What Staff Are Reading: The Other Black Girl

Meet Bob Abbey, adult services librarian at Forest Grove City Library. He offers research assistance, readers' advisory, and tech support. Besides managing the fiction and AV collections, he also coordinates in-person and virtual programs for adults. He's also a huge fan of graphic novels.

What are you currently reading?

The Other Black Girl by Zakiya Dalila Harris.

Why did you choose this book?

I received an advance reading copy back in March and it looked interesting. After I saw the book described as a literary mashup between Get Out and The Devil Wears Prada, I knew I had to read it!

How do you like it so far?

I’m about halfway through and I LOVE it. I immediately started casting the eventual series in my mind – and then saw that Hulu had optioned the book. They had better consult me before they get too far in that process …

Who is your favorite character from a comic book or graphic novel?

I’m a huge fan of Miles Morales, and I love the way his character both builds on and diverges from the standard Spider-Man tropes. For instance, Miles also has an influential uncle, but their relationship is very different from the one between Peter Parker and Ben. I also like how connected Miles is to his neighborhood and the people who live there.

If you could have any superpower, what would it be?

I’d really like to be able to take back anything I say that doesn’t land properly (or that I want to try out first before I commit). Kind of like a verbal Control + Z.