming of age.” —Refinery29

About The Author

Morgan Parker is the author of Magical Negro (Tin House Books 2019), There Are More Beautiful Things Than Beyoncé (Tin House Books 2017), and Other People's Comfort Keeps Me Up at Night (Switchback Books 2015). Her debut book of nonfiction will be released in 2020 by One World. Parker received her bachelor's degree in anthropology and creative writing from Columbia University and her master's in poetry from NYU. Her poetry and essays have been published and anthologized in numerous publications, including the Paris Review; The BreakBeat Poets: New American Poetry in the Age of Hip-Hop; Best American Poetry 2016; the New York Times; and the Nation. Parker is the recipient of a 2017 National Endowment for the Arts Literature Fellowship, winner of a 2016 Pushcart Prize, and a Cave Canem graduate fellow. Find her online at morgan-parker.com and on Twitter at @morganapple.


Reviews

Goodreads review by Adam on September 27, 2019

Out Today: I came into this YA novel as a huge fan of Parker's poetry, so I'm not surprised that the language shines or that the imagery is fantastic. But more: the plot is gripping and relatable - a girl, an outsider, stuck in suburbia, wanting to break free, trapped in many ways. Beyond the excell......more

Goodreads review by Kathy - Books & Munches on September 22, 2019

TRIGGERS: Panic attacks, use of alcohol and drugs, homophobia, racism, talk about suicidal thoughts and suicide, pregnancy scare, attempted sexual abuse (cut short but still..) REPS: LGBTQIA+, anxiety, depression, African American, Christianity REVIEW Once I got more into the story - more on the start......more

Goodreads review by Emma on September 29, 2019

Rtc Rating: 🌟🌟 (2/5 stars). Eh I truly didn't like this. I hate to say that about a book that's the fictionalized version of her life but this wasn't good. I wasn't particularly attached to anyone or anything. And everything felt just so random and disjointed. Also what was the point of this novel?......more

Goodreads review by Mya Matteo on July 25, 2019

This was SO GOOD. It's 2008 and Morgan is a black girl amidst a mostly all-white suburb struggles with racism, depression, liking boys who only like white girls, and finding her place. Really amazing stuff. Finished reading in 2 days! What a fantastic debut novel by Morgan Parker. Can't wait to see......more

Goodreads review by Amber on October 02, 2019

Sometimes it’s worth staying up until 2 in the morning to finish a book. This is one of those. It’s been a long time since I’ve felt so completely able to just be okay with Who I Am. Loved this book. Everyone should read it.......more


Quotes

Praise for Who Put This Song On?:

"Lovely, honest, wrenching and funny—a tribute to music, survival and the power of finding beautiful moments of 'temporary escape.'" —New York Times Book Review

Poignant yet humorous.” —
Essence

“Funny and frank, Morgan Parker's Who Put This Song On? is a must-read in contemporary YA." —Bustle

"A funny, clever, wild ride
 of a story about growing up and breaking free." —Kirkus Reviews, Starred Review

★"This fresh read provides a positive and inclusive take on mental health and wellness and offers readers some tools to survive on their own.”Booklist, Starred Review

“Drawing on her own teen experiences, Parker (There Are More Beautiful Things Than Beyoncé for adults) adroitly touches upon matters of respectability and ‘presentableness,’ stigmas against discussing mental health issues in the black community and among young adults, and internalized and societal racism.” —Publishers Weekly, Starred Review

“Parker has rendered a brilliant debut of black girlhood and mental health, at turns unflinchingly irreverent, laugh-out-loud funny, and heartbreakingly honest.” —Elizabeth Acevedo, National Book Award winner and New York Times bestselling author of The Poet X
 
“It’s rare to find a book that aptly balances the comedy and tragedy of being human. Morgan Parker put THIS song on—and I hope it never turns off.” —Nic Stone, New York Times bestselling author of Dear Martin and Odd One Out
 
“As a weird, depressed, Radiohead-obsessed black post-teen myself, it’s clear Morgan ripped my heart out and splattered it across the pages of this book. It’s perfect.” —Samantha Irby, New York Times bestselling author of We Are Never Meeting in Real Life.


Praise for Magical Negro:
 
“2019 justly belongs to Morgan Parker . . . [she] is one of this generation’s best minds.” —Danez Smith, T Magazine

"Nothing short of triumphant.” —NYLON

“A desperately urgent work of poetry.” —Booklist