I miss Malaya already. She is, of course, still right here in the pages of this book and I can go back to be with her through the moments of her life that Mecca Jamilah Sullivan has written here. But I still miss her because Malaya is someone, somewhere, I know well. This girl swirling around on a ride of growing up that sometimes moves incredibly slowly and other times fast like a piece of paper you try to catch after dropping it on a windy day. This girl is me. She is there in the three girls I have raised, the ones I have worked with in schools, and the ones I have smiled at in my neighborhoods. She is also my 90s. A journey from feeling like I never fit into anything – friendships, relationships, family roles, my body – to understanding that all the not fitting had led me to a fitting of my own. A queerness that I could develop in my own shades of grape now and laters or other things that were sweet to me – judgment free. Sullivan’s commitment to language we can taste and characters with the depth and complexity of the best soul food meals made this read everything the big girl in me deserved. I found myself reading and dreaming again. What Sullivan offers us big girls through Malaya with so much care and love is a reminder of our agency. As I close this reflection incredibly proud to have read this with one of my fiercely talented daughters, I am grateful for that reminder. I am grateful for the tenderness in this book and its honesty. “Big Girl” is a stunning read. The story will pull you in close and the power will make your inner purpose bell ring. Enjoy!