Author Spotlight: Sharon G. Flake

Hello my lovely readers!

Welcome to the third installment of Author Spotlight where I talk about the life and works of authors who've had an impact on my life.

Today, I'm highlighting author Sharon G. Flake.

As I mentioned in my Books that Shaped Me series, her first novel, The Skin I'm In had a profound impact on me as a nine-year-old Black girl.

Sharon G. Flake is a Pennsylvania native, born in Philadelphia and later residing in Pittsburgh. She grew up in a large family with three brothers and two sisters in an inner-city neighborhood in Philadelphia.

She earned her Bachelor of Arts in English from the University of Pittsburgh in 1978. After graduating she  worked in foster care and family and community services and then went on to work in public relations at the University of Pittsburgh Press.

In 1998, Flake published her first novel The Skin I'm In. 

The book follows 13-year-old Maleeka Madison who is tall, skinny and dark-skinned. She's subjected to bullying and teasing because of her skin tone and her homemade clothes. It isn't until her teacher Miss Saunders, who has a rare skin condition of her own, helps Maleeka to love the skin she's in.

I know they say to never judge a book by its cover, but when I saw this book in my Scholastic book order when I was 9-years-old, I literally saw myself. The girl on the cover looked just like me.

It was the first time I truly saw myself in literature and I loved it. I devoured that book and re-read until the cover started to come off.

Flake said her daughter Brittany served as inspiration for the novel in an interview with the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette for the novel's 20th anniversary in 2018.

“I wanted her to feel good about the skin she was in,” she said. 

Her daughter was also the inspiration for her writing career.

"If she weren't born", Flake said, "I'm not sure I ever would have become a consistent enough writer to make this journey. Her birth gave me the inspiration and dedication I needed to stay the course."

Her second novel, Money Hungry (2001), dealt with a family facing homelessness and received the Coretta Scott King Award. 

This was another book that I read in one sitting. I distinctly remember how urban this book, as well as her others, all felt. I was living in Kansas and had never been up North, but through Flake's words, I felt like I was in Philadelphia....that's the power of good writing, in my opinion.

I’m an inner city baby at heart, and communities like the one I grew up in shall forever remain in my blood. Voices from those communities can be heard in my novels. The challenges some of those teens face show up as well, along with their determination, ingenuity, and wit.

In 2021, Flake wrote the sequel to The Skin I'm In, called The Life I'm In, which focuses on Maleeka's classmate Char. In an interview with the Chicago Tribune, Flake said that even though this book deals with trafficking, it also shows that life is about second chances. 

"I think redemption and healing is a big part of this book. Studies show that Black girls are considered less innocent and more adult-like than white girls — they’re sexualized more than other girls.," she said. "We have less empathy for them, and we have less compassion for them. Society as a whole is less willing to be there to catch them and be their safety net. This book deals with the notion of that second chance."

That's one of the things that I loved and still love about Flake as an author. Her characters are not perfect and they show that it's OK to not be perfect, especially during your pre-teen and teenage years. Lord knows I wasn't!

"My characters fall down, get up and learn life lessons that help readers believe they too can achieve anything; make it through any storm," she said on her website.

Flake's latest book Once Upon a Blue Moon was released in July 2023. 

It follows James Henry who struggles with his courage and bravery in the Jim Crow South.

At 67, Flake is still out here inspiring children and giving them valuable life lessons through her writing. We love to see it! I'll end this with one of my favorite quotes from her:

Young people write to me from around the globe. Many say they see themselves in my work. If you read my books and recognize yourself—in whole or in part—then I've done my job. If you see your friends in my novels, or relate to a classmate or stranger a wee bit better, then I've served my purpose.