Book Review: Cookie — A Fort Worth Story

Those of you that follow my writing might realize I’ve gotten off my beaten path with this book. I normally read, and write about; history, race, education, and politics. Never before have you seen me write about anything resembling, “Cookie: A Fort Worth Story.” I am so unaccustomed to reading, let alone writing about this genre that I’m not sure how to classify it. It’s definitely urban, involves romance, and is a coming-of-age story of a Black female teenager in Fort Worth, Texas, an area I am unfamiliar with though I have driven through.

“Cookie” was originally released ten years ago and is now re-released for its 10th Anniversary. I know the author in an Internet kind of way. Tamika is a boss in publishing, she’s the CEO of Delphine Publications, has authored 17 novels, and published over 300 books. Ms. Newhouse founded the AAMBC Book Club and produces the only entertainment award show for writers, the AAMBC Literary Awards. Covid-19 has held up the in-person event last year but in 2022 they will be back in the ATL. I wrote an article about Tamika in 2018, and have watched in admiration as she conquers publishing and now film, bringing dozens of creators with her on the journey. I knew Tamika was a Queen, but until now had never read one of her books.

Cookie: A Fort Worth Story, is based on true events. I knew enough about Tamika’s personal life to recognize some similarities to her own life and she shares it is indeed based on herself. As I read the book, one of my first questions was, “Who is the intended reader?” By the time I finished, I had a list of who could benefit from the book.

I’ve heard that a generation of Black girls has shared how much “Cookie” meant to them. The teen years are full of choices that impact your life forever. We see Cookie make several, not all of them well thought out, and we see the repercussions they have. A girl reading this might learn lessons they couldn’t/wouldn’t hear from a parent. I thought back to my high school years and the pressure girls received from boys, older men, and family members. What must it be like when almost every force in your life is pushing you towards sexual maturity before you’re ready. Most of them won’t be there for you if you get pregnant as Cookie did.

Parents and grandparents responsible for raising girls should read this book. They might think twice about what they consider safe spaces like schools where rape is a possibility as happened to one of the characters. I thought back to my school days where I’m unaware of rape taking place on the school grounds but kids having sex certainly did. I’m not suggesting kids (boys and girls) be placed on total lockdown but knowing where your kids are and who they are with seems a reasonable thing.

I would advise young men to read this book. Then after reading it, imagine Cookie was your sister, cousin, or true friend? How would you want them to be treated? There are lessons for anyone reading this book and it includes Reading Group Discussion Questions that are thought-provoking and worthy of a family discussion.

I found “Cookie” to be an excellent read. I have decided to widen my horizons and read more books I would otherwise have passed by. I recently published a list of twenty books by Black authors that should be in your bookcase and Tamika suggested I check out her book, I’m glad she did.

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This post was previously published on The AAMBC Journal.

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