MADE Magazine Tastemakers Issue 7 | Page 56

“ Mommy died today . I guess it was a long time coming .”
“ Among other things , you ’ ll find that you ’ re not the first person who was ever confused and frightened by human behavior . You ’ re by no means alone on the score , you ’ ll be excited and stimulated to know .” - JD Salinger
Have you ever encountered someone whose wisdom belied their age ? 22-year-old Shannon Ousley ’ s writing directly reflects her deep understanding of the world , her immense emotional intelligence and ability to make sense of life ’ s most confusing moments .

DEAR NIKKI ,

“ Mommy died today . I guess it was a long time coming .”

MADE BY JASMINE BROWLEY
In the 2010 book , ‘ Dear Nikki ,’ Ousley wrote a letter to her beloved big sister Nikki , whose sudden death is followed by the slow and heart wrenching demise of their troubled mother . Throughout the autobiographical book , Ousley rehashes her tumultuous adolescent years of practically raising her three younger siblings while still growing up herself among Cleveland , Ohio ’ s black upper crust during high school .
“ Among other things , you ’ ll find that you ’ re not the first person who was ever confused and frightened by human behavior . You ’ re by no means alone on the score , you ’ ll be excited and stimulated to know .” - JD Salinger
Although the memoir is penned directly to Nikki , Shannon speaks to us as well with her well crafted , vivid coming of age picture that draws readers in from start to finish , leavito death , misery , controlled substances , poverty , and precarious social and ethnic ng us asking ourselves important questions about family , love and heartache .
The beautiful unraveling of Ousley ’ s life is depicted through her nomadic journey into adulthood , as evidenced by her attendance to three different colleges in four years as well as her exhaustive search for contentment and stability . Through her early exposure settings , she learns how to see decipher the “ message from the mess ” and emerges from her difficult and traumatic past to a self assured carefree black girl .
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