Genesis Begins Again facts for kids
Quick facts for kids 
First edition
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| Author | Alicia D. Williams |
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| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Publisher | Atheneum |
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Publication date
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January 15, 2019 |
| Pages | 400 |
| Awards | Newbery Honor |
| ISBN | 978-1-4814-6580-9 |
Genesis Begins Again is a 2019 children's book by Alicia D. Williams. It tells the story of thirteen-year-old Genesis Anderson, whose family has been evicted several times from their home due to the father's gambling addiction. Genesis is also a victim of bullying and colorism, both at home and school, two recurring themes of the novel. Genesis Begins Again, Williams' debut novel, received general praise and won a Newbery Honor and "Steptoe Award for New Talent".
Plot
Genesis Anderson is a thirteen-year-old girl that lives in Detroit. Her father suffers from gambling addiction. While the two of them have dark skin color, Genesis' mother has a lighter skin. Genesis is constantly bullied by her schoolmates due the color of her skin, and she also blames herself for the troubles at home, to the point she keeps a list of all the things she thinks is wrong about her.
One day, Genesis manages to spend some time with some of the more popular girls of her school, and decides to invite them to her house. When they get there, the furniture had been thrown outside; her family had once again been evicted from their home due to her father not paying the rent. Genesis and her mother go stay with her grandmother and she begins attending a new school. While at home her grandmother repeats colorist ideologies, such as the use of the "paper bag test" to know if someone has a light enough skin pass as not black, at school Genesis is no longer bullied, she meets Troy, the love interest, and joins the chorus after finding out she has a talent for singing.
Genesis is encouraged to participate in the school's talent show, which her father goes to watch. He tells Genesis the reason why he developed his addiction, and tells her he's determined to battle it.
Major themes
One of the main themes in the novel is colorism and the consequences it can lead to the life of a young person. Genesis, the main character, is constantly bullied by her classmates, who call her names due to her darker skin color. Her father, also dark skinned, has a gambling addiction responsible for their family being evicted several times throughout her life.
Genesis' family on her mother's side, who are light skinned, believe in colorist ideologies, to the point they use the "paper bag test" to see if someone's skin is "light enough", which Genesis' isn't. Surrounded by a family struggling with housing and addiction, the main character ends up believing the only way to make things better is by straightening her hair and lightening her skin, which she does through excoriation.
Awards and nominations
Genesis Begins Again was a "Kirkus Prize" finalist and received a Newbery Honor in 2020. Williams also received the Author's "John Steptoe Award for New Talent", which serves to highlight new African American writers and illustrators of children's books.
The book was in Kirkus Reviews' list of "Best Books of 2019" and in the 2020 Association for Library Service to Children list of "Notable Children's Books".
