We were sent an advanced readers copy of Olugbemisola Rhuday-Perkovich’s book ‘It Doesn’t Take a Genius’ for free to read and review. I finished the book this past week and all opinions shared in this review are my own.
The story centers around Emmett Charles, a brilliant student who excels at debate. Being smart seems to come easily to him and when he’s challenged he tends to make excuses and shy away from the challenge. That was my impression from the first few chapters of the book where Emmett decides not to participate in debate when he realizes that his opponent has the better argument and will win. I guess he is thinking that: You can’t lose if you don’t compete. Emmett has an older brother, Luke who will soon be going to an art high school in Maine and will be leaving Emmett. However, before that happens there is the Summer and all the things they can do together before Luke leaves. A further wrinkle in Emmett’s grand plans is that for part of the Summer Luke will be a junior counselor at Camp DuBois. This is an excellence camp for children of color.
Emmett manages to get into the Camp DuBois program behind the backs of his mother and brother. Emmett figures that he can spend tons of time with his brother if they are in the same place. His guiding force is to spend time with his brother but things do not go according to that plan. Luke is a junior counselor and he has many responsibilities. Emmett does not seem to understand this fully and gets very bent out of shape about it. Along the way we learn many things about Emmett and Luke and the family dynamic including the boys’ late father.
The book celebrates black culture and black artists of so many artistic styles. Famous names go flying around through the whole book in the context of the classes that Emmett is taking at Camp Dubois. This is not merely sleep away camp with S’Mores and camp games and songs. This is a camp where the best and brightest are enrolled and Emmett soon learns that he’s not the smartest person in the room any longer. As he comes to grips with that, with his brother leaving and with confronting and overcoming his fears he makes major strides to learn more about who he is over three intensely packed weeks of hard work and mind expanding conversations.
Emmett is also a skilled dancer and he tries out for the one remaining spot in Street Style one of the most intense programs at Camp DuBois. In many ways he excels in this program and then there are moments where he makes huge mistakes. There is one moment toward the end of the book where Emmett does something so selfish that I lost a lot of respect for how much he had grown up to that point. While he takes responsibility for his actions, mostly because he got caught, it fell flat for me. However, I can understand being that young, thirteen, where everything is changing in life and feelings are so intense at times that it feels like any moment will break you. I get that, I just was so disappointed in what he does. He was growing so much and I understand that making huge mistakes is a part of growing.
Overall the book was good, the supporting cast of characters are enjoyable especially Mr. Micah McDowell the teacher for Street Style. He is intense and gives Emmett some strong lessons in growing up and consequences for actions. Morea bout the book and the author can be found below.
This Spring, Six Foot Press presents It Doesn’t Take A Genius, the MG/YA crossover follow-up novel to Six Foot Pictures’ 2019 film Boy Genius starring Miles Brown (Black-ish) in his breakout role. It Doesn’t Take a Genius was written by award-winning author Olugbemisola Rhuday-Perkovich (4/13/21; ISBN: 978-1644420027; Hardcover $17.95; Ages 10-15), a founding member of The Brown Bookshelf and editor of the 2021 We Need Diverse Books Anthology, The Hero Next Door.
A hilarious and moving coming-of-age tale that explores the intersection between self and community and the complexity of Black identity as a boy wonders: if he’s not who he’s always thought he was, who exactly can he be?
Emmett and his older brother Luke have always been “Batman and Robin,” though they’re quick to bicker about who’s who. Spending the summer at a historic Black summer camp seems like a wonderful adventure for the two to share, but since Luke is there as a junior counselor, he seems to spend all of his time being everyone else’s big brother, and ignoring Emmett.
As Luke seems to be moving on to new adventures, Emmett struggles in unexpected ways, especially in swim class and the “It Takes A Village” entrepreneurship class. Without his brother to turn to for support, Emmett works to build a new crew of “superfriends,” who’ll help him plan something spectacular for the end-of-camp awards night and celebration. Along the way, Emmett learns that no matter what, there can be many ways to define family.
Inspired by the feature film Boy Genius, starring Miles Brown, Rita Wilson, and Nora Dunn.
Rhuday-Perkovich was guided by conversations with the actors and screenwriter of Boy Genius as she picked up the thread of Emmett’s story at the end of the film, though it’s not necessary to see the movie to enjoy this continuation. In this coming-of-age tale, Emmett is used to being the smartest in the room but must reexamine how he defines himself when he’s suddenly one of many creative and brilliant peers at camp. Highlighting famous pillars of Black history and pop culture, past and present, Rhuday-Perkovich celebrates Black excellence and joy as Emmett comes into his own.
About the Author
Olugbemisola Rhuday-Perkovich is the author of 8th Grade Superzero, which was named a Notable Book for a Global Society, Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland, an adaptation for Sesame Workshop’s Ghostwriter, and Operation Sisterhood. She is the coauthor of NAACP Image Award nominee Two Naomis, a Junior Library Guild selection, and its sequel, Naomis Too. She also writes nonfiction, including Above and Beyond: NASA’s Journey to Tomorrow, Someday is Now: Clara Luper and the 1958 Oklahoma City Sit-Ins, and Saving Earth: Climate Change and the Fight for Our Future.
Olugbemisola is a member of the Brown Bookshelf, editor of the We Need Diverse Books anthology The Hero Next Door, and teaches at the Solstice MFA Program in Creative Writing. She holds an MA in education, and has written frequently on parenting and literacy-related topics for PBS Parents, Brightly, American Baby, Healthy Kids, and other outlets. Visit her online at olugbemisolabooks.com and on Instagram: @olugbemisolarhudayperkovich.
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