Shay Youngblood

I fell in love with the cover of this book. I only wish the contents were as amazing.

"A name, a birthday an entire life can be invented, and that being so, can be changed."

Eden left her simple life in a small town to start a new life in Paris. She has thoughts of being a writer. While in Paris, she is often daydreaming about all the other African-American expat writers that came to the city before her. Her main goal is to locate the most famous of all these writers, James Baldwin.

The relationships Eden was in and the jobs she held while in Paris were complex and at times risky. Some were interesting. Others were strange and undeveloped. Eden went to Paris to develop creatively but ended up simply trying to survive.… (mere)

I'd never heard of this book when I got it out of the library. I simply picked it up because I liked the cover art. I didn't even read the blurb on the back to find out what it was about. Black Girl in Paris was a pleasant surprise. This book is about a young black woman who moves to Paris to follow in the footsteps of her literary heroes, mainly James Baldwin.

The story describes her struggle to survive in a foreign city with no work papers and no money. During her time there she has a variety of odd jobs including artist model, nanny, and poet's helper. At one point she even ends up befriending a thief and learning how to steal what she needs.

I liked reading about an account of living in Paris that looked beyond the romantic setting at the hard cold realities of living in the city. I loved reading about the eclectic cast of characters she meets during her stay.

The writing is straight forward and beautiful. I didn't feel compelled to skim any of it. That's something I'm guilty of doing when I think an author is getting a bit too carried away explaining the details.

I'd definitely recommend this book.… (mere)