Her Story Book Club Is Reading "Black Girls Must Die Exhausted" by Jayne Allen

Black Girls Must Die Exhausted by Jayne Allen 

"If her opening salvo is any indication, Allen promises to show the relentlessness of the trauma Black women deal with every day leavened with the solidarity of friends who can relate.” -- New York Times Book Review

“Black Girls Must Die Exhausted encapsulates the infinite expectations and challenges thrown in the direction of Black women while also confronting the ways women are gaslit and thrown into impossible situations that they have no choice but to overcome. This is a novel about female friendship, the weight of the future, and learning to accept that you can want what you truly want.” -- Shondaland

The first novel in a captivating three-book series about modern womanhood, in which a young Black woman must rely on courage, laughter, and love—and the support of her two longtime friends—to overcome an unexpected setback that threatens the most precious thing she’s ever wanted.

Tabitha Walker is a black woman with a plan to “have it all.” At 33 years old, the checklist for the life of her dreams is well underway. Education? Check. Good job? Check. Down payment for a nice house? Check. Dating marriage material? Check, check, and check. With a coveted position as a local news reporter, a "paper-perfect" boyfriend, and even a standing Saturday morning appointment with a reliable hairstylist, everything seems to be falling into place.

Then Tabby receives an unexpected diagnosis that brings her picture-perfect life crashing down, jeopardizing the keystone she took for granted: having children. With her dreams at risk of falling through the cracks of her checklist, suddenly she is faced with an impossible choice between her career, her dream home, and a family of her own.

With the help of her best friends, the irreverent and headstrong Laila and Alexis, the mom jeans-wearing former "Sexy Lexi," and the generational wisdom of her grandmother and the nonagenarian firebrand Ms. Gretchen, Tabby explores the reaches of modern medicine and tests the limits of her relationships, hoping to salvage the future she always dreamed of. But the fight is all consuming, demanding a steep price that forces an honest reckoning for nearly everyone in her life. As Tabby soon learns, her grandmother's age-old adage just might still be true: Black girls must die exhausted.

"At its core, Black Girls Must Die Exhausted is about the never-ending series of demands that are constantly placed on Black women and how we are expected to manage them all without breaking a sweat."

- Black Girl Nerds