Review: Nia & the Numbers Game by Kela Henry, MD

Nia & the Numbers Game: A Teenager’s Guide to Education, Relationships & Sex by Kela Henry, MD takes a unique approach by combining fiction and facts to both entertain and educate adolescent readers.

The fictional aspect of this book focuses on Nia Ferguson, a young African-American girl. At the outset of Nia’s story, she’s a twelve-year-old adolescent whose parents have just split up. Although her father moves into an apartment nearby, Nia, along with her younger brother, PJ, face some challenges as they adjust to living in both parents’ homes.

Nia’s story chronicles various aspects of her life and the choices she makes when it comes to boys, sex, friends and college and ends with Nia as a young doctor, wife and mother, having made her home in Atlanta. Given the age range in Nia’s life covered by the book, the chapters read like vignettes, written to highlight certain issues and challenges Nia encounters and the choices she must make on her road to adulthood.

Dr. Henry, a practicing physician specializing in family medicine, and an advocate for teenage girls, takes the “edutainment” approach by giving her readers a very likeable and relatable protagonist in Nia and then combines Nia’s story with a frank “Let’s Talk” discussion at the end of each chapter that addresses the specific issues covered by that particular chapter. These issues are wide-ranging and cover self-esteem, first crushes, first loves, dating, picking the right colleges and even the cost of tuition, as well as more intimate subjects like puberty, sex and sexually-transmitted diseases. In some cases, there is a true or false quiz to the end of the discussion, followed by detailed answers. Henry doesn’t talk down to her audience, nor does she try and sugarcoat any of the information she provides. The tone of the book is always casual, yet frank and very Judy Blume-esque in its candor.

Although Henry states that Nia & the Numbers Game “focuses on the emotional and social aspects of high school and college as they pertain to African-American and Hispanic girls,” the subject matter covered by the book is relatable to all adolescent girls, regardless of their backgrounds. Nia’s parents, although split up, love and support their kids and espouse the importance of getting good grades, making good choices, being good and staying out of trouble, which is an important message for any adolescent.

With her parents’ guidance, Nia makes the appropriate choices – with some minor infractions along the way like getting into trouble for lying to her parents and getting caught by a neighbor while making out in a movie theater with a boy she really likes. Given the complications and pressures of modern life, these examples aren’t entirely indicative of what teenagers may face in today’s world. While Henry’s positive and empowering message cannot help but resonate with readers, a few more episodes of conflict in Nia’s life would have added extra layers of realism and made the author’s message all the more powerful.

Overall, Nia & the Numbers Game delivers on what it sets out to do: offering frank discussion and invaluable education while entertaining young readers.

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