Who Put This Song On?

Disclaimer: I received this book for free from BookCon 2019 and Delacorte Press in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

I would like to open this review by touching briefly on how much I liked Morgan Parker’s writing style. This novel is poetic without being flowery and it all flows together so well. There was such an amazing balance of description, dialogue, and events and I never felt like I was being “told” something. There’s a lot of pop culture references here, as the book is partially autobiographical. Morgan Parker also has a great, if subtle, sense of humor that comes through in the constantly-falling-flat jokes. Nobody in the book seemed to think she was show more being funny, but I thought it was great.

Who Put This Song On? is not a girl power story. It’s not a black power story. It’s just… a story. And yes, Morgan’s race and gender are relevant, because they frame the way she is perceived by others and the way she defines herself. The main character in this book, is also named Morgan, so from here on out, know that if I say “Morgan” I’m talking about the character, but if I say “the author” I’m talking about the author. Otherwise, this is going to get confusing.

Okay.

In the intro to the book, the author states that she’s writing this because there must be other people like her who went through the same things she did. Struggling with her identity, yes, but also struggling with her mental health. This book deals with race, religion, and mental health in a very honest way. I could never understand what it feels like to be a black girl growing up in a very white, very religious suburban community. I am white, and as such, I have been privileged in ways that Morgan never was, and I have no right to claim any part of her story as reflective of my own. But. I can, however, empathize with how it felt to be surrounded by well-meaning, hurtful people at a formative time in my life. And I can empathize with the constant self-shaming and doubt and black cloud of depression at that age. And with the fear of the rapture thing.

I found myself wrapped up in her tale, nodding in agreement with many of Morgan’s sentiments, and being angry with some many of the cards dealt to her. This character is flawed, but she strives for honesty and there’s a lot of raw vulnerability here that made this book feel really important to me. This book is for anyone who has ever felt different for something beyond their control. I felt like the author was saying, “I see you, and you are not broken, and it is okay.” She made it feel okay to be sad, to be angry, to feel injustice and pain and embarrassment.

Furthermore, I really appreciate what she did with the ending. I don’t want to give too much away, but I feel like it’s one of those controversial endings that will frustrate people, but I also acknowledge what she did with it, and I respect that. I liked it.

Will this be a show-stopping, genre-changing novel? No. But it’s a really good story and the author does a wonderful job of telling it. It’s hard to explain, and on some level I feel like I have no right to be here, talking about this book in this way and saying how much I liked it because there’s a whole narrative about the Black Panthers and Morgan’s rage at subtle racisms. I love that these aspects are included, because they feel important. But they weren’t there for me and I don’t feel right talking about them. I can talk about the aspects of depression and Morgan’s daily struggle and I really liked that way that was dealt with and the encouragement about therapy and I thought all that was really good. I thought a lot of things were really good.

If you like books that aren’t afraid to touch on difficult topics, but can respect when those topics do not become the center point of the story… this is a really good book to read. This book is for anyone struggling, and those who have struggled. It’s a great story and I really liked it and I really just want to say thank you to Morgan Parker (author, not character) for sharing her story? Even with the fictional aspects, this is important. show less

Literary Merit: Good
Characterization: Great
Level: High School
Recommend: Yes

This book deserves way more hype because I hadn't even heard of it before needing to read it for work and it is awesome. It goes right up there with The Hate U Give, New Kid, Dear Martin, and The Poet X. This is a quieter, messier book largely based on the author's own experiences in high school.

Morgan is seeing a therapist for depression and I really like how the author put their sessions on the page and made it real, not overly life changing or a bad experience. The story takes place in 2008 in the month's leading up to Obama's election. I love the juxtaposition between America electing the first black president while Morgan experiences it from a mostly white show more Christian school navigating microaggressions and conservative teachers and peers. America can appear to have it all figured out while still having a very long way to go. I like that this book showed that everything is messy and we're all working on it. Morgan was learning about black history and her friends were figuring out how to support her.

This is one of the truest coming of age stories I've ever read because finding out how to fearlessly be yourself is at first very scary, complicated, isolating, and weird even with supportive family and friends. I hope this books finds readers looking to know more about the world and themselves. I hope it helps them feel less alone and gives them the vocabulary and examples to discuss hard topics with others, especially asking for help when things hurt. show less

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.

This is the debut novel from Morgan Parker. Parker is known for her poetry, esp. her recent collection, There Are More Beautiful Things Than Beyonce. This is listed as fiction but is based on Parker's real life. The main character is an African American teenaged girl, named Morgan, who lives in a predominantly white suburb, goes to a high school that doesn't teach Black History, listens to "white music" and has depression and fits of rage. The story is about identity, wanting to express your identity, both personally and in your work, (Morgan writes about topics in Black History for her History class and gets reprimanded by her teacher), mental health, writing and music. Morgan has great taste in music.
This was a pretty good book, the show more writing was somewhat simple, but the story had depth. show less

I haven’t related to an main character like this in a long time maybe even ever. Morgan Parker truly captures what it is like to be a Black teenage girl struggling with anxiety and depression. A genuine story told from genuine experiences.

teen fiction (emo Black girl dealing with depression and panic attacks in a Catholic school in very white Orange County; one of her friends is queer)
I read about 1/4 of the way through (60-some pages)--Morgan's character is hilarious, but nothing much was happening. Presumably she will make some progress with her therapy/medications, and presumably the flirt-texting with the dude from her art class will continue, but it didn't seem like anything was happening.

Too random and disjointed for me.