You can easily read Frizzy in a day, but you'll be thinking about it for longer than that. This fun, heartfelt graphic novel captures the spirit of a Black middle school girl trying to come to terms with social and familial expectations, which are embodied in her struggles with her hair. Marlene's "bad hair" is what we see in frequent articles about dress code controversies - it's naturally big, curly, and frizzy. The struggle between her inner vision of what she could look like versus the painful weekly trips to the salon to have it straightened are mixed in with school bullies and a mean cousin, creating scenes where you feel her powerlessness in your gut, and the unfairness of the longstanding family dynamics. I especially liked how Marlene points out the contrast in adults saying "be yourself" and "beauty is on the inside" while simultaneously making a huge deal about her appearance and asking her to tone herself down for the world.