Wash Day Diaries

Product Information

I liked the designs of all the characters, I really liked the color palate, and I highly enjoyed the details that came out when focusing on the different Black hair styles that our characters had. I really appreciated seeing how the friends rallied together to make sure the girl who was suffering was ok. Every story hit my heart in a different way and I loved spending time with each of these characters.

Wash Day Diaries - Seattle Public Library - OverDrive Wash Day Diaries - Seattle Public Library - OverDrive

The details of the hair routines were impeccable, clearly love and intimate knowledge went into them. This book tackled a couple hard topics, such as depression, in a way that didn’t make you sad, but just made you see life as it is for different types of Black women. I didn’t have that tight community again until college when I found all the other Black girls on campus. There are a lot of relatable day things, like dudes hitting on you, or getting dirty looks on the bus.I used to be a portrait artist, so I care a lot about faces… I’m 28 and spent the majority of my life in Jamaica. A young adult graphic novel about high school wallflower Belle Hawkins, who ends up in a love triangle after tutoring the girlfriend of her crush.

WASH DAY DIARIES’ Jamila Rowser and Robyn Smith - Nerdist

Colour is thoughtfully applied to each entry to capture the emotional beats and tone of its themes, while Smith’s art employs a naturalism that is never a slave to overt realism. Each story lovingly depicts their hair care rituals while also revealing the soulful mundanity of the processes they engage in to care for themselves and others. their togetherness is a comfort to her, though, and the book ends on a positive and supportive note.The motif of wash day— as the women wash their own hair and others’, go to the salon, and get braids—invites the reader into the rhythm of their lives, with welcome inclusivity of queer romance, as well as non romantic story lines. A gorgeous character-driven collection of interconnected graphic short stories about four Black women in the Bronx, focusing on their hair routines as a starting point for looking at different aspects of their lives: dating, mental health, work, friendship, and family relationships.

Wash Day Diaries – Jamila Rowser and Robyn Smith Provide Us Wash Day Diaries – Jamila Rowser and Robyn Smith Provide Us

Whether it’s the braids, the twist outs, or even just our bonnets, it was all magnificent to see depicted in such a celebratory way! I don’t want there to be another incident where they’re talking about my hair and I'm very confused as to why that’s a topic of their concern. A middle grade graphic novel about Marlene, a young girl who stops straightening her hair and embraces her natural curls. It revolves around their "wash day," or the day they take off to do hair stuff, but each chapter is also a vignette of the other things going on in their lives. I came with my hair washed, detangled, and ready to be braided — but the hairstylist refused, stating I had oil on my scalp that prevented her from braiding.It’s not clear whether Davene ends up taking the meds despite Cookie’s statements, but that uncertainty (and also how much Cookie’s opinions track with real people’s opinions about crystals and medication) was really the only moment that pulled me from the magic of Wash Day Diaries. I really enjoyed learning about this part of culture and seeing all the different ways this day can be experienced. The brevity of each scene, by necessity of the format, also captures how you can't always dwell on everything. I loved how the author incorporated each woman’s hair routine or styling into their day to day lives and issues. Last but not least, Cookie goes to visit her estranged abuela and they reconcile, even if abuela doesn’t remember it.