I stumbled across The Hair Dare as it was part of a collection also featuring one of my books, and I do like to browse the rest of the collection.

The blurb is below for more details, but in a nutshell, the twins are identical except for their hair (one straight, one Afro), so when one enters a shampoo competition for a brand that only uses straight-haired models, the other enters too but is immediately rejected, so then starts a campaign to raise awareness of the discrimination.

I loved the way it introduces big topics in an accessible way: sibling rivalry, recognising true friends, discrimination, and active campaigning. With those themes, this could easily have become a bitter and angry story, but it isn’t. It’s upbeat and positive. Quite an achievement in itself, plus the plot itself is catchy and engaging so the story is not swamped by “issues”. Oh, and I absolutely adore the cover!

Blurb

Are You Hip to Hairism? Camille and Mavis Marconi are identical twins with un-identical hair. Camille wears hers straight while Mavis prefers an Afro, and in 1973 your hairstyle can say a lot about you.

Mavis believes a shampoo company’s model search for straight-haired girls discriminates against Afros so she sets out to prove it by entering the contest. Of course, Camille thinks her sister is tripping, so when Herbal Excellence chooses her as a finalist and not Mavis, the debate of duplicates is on!

The girls disagree on just about everything, including whether Julius Barron, the love of Camille’s life, will notice that she’s alive if she wins. In an effort to prove to Camille that hairstyles can influence how people perceive you, Mavis convinces her twin to switch places in school only to discover that ‘hairism’ not only affects their classmates, but misconceptions based on appearances can have unexpected effects.

Interview with the author

I was so impressed I reached out to the author, Faith Knight, for a quick chat to find out more.

Q: Thanks for stopping by, Faith. Please could you introduce yourself as I suspect most of my readers won’t know you.

A: Hello, my name is Faith Knight and I’m the author of several young adult and middle grade novels, my most recent being The Hair Dare. I started writing as a child, inspired by my cousin and legendary children’s book author the late Virginia Hamilton. I published my first book in 2009. It was a self-help dating book! My second self-help book, The Real Book on How to Cook, won the African American Literary Award for Best Cookbook of 2013. I’m actually changing my author name to FM Knight instead of Faith Knight going forward. You’d be surprised how many Faith Knights there are in the US so my books get lost on the Internet, so I felt I needed a name that would stand out from the crowd. 

Q: That makes sense. So, what inspired you to write The Hair Dare?

A: The reason I wrote The Hair Dare is addressed in a post I did a while ago on my TikTok, The Real Knight Author. Growing up in New Castle, Pennsylvania USA, there were a set of twins who lived up the street and though they were not identical, as in my book, they fussed a lot. So I thought it might be fun to write a book set in that time period (the 1970s) featuring twins who argued all the time. And over the years people have always laughed at my snarky attitude so I wanted to try my hand at a humorous book.

Q: The end of the book seems to indicate this is not the end of Camille and Mavis’ story. Is a sequel coming?

A: Yes! I am plotting book two now but not sure when it will be completed; I hope to get it out next year.

Q: Have you done any school visits? This book would be great for school discussions.

A: No, not yet. The book released this past March so it’s not been out a long time and I have been focused on promotions as well as working on other books, but it’s on my to-do list. I am going to New Castle in August to participate in a discussion of the book at the local library, so I am excited about that.

Q: Thanks! Good luck with the sequel and the library visit. I have to say, personally, I would love to see this used in classrooms as it has scope to spark so many conversations.

About the Author

Faith (FM) Knight is the author of several middle grade and young adult books. Her debut YA,  As Gray As Black & White, was well-received by both readers and industry reviewers. She lives in North Carolina USA with her husband, and when she is not writing she enjoys cooking, sewing and Bible education. You can find her @therealknightauthor on Instagram.