Citation: Iloh, C. (2020). Every body looking. Dutton Books for Young Readers.
Content Warning: Drug use, drug addiction, abuse.
Candice Iloh allows the readers into her mind and life through this semi-autobiographical verse form novel that follows Ada, a young Black woman in her first year of college. Readers learn about the pressure Ada is under as the family peacekeeper, as she juggles her father’s traditional beliefs and lifestyle, and her mother who deals with drug use and addiction. Told through flashbacks, the free verse allows a certain element of freedom to both the reader and for Ada herself. Ada finds herself navigating the traditional Nigerian beliefs of her father, her life in college and her love of dance (that is rediscovered and rediscovered).