Such a Fun Age Book Review

Last updated on October 6, 2020

Such a Fun Age is a fictional book by Kiley Reid, released at the end of 2019. When we meet Emira, she’s 25. She comes from a family of creative people who all work with their hands. She didn’t know what to do so she went to university. When things were no clearer for her, she got part-time work including as a babysitter.

Emira ends up working several days a week for a white family in Philadelphia. She was mostly left to her own devices to do her work until a racist security guard accuses her of a crime because she was at the store late at night with Briar, the child she babysat.

This event is a turning point in Emira’s life, changing her relationship with her boss and bringing a love interest into her life.

Emira’s Character Development

Over the course of the book, we see Emira evolve from a confused young lady who feels self-conscious about the fact that she doesn’t have a “proper” job. She’s making her way in the world but it is difficult. She’s unassuming and quiet and doesn’t want to bother anyone. She enjoys spending time with her friends but worries about her finances so she accepts additional hours at her babysitting job.

It’s easy to mistake Emira’s quiet for a lack of passion or direction but she continues to babysit Briar because she loves the child. She wants to have a job that she can be proud of but hasn’t found the thing that captivates her.

As the book goes on, we get to know Emira, to see her thoughtful inquiry about life. She may not be sure about her end goal, but she’s taking action, making decisions and owning the consequences. She takes advantages of opportunities but doesn’t let anyone bully her.

Best Friends

I enjoyed seeing the relationship between Zara and Emira. At one point, Emira wonders how strong their friendship is and whether Zara sees her as a best friend. It’s nice to see the answer come out as yes.

Topical Issues

Such a Fun Age reveals the anti-Black racism of individuals and of society. It also shows a variety of Black people, from Alix’s rich Black friend who aggressively wants to fix Emira’s life and Emira’s successful friends to the struggling Emira.

Final Verdict

I loved reading Such a Fun Age. Although the topics are of an adult nature, it struck me as a young adult book. Not only is it pertinent to the conversations that have been necessary for years, especially in this day. It shows so clearly the ideas in one of my favourite essays, Racism is Terrible. Blackness is not. Through fiction, we can explore some of the social issues that exist. There are lots of issues in our world but fiction can allow us to process those issues differently, with less defensiveness and more grace.

I give this book 5 stars. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️