Such a Fun Age

One of the two central characters of Such a Fun Age, Emira Tucker is a 25-year-old black woman struggling to figure out her place in the world. As she watches her closest friends all move closer to successful careers and financial stability, Emira finds herself stuck working part-time as a typist and as a babysitter for the wealthy, white Chamberlain family.

Though Emira doesn’t share the “proclivity toward craftsmanship” (36) that her family has, she slowly develops a new sense of confidence regarding what she is good at and what her goals are. The closer she gets to feeling secure in herself, the more positively she expresses herself; on her birthday, she tells her friends how “thankful” (236) she is for them and thinks to herself how exciting it is that she has “a boyfriend […] on [her] birthday” (237). By the end of the novel, Emira has successfully resolved her difficulties with identifying what she will do and who she will be.

Throughout the novel, Emira moves through several important relationships. She is close friends with Zara, who plays a central role in supporting Emira to make good choices. Emira also has a loving relationship with young Briar Chamberlain, whom she babysits on a regular basis.