Suddenly, unexpected opportunities began emerging throughout the entertainment industry. But the momentum dissolved as quickly as it first came. I was left shaken, disoriented. How had I failed after such early success? It was in that space of confusion and despair I received a call from a young editor at Macmillan. She had read an article about me in the Dartmouth Alumni Magazine and thought I had something special to say. “You’d be such an inspiration to young people,” she said.

Not once had I ever imagined writing books for young adults, and yet I was propelled forward by forces much bigger than me. I accepted her invitation to write my first book, Black Girl Unlimited: The Remarkable Story of a Teenage Wizard. In doing so, I made the biggest discovery of my life: my sense of purpose. It was now my job to mine the experiences of my life for nuggets of truth to inspire younger readers. It was my job to make sense of so much pain and strife, but also to recognize the many lessons, wisdom, and strength.

This is how my words have found their way to you. Through a combination of faith, honoring my inner voice, and bowing to forces beyond my control, I have reached the right path. I am doing exactly what I was called to do. My gratitude for this work is immeasurable. My connection to you, the reader, is prophetic and profound. I hope this book—the gift of my soul—inspires awakening in you also.

DISCUSSION GUIDE QUESTIONS

1. As one of the few Black students, Echo goes into her freshman year at Dartmouth feeling watched and judged by her peers. How does Echo try to combat the constant staring? How effective is her way of doing things?

2. Who are the Defiance to Echo, and why do you think they are portrayed as archetypes of people in the Black community?

3. Why is Echo so adamant about finding her white Prince Charming? What does her desperation to be romantically accepted by a white person mean for her own perceptions of her self-worth?

4. Echo constantly struggles with the belief that she doesn’t belong anywhere and can never really be herself. In what aspects of her life do you see her using performance as a form of survival? What is the emotional toll on Echo of always portraying the opposite of what she’s feeling or thinking?

5. Discuss Echo’s relationship with Christianity. In what ways does she distance herself from religious belief? Do you think her standpoint on it changes by the end of the book?

6. What sorts of pressures does Echo feel as a first-generation college student? Why does she feel she cannot share what she has been going through at Dartmouth with her family back in Cleveland?