Kirkus
Copyright © Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.

A collection of short stories focused on the way teens get caught up in the need to be a part of a couple for identity in today's world. Most of the stories are told from the female perspective, but not all. In fact, the last entry is really a letter from a father who has not been a part of his daughter's life. Daddy tells his daughter what boys are really like, and what he wishes her mother had known years ago when they were together. Each story has a strength and point of view different from the others. The result of all the stories together is more than the sum of their parts, but a call to both sexes to think and respect each other more. Fortunately, Flake's handling of her theme is not didactic and paternalistic, but shines with an awareness of the real-life social, emotional, and physical pressures that teens feel about dating. Characters are vividly present, as each story seems to jump into life exploring not just the sexual tension, but race and class as well. Honest and valuable. (Fiction. YA) Copyright ©Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.

Publishers Weekly
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Compilations of short stories and actual interviews lay bare teenage trials. Sharon G. Flake (The Skin I'm In) offers 10 portraits of teens and their romantic struggles in Who Am I Without Him? A girl gets a surprise response when she writes to a magazine advice column in "Wanted: A Thug," while a boy robs a house to be able to afford to take a girl to the prom in "Don't Be Disrespecting Me." The often-painful stories paint believable pictures of urban teens from a variety of backgrounds. (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved

Book list
From Booklist, Copyright © American Library Association. Used with permission.

Gr. 6-12. Hilarious and anguished, these 10 short stories about growing up black today speak with rare truth about family, friends, school, and especially about finding a boyfriend. Erika is a ghetto girl who likes white boys; she can't help it, and the other black kids in school can't stand her, because they know. Class is a big issue for Erin, who steals clothes so he can take a suburban girl to the homecoming dance. The church girls are forbidden to date, and they get hurt when they go hunting for boys. But their well-meaning parents don't have it right, and the girls won't stop looking. As with Janet MacDonald's fiction, the talk here is wild, angry, and outrageous, but there's no overt sex or obscenity. Yes, there are messages, but the narrative is never preachy or uplifting; it's honest about the pain. When one girl's boyfriend hits her, she apologizes just like my momma does when daddy slaps her. The best advice comes from a dad who abandoned his family, who now tells his teenage daughter how to avoid getting stuck with someone like him (you is so much more than a pretty face and a tight pair of jeans, some boy's girlfriend or some man's wife ). Not everyone makes it. The stories work because Flake never denies the truths of poverty, prejudice, and failure. --Hazel Rochman Copyright 2004 Booklist

Horn Book
(c) Copyright The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

These stories go right to the deepest longings, fears, and needs of teens. In ten first-person narratives, Flake holds back nothing but judgment, allowing these young black women and men plenty of room for missteps in their search for love and self-esteem. Flake considers the particular dynamics of relationships for black adolescents while addressing issues central to all teenage lives with insight and humor. (c) Copyright 2010. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted. All rights reserved.

School Library Journal
(c) Copyright Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

Gr 7 Up-Written in the vernacular of urban African-American teens, which Flake captures flawlessly, these 10 stories have universal themes and situations. Some are funny and uplifting; others, disturbing and sad. In "So I Ain't No Good Girl," a teen wants to be with a good-looking popular boy, so much so that she tolerates his disrespect and abuse. In "Wanted: A Thug," Melody writes to a columnist for advice on how to steal a friend's boyfriend, unaware that the friend is the columnist's younger sister. Two of the stories are told from a boy's point of view. The concluding story, "A Letter to My Daughter," in which an absent father gives his daughter his advice about boys and men is sad, poignant, and loving. Flake has a way of teaching a lesson without seeming to do so. Addressing issues and situations that many girls face in today's often complex society, this book is provocative and thought-provoking.-Mary N. Oluonye, Shaker Heights Public Library, OH (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.