Black Girls Must Die Exhausted: A Novel

Analyze the setting of Los Angeles. How is the city relevant to the novel’s major themes? Consider Tabby’s mixed feelings about gentrification, and examine how she benefits from economic growth in her childhood neighborhoods even as she loses important aspects of her past at the same time.

Why does Alexis act smug about her marriage and children while she spends time with Laila and Tabby? What societal commentary does the novel provide about the pride and limitations associated with the traditional roles of wife and mother?

How does Laila add dimension to the novel’s themes of cultural identity and heritage? What vulnerabilities and insecurities does Laila display, and how do these struggles influence her character development?

While the ramifications of systemic racism are starkly portrayed during both Officer Mallory’s traffic stop and Daequan’s ordeal, Tabby’s experiences also illustrate the subtler acts of discrimination that she faces daily. Analyze these events and microaggressions and examine Tabby’s response to each situation. How do these relatively minor interactions deeply affect Tabby on an emotional level?

What intricate dynamics have held Tabby back from reconciling with her father, and why does she still struggle to connect with Diane? Examine the layers of Tabby’s relationship with her sisters and decide how Tabby might be able to make a profound influence in their lives.

Examine Jeanie’s role as Tabby’s mother. How does her character add to the narrative’s commentary on motherhood?

Through Tabby’s weekly hair-straightening ritual with Denisha, Allen illustrates how people often limit themselves to society’s narrow definition of beauty standards. How else do the characters demonstrate these limitations, and how do they defy the expectations set by Eurocentric beauty standards?

Examine Tabby and Marc’s relationship. What evidence is there of Granny Tab’s assessment that Marc is the “rare type,” or a man who continues to be present in a relationship? Or conversely, what textual evidence suggests that he is not worthy of this description?