This is already so adorable and amazing and so very real. That feeling that your family can say terrible things about you but you just have to sit and take it because they're your elders? Man, I hated that growing up. And now that I'm grown, I don't take it anymore, and I hope Marlene stands up for herself immediately because I wish I had done so at her age! I'm living vicariously through you, Marlene! Don't let me down! Also, the fight over your own hair, this is such a real topic that so many families, particularly BIPOC families, deal with every day. The elders want you to look a certain way so that you present the image they want to the world, when you just wanna be you, ugh, the emotions this book is bringing out of me! Can't wait to read the rest of this, I'm going to request it already from my library to make sure they pre-order it!