Nella, a young editorial assistant, loves her job but feels isolated as the only Black person in her department. She actively works to promote and educate her company about diversity. But, things don’t change very quickly until Hazel is hired.
Hazel is a dynamic young woman who quickly embeds herself into the office culture. She also befriends Nella by promoting a hair product that she says really works. What so special about this product? Just wait. She manages to make friends and create allies among co-workers that Nella couldn’t crack. What does she do? How has she assimilated into the office so easily?
In what starts off as a long-winded narrative of office politics, the narrative slowly maneuvers into a potboiler. Hazel invites Nella to Curl Central. Who are all these people? Will this friendship be healthy or toxic? It’s anybody’s guess until the last paragraph.
“With heightened awareness of cultural sensitivity comes great responsibility. If we’re not careful, ‘diversity’ might become an item people start checking off a list and nothing more—a shallow, shadowy thing with but one dimension.”
Zakiya Dalila Harris, The Other Black Girl
Librarian a la mode 