Who Am I Without Him: Short Stories about Girls and the Boys in their Lives

Who am I Without Him (2004), by Sharon G. Flake, is a collection of ten short stories concerning teenage girls and how they think, scheme, and act towards the opposite sex. It deals with the ever-prevalent topic of young love in its many different shapes and sizes. Various issues and concerns of young girls are confronted in these touching stories such as struggling with self-image and appearance in “The Ugly One,” falling for a friend’s boyfriend in “Wanted: A Thug,” and being ostracized for being unique in “I Like White Boys.” These short stories are portrayed in a realistic manner and do not always have the “happily ever after” fairytale endings. Instead, they deal with real emotions that teenage girls are feeling everyday. Sometimes humorous while other times sad, this collection is an insightful view into the world of adolescence.