The Only Black Girl in the Room

A Novel

By: Alex Travis

Narrated by: Joniece Abbott-Pratt

An ambitious reporter stuck doing diversity checks for her white colleagues gets her big break in this compelling debut novel perfect for fans of Jayne Allen, Jasmine Guillory, and Zakiya Dalila Harris.

Genevieve Francis, a 25-year-old Black reporter, assumed she’d go into her fourth year at her newspaper job with a bigger story than the latest seasonal ice cream flavor. Instead, she’s relegated to doing copy edits and sensitivity reads on the articles her white colleagues write. So when Gen finally gets the opportunity to cover a prominent CEO’s gala, she leaps at the chance—this will be her biggest assignment to date. The only problem: The CEO is her ex, Jude, whose marriage proposal she publicly rejected four years prior.

Following their awkward run-in, Jude personally requests Gen to write the first ever authorized profile of him. The potential for scandal, if anyone digs into their past, is high, but Gen decides to risk it—if she proves herself with this profile, it could jumpstart her dream of writing articles centered on Black voices. But between the racist backlash from her colleagues and her conflicting feelings toward her ex, Gen soon realizes she’s in way over her head. And it may be more than just her career on the line.

Timely and thoughtful, this energetic debut explores what it means to believe in your future when everyone and everything is working against you.

©2024 Alexandria Travis Delehanty. (P)2024 Brilliance Publishing, Inc., all rights reserved.

Critic reviews

“Gen is an authentic protagonist caught in the crosshairs of her racist employer, her love for Jude, and her dedication to her career. Readers will root for her through every page.”—Booklist

“Incisive, witty, and full of heart, The Only Black Girl in the Room beautifully captures the frustration, anguish and triumph of coming into oneself in life and love as a Black woman in majority white spaces. A must-read!”—Shirlene Obuobi, author of On Rotation

“With sharp wit and heartfelt honesty, The Only Black Girl in the Room is a powerful debut. Alex Travis perfectly depicts the complexities of being a twentysomething Black woman striving to succeed in a broken system. Anyone who has ever felt overlooked or singled out will find Gen’s journey inspiring and empowering.”—Shauna Robinson, author of The Banned Bookshop of Maggie Banks

The struggle of reporters in the field of journalism

Overall good read and interesting story line. I will recommend to
Other readers. And will
Look for future works by this author

Powerful topics

It was overall ok but them co workers and Adam got off too easy for me and I was mad at Gen for always taking it on the chin…

Loved this engaging 1st novel!

I thoroughly enjoyed this book!! It was truthful, engaging and hopeful. I saw my own generic experiences as a black professional female and learned some interesting components of professional journalism.
The reader was excellent too!

Looking forward to authors next creation.

Non cliché Love Story

I really enjoyed this reading. I finds it particularly interesting that Jude and Jen didn’t immediately get back together.
There was just enough drama and excitement as well. Wish the author would have given us an ending to the Kaitlyn story. Not having it didn’t ruin the book though. Great and fast read!

Long Book About Nothing

I should have read the description. I love books about black people by black people read by black people. However, the book has little substance.