How I read this: Free ebook copy received through Edelweiss
This book was so unexpected! I thought it would be a story that centers on Cecily being a pHow I read this: Free ebook copy received through Edelweiss
This book was so unexpected! I thought it would be a story that centers on Cecily being a performer, but it wasn't like that. Mostly, it's a book about (view spoiler)[being abandoned, adopted, losing a child and giving it away (hide spoiler)]. This theme was repeated several times, kind of a bit much even, but in the end it all comes together and makes sense, you can feel like that's what the author chose specifically for the story to have deeper meaning. And it's such a painful story in so many places, some of the things that happen are a bit shocking. I feel like a lot of this history of the early 20th century hasn't been told a lot, and that's why some of the things that happened completely floored me. I feel like this is an important story to tell for those reasons, so I'm giving it 4 stars. I would have maybe gone with 3 if not for the subject matter, because a lot of the book was setup setup setup, and some things didn't move till I was maybe 60% in. The story is told in alternating timelines, and sometimes one of the timelines is moving at a good pace, but the others seem to be lagging behind as if they're waiting for that one to be done getting to the main point. But aside from that, this was definitely a good book.
I thank the publisher for giving me a free copy of the ebook in exchange to my honest review. This has not affected my opinion.
Somehow you don't expect a story that's so largely about racism - in a book about Asia. Racism is mostly discussed in Western settings, and it's usualSomehow you don't expect a story that's so largely about racism - in a book about Asia. Racism is mostly discussed in Western settings, and it's usually between white and non-white groups. Not so here - it's not solely about it, but Pachinko is largely about how racism damages lives, and it's even scarier that this is racism of Asians against Asians - people who are, from a Westerner's perspective, often lumped together into one ethnicity, as opposed to white people.
In Pachinko though, we see how horribly the Japanese treat Koreans during WWII and in the decades after, and we understand how horrible and damaging racism and nationalism can be. I've always known that the Koreans and the Japanese have had a difficult history, and as I've loved both these cultures and studied their languages, I've met people on both sides who explained these things to me in their own way. And yet, knowing all this, it's still just as shocking to read about it, because it seems impossible that such things happened. It was also poignant for me, because my own country has had a similar history with another one, and I could relate to a lot of the things being said in this book. No matter what nationality or geography, people will act a certain way in these situations. Regrettably, as damaging as the labeling is, it's also incredibly human to act that way. This dark side of human nature is something I end up thinking about a lot.
Perhaps the most shocking facet of it all for me, and one that is rarely explored in Western literature, was that even if you're rich - racism against you is still racism, and it doesn't lose its power. Being rich is not armor against it. People judging you and labeling you is still stronger than money and the power it gives you. You know how we tend to think money can solve anything at all? Well, apparently not.
There is also a facet to this story where it's about belonging - kind of intersects with being mixed race/ethnicity, although most of the characters in this book are not. But what I mean is, most of these people, while being Korean, are not thought to belong in Korea anymore, neither by their compatriots, nor by themselves (not even starting with the fact that the country they left technically no longer exists and is now two separate countries which are at odds.) And yet, they do not belong in Japan either, they're loathed there as a minority. Were they to move away to the US or Europe, they would be nothing more than outsiders as well. Weirder than that, most of them can't even travel because they'd be stuck in limbo - like in that movie where Tom Hanks gets stuck in that airport - because Japan won't issue them a passport, and some of them have never been to Korea, because they were born in Japan. Were they to go visit, there would be no home to come back to. This situation is brutal and unimaginable. Having a foreigner husband myself, I have gone through some migration department trouble (the word itself often gives me panic attacks), so reading what these people have had to go through made me feel strangely... Understood. But at the same time, it made me immesurably sad, because I thought my troubles were so big they didn't let me sleep. As if appears, they were not troubles - not by a long shot. Thinking that while this story might be fictional, there were thousands if not millions of people who had this or worse happen to them, makes me sad. And even though this might not be the case in Japan right now (actually, I have no idea whether it still is or not), but it was at one point, and it was so for many decades. Perhaps it is so for other people in other countries as well, especially if they're refugees.
But Pachinko is not only about that. It's also a sprawling history of a family - one that has not had it easy. Histories of war, famine, illness - they're never easy to digest. But even more so, now that I'm reading it in early 2022, only a couple hundred kilometers away from an armed conflict that has shaken the world and that I know will be discussed even after I'm gone from this world, probably. Even only just a year ago, I think Pachinko would have read slightly differently for me. Now, everything is sharper, comes into focus more and prompts completely different ideas in my head.
This is a largely character driven story, and it doesn't attach itself to one character - more like it follows the family, sometimes a few characters at the time, and makes you wonder about how wild, unimaginable and unexpected life can truly be. I ended up being attached to most of them, and they're all so wonderfully distinct and unique. And while you know it's just a book, you also realize you're suddenly remembering all those stories your great grandmother told you that were just like this, but also happened to someone living, not fictional. This book read like life - no embellishments, sometimes even harsher than life seems to be, but... Then you think about it and wonder, maybe you've had it easier than you thought. And you shudder, not knowing what the future might bring, especially in today's context.
Pachinko was unbelievable, and white it's a very long book, I read more than a half of it in one sitting on a Saturday afternoon. I couldn't pry myself away - it's been a while since I've been sucked into a story like this. It's not an easy read, but it's certainly very worthwhile. And now I find myself wondering about the author's choice for the title of this book. Is it Pachinko because the families worked in Pachinko business? Or is it Pachinko because human lives are like those balls, dropped on the pins, where they fall wherever chances takes them, randomly, but with very different consequences for the rest of their lives?...more
How I read this: Free audiobook copy received through Libro.fm
This is a beautiful story of loneliness and friendship, and I also couldn't quite believHow I read this: Free audiobook copy received through Libro.fm
This is a beautiful story of loneliness and friendship, and I also couldn't quite believe how much happened in this book, because it felt decently long - but not too long, and yet, so many things happened. It's a very full, engrossing story.
The story is told through switching perspectives - one in the past when the main character is young, and one now, when he's quite old. There is a lot of character growth, getting through old pain and letting go, making the right decisions and moving on. Ultimately, we learn the main character's whole life story.
However, many parts of it made me sad as I was reading it, because as a young man who just moved from Jamaica to London in the 50s, Hubert has to face A LOT of open racism. It's very, very sad and you are sort of bracing yourself for the fallout of his and his wife's relationship (she's white) and all the other nasty stuff that you suspect will happen to them, and you just don't want them to have to go through it, because they're such lovely people - and even aside from that, NO ONE should have to go through it at all. It's good that the story highlights it. But it will make you sad, so expect it if you're planning to pick this book up. It's a great read, but I had to keep putting it down for a while again and again, because I just felt so sad after reading just a couple of chapters.
And even apart from this, Hubert kind of has a lot of sad things happen to him, just overall. My heart broke for him. There was a lot of inspiring and great stuff in the end too, but this book also makes you feel how fragile and overwhelming life can be. It's a very honest, but also bittersweet story.
I thank the publisher and libro.fm for giving me a free copy of the audiobook in exchange to my honest review. This has not affected my opinion.
How I read this: Free ebook copy received through NetGalley
Both this book, and the idea for this book are GREAT! What's not to love? - created by BlackHow I read this: Free ebook copy received through NetGalley
Both this book, and the idea for this book are GREAT! What's not to love? - created by Black women (or non-binary) - art by Black women (or non-binary) - celebrates NOT JUST AMERICANS (that's a big one for me!!)
They're very inspiring. Loved the illustrations. Loved the stories.
My favorite stories were about Angela Dorothea Ferguson and Barbara Hillary. Ferguson discovered that many Black children suffered from sickle cell anemia and started figuring out how to help. And Hillary is just wow! At age 75, she reached the North Pole, and at 80, the South Pole!!! What??!! Amazing!!!
And let's not forget, at the end of the book there are some activities for the reader to include themselves in the book, get inspired and grow. It's a really good book for teens and kids, I absolutely loved it.
I thank the publisher for giving me a free copy of the ebook in exchange to my honest review. This has not affected my opinion.
How I read this: Free ebook copy received through Edelweiss
Three Girls from Bronzeville is a serious memoir about three very different lives that cameHow I read this: Free ebook copy received through Edelweiss
Three Girls from Bronzeville is a serious memoir about three very different lives that came out of similar circumstances. I don't know why, but I started reading it thinking it was fiction - I guess I just forgot the blurb (and what's written on the cover, apparently! *facepalm*) But I quickly realized that this can't be fiction - I don't know, there's just something about it. When we write fiction about hardship, we write it differently. Life has its own, sometimes quite unromantic ways of making hardship play out in real lives. Perhaps less dramatically expressed than in fiction, but real life has ways of grinding down 'the characters' like you wouldn't believe. This is what happens in this story as well.
That said, it's not all sad things. The story of Dawn (who wrote this book about herself, her sister and her best friend) is an inspiring one. The core of the story is these three girls' lives and how differently they unfolded. The main thing here, is that the girls all came from similar or even the same backgrounds, and yet their lives worked out very differently. The book raises the question of why this happens.
Two of the girls had sad stories. The third girl did well, despite what life threw her way. However, even one of the sad stories has a redemption, and the last third of the book is dedicated towards the 'rising of the phoenix'. I thought it was very inspiring how a life can be picked up even out of a very deep ditch. In fact, this was the bit of the book I enjoyed the most, because for the first half, I had trouble getting into it - it was a long setup of just the girls' childhoods and their younger lives, which of course brought them to the later stages and decisions of their lives, but somehow that bit dragged for me a bit. However, when I made it through it, the second part of the book greatly paid off and I felt uplifted by the end message of it all. Three Girls from Bronzeville is definitely a worthy read, especially if the subject of racial inequality and life in poorer areas is a subject that is interesting to you.
I thank the publisher for giving me a free copy of the ebook in exchange to my honest review. This has not affected my opinion.
How I read this: Free ebook copy received through NetGalley
This is a good book, but also terribly sad and heavy. CRH's stories are often on the heavy How I read this: Free ebook copy received through NetGalley
This is a good book, but also terribly sad and heavy. CRH's stories are often on the heavy side morally and emotionally, but this one was more so than the others, in my opinion. While in most of her stories, we often have a young person, most of the times a teen coming of age and learning to exist in a world with a lot of adults who make questionable or poor decisions, there is usually one or two big figures who are moral, good and steer the young person towards the "light", so to say, but in this story... The only moral light comes from the main character himself (there is a very small positive influence from a neighbor, but he's a super minor character who appears very late and for a very short time, nothing like it usually is in CRH's stories). So what I'm saying is, pretty much every adult who would be able to help in any way, shape or form, is either complacent or outright evil in this book, and things constantly go from bad to worse to utterly awful. It doesn't let up. The book is depressing.
With that said, I still think it's a good story to read - just know that if you have anxiety issues right now, maybe read it later. But also, it talks about horrible things like the internment of the Japanese during WWII and racism and prejudice, and not only racial prejudice (the main character is a teen finding out he's gay).
There's also that bit where since the start of 2020 we've all been feeling like things are in a constant downward spiral and nothing will ever get better anymore, cause we're constantly getting bad news about something, and no one's optimistic about the future anymore. Reading this book gives you some kind of perspective - at least, it did for me. Yeah, things kind of suck now - but they kind of sucked a lot more back then. In fact, some of the things sucked SO MUCH that a lot of people didn't know how the sun would rise ever again (say, after everyone found out about what REALLY happened in concentration camps in Poland.) And yet, people somehow persisted. The world rebuilt. Life went on and recovered. And that gives you perspective, and maybe even hope.
I thank the publisher for giving me a free copy of the ebook in exchange to my honest review. This has not affected my opinion.
How I read this: Free ebook copy received from the author
3.5 stars
This is a supernatural fantasy story about a girl with a troubled childhood, in dangHow I read this: Free ebook copy received from the author
3.5 stars
This is a supernatural fantasy story about a girl with a troubled childhood, in danger because of some supernatural beings who are after her for no apparent reason. Ashen gets in trouble and eventually ends up as a half-ghost, in tow of some peace keepers on the other side. Something big is going on, and it has to be fixed before the real world gets in danger too.
The book moved a little slow for me and I found it hard to get into. This might just be me and reading it at the wrong time. Objectively speaking, the book was fine - but maybe just not for me.
Personal preferences aside, there is one big positive - the book is diverse. Special attention in the story goes to Native American people who are represented by more than one character. I am not qualified to say how good the rep is, but the book had sensitivity readers, so I would suppose they approved it and it was good. However, I can say that there were a few parts where I wiped a tear. One part where the forced migration of a tribe of Native Americans was depicted - it was very sad and written with a lot of compassion. There was even a list of victims, remembered with respect, which brought tears to my eyes. There was also a bigger section devoted to mass killings of tribal societies, and they were heart wrenching. I appreciated that about the book a lot, and I wish more books represented the horrors that have been done to these people - way too often we just conveniently forget.
However, for me the biggest problem was the pace of the book. For almost half of the book, we are waiting for an explanation of what's going on - the main character keeps asking but is not given an explanation. For me, that was a little bit long, and I struggled through that part. It didn't really keep my suspense and interest, and I felt like the answers could have come sooner. Instead, the author chose to include some world-building, which is fine and may work for other readers, but it didn't work for me. At some point, the forces of good and evil start recruiting the main character, and it seems as though she knows what's going on (although nobody has explained it to her yet). I was very confused at that point because it still wasn't clear to me what's the situation - at all.
After the book breaks through the half mark, everything becomes much better. Things started moving and I got involved with the story and finished the book quite fast. All in all, the story was good - I just wish the first half moved faster and maybe explained me more why things were going on. By far, the best thing about the book is representation of the downtrodden - killings of Native Tribes, imprisonment of a Black man without a trial and lynching. It broke my heart, but it was written with love and it needs to be told. This is why I'm giving 3.5 stars - the story is a 3 for me, but the diversity and the aims to tell these histories feel like a 4. I'm sure it will be at least a 4 for you, judging by everyone else's rating!
I thank the author for giving me a free copy of the ebook in exchange to my honest review. This has not affected my opinion.
How I read this: Free ebook copy received through NetGalley
This book was written in a very nice tone, it's a good story, easily readable. But despite How I read this: Free ebook copy received through NetGalley
This book was written in a very nice tone, it's a good story, easily readable. But despite the comfortable tone, it's about very serious racial problems in the US, a couple of decades ago, and considering the events of 2020, it's quite eye-opening about how not that many things have changed, unfortunately.
The story is largely about life in the ghetto - cops picking on children, the way you either blend into the subculture or it erases you, and you can't shed the effects even after you leave it - and leaving is about the only real way to survive, but it's not always accessible, in fact, it's accessible only to a lucky few, because life in the ghetto can be a trap. Life is hard in this book, and of course it's sad. I'm not sure when I downloaded this book, but I think it was written before the BLM movement really took off worldwide due to the tragic events of 2020. After it, it's even more tragic to read about these things and know that it just doesn't change - or at least, it doesn't change as fast as you'd want things to change.
Books like JuJu are important, because these things need to be talked about more. Literature often concentrates on struggle, but many high brow lit only concentrates on the struggle of a middle class or poor white man, specifically. Books like JuJu are similar in their goal to capture the struggle of a man trying to get out of a trap of a hard life, being hardened by their experiences - the difference is that it's about a Black man, and it's very relevant to have this literature grow more widely read.
I thank the publisher for giving me a free copy of the ebook in exchange to my honest review. This has not affected my opinion.
How I read this: publisher sent me a free surprise copy in the mail
Wow. This was brilliant!! This book is full of awesome culture, bright and strong cHow I read this: publisher sent me a free surprise copy in the mail
Wow. This was brilliant!! This book is full of awesome culture, bright and strong characters, diversity, danger and FUN! It's just such a dynamic read. I absolutely loved it.
I especially liked how gods are part of the story. It's like they're "with" the characters - just hanging out there, part of the personality, but sort of independent. It reminded me of Freshwater and how gods were part of the main character's identity and personality in that story too. I really liked how that worked and this book has the same magic.
The story is comparatively short, but it feels just the right length. The plot is perfectly executed and the pace is just right. I really enjoyed it!
I thank the publisher for giving me a free copy of the ebook in exchange to my honest review. This has not affected my opinion.
At first I was reluctant to request Sugar Money because I'm a weakling at handling slavery stories sometimes. I turn into a puddle of sobs. But, dAt first I was reluctant to request Sugar Money because I'm a weakling at handling slavery stories sometimes. I turn into a puddle of sobs. But, despite being quite detailed about the hardships of slave life in 1765, it was a very engaging read. It doesn't have a very happy ending, as you might surmise, but it tells a story worth hearing, told very soberly and matter-of-factly. You can also read this review on my blog.
The Story Is Very Soberly Told
[image]
Despite being a slavery story, it doesn't contain a lot of drama.Pain, suffering and despair are usually the things that destroy me in slavery stories - but in this book, it's all told so soberly.In the end, it makes sense that even though life is pretty damn horrifying, those people would not be alive if they didn't learn to live with it - the human spirit doesn't fare well, unless it adjusts. A person can't keep reacting to horror dramatically. I felt like it made the story extra believable - it being told like that. The story is also told through Lucien's point of view, and he is a young teen when the events take place. I feel like telling it that way really works well for a male character's point of view as well.
The Actual 'Happening' Part Is Very Tense
[image]
I was listening to this book on text to speech, and actually, as I was going, I had to pretty much max out the speed - so I could just find out what happens. The story really does keep you on edge, when things start rolling! At times, it was even a little bit much. But definitely in an enjoyable way - I could just not put it down.
Not Dramatic, But Definitely Emotional
[image]
Despite not containing a lot of drama, like I said earlier, there's still emotion. The author has walked a whole 'nother mile, creating backstories to Sugar Money. The stories of why the slaves are where they are. Of why the main characters have these memories, these feelings. Of who they grew up with, who they fell in love with, and... lost. All of these paint a really engrossing image of the community and life for these people. It will also tug at your heartstrings for sure. I really loved the backstory of Emile and Celeste. It also gave me all the #FEELS.
It's Kind Of Between Fiction And Nonfiction If you're a nonfiction fan, I think you would really enjoy this story. It's definitely still fiction - but it's based on true events and it doesn't feel like the story strays too far from them. You can truly feel the research the author has done, and all the settings are painted in good detail.The sober tone that I've mentioned before really does give it a feel of reading a history book, but not a dry one at all. It's also an important topic to talk about, so I feel like the author has picked an amazing setting and historical event to write this based on. In the end, the point it makes is that even if a slave trusts their owner, it's just an owner - and they will sell them out. Owning a slave and treating them well is not a merit - in the end, it's still just owning a slave. And owning another person is not something a human being should do.
But Beware Of The Triggers
Well, obviously - it's a slavery book. Expect rape, murder, torture, bodily harm and all that. I don't feel like I need to go in more detail. It's not told dramatically, but it's told in detail >(although no rape happpens, it's just talked about as an event that took part in the past.)
I thank Arcade Publishing for giving me a free copy of the book in exchange to my honest opinion. Receiving the book for free does not affect my opinion.
I read this book a while ago, but have been stalling with the review. Truth is, Kindred was incredibly hard and painful to read because of the topic -I read this book a while ago, but have been stalling with the review. Truth is, Kindred was incredibly hard and painful to read because of the topic - in other words, I AM A WUSS and I get triggered by things. To be fair, I think this book is SUPPOSED to make you feel hella uncomfortable and sad, that's the whole point when you're talking about horrors such as slavery. But I guess I'm just not cut out to read about it. Anymore.
We didn't have the slavery Kindred talks about in the history of my country, but we had feudal slavery up to maybe the middle of the 19th century, so while my connection with this topic might be different from a lot of other people's, it still touched me to the depths of my soul.
All in all, it's a great book. It puts you straight into the situation, that's what's different about Kindred from any other book about slavery - it contrasts present day with the past so well - it's a time slip novel, and the time slip is used really well to display this.
Another thing that was quite shocking which is pretty hard to express in words - that the way we tend to imagine slavery is constant dramatic horror (the movies paint a picture of people constantly whipped and screaming), but in that way, we make it a temporary situation - because that kind of horror can't be survived. In the real world of slavery, it was a constant experience, and it might have been less dramatic than movies present it - but all the more horrible because that was THE EVERYDAY of these people. That's all the life they had. And the worst thing... The hardest thing to grasp about the mentality is how even the 'good guys' seemed to think there was nothing wrong with violence, or simply 'getting what they want', if they were in a position to take it. The lack of basic understanding that a person belongs to themselves and others may not do as they please with them, AND also take the moral ground because 'they can' was just crushing. How 'being able' meant 'they should'. And how that shouldn't be questioned. For me, that was the hardest thing to accept.
This book destroyed me. If you're easily triggered by violence, rape and bodily injuries, you shouldn't read it. It's a very, very hard read emotionally. Especially if you're a woman....more
As someone from Europe, I was very curious to find out more about Harlem and the black culture, the transformations harlemites had to go through in thAs someone from Europe, I was very curious to find out more about Harlem and the black culture, the transformations harlemites had to go through in the 20th century. The book boasts a history of three generations of Harlem, told by a person who grew up there and saw it all. Devout Muslim believers, mink wearing divas living in a slum, pimps and dealers and college professors, and just plain simple people - the picture is so vast and colorful.
But I couldn't say the book was quite what I expected. Perhaps it's because it was written by a sociology professor, or perhaps because I had the advance reader digital copy, which couldn't pride itself on good formatting, and perhaps final editing. But still, I feel like the writer couldn't quite figure out what he wanted to say. What was the book about? His family? Or a detached history of Harlem? At times it reads like a memoir, at times - a history book. Sometimes things lapse, aren't connected enough or are repeated as if they haven't been said yet. So the overall experience of reading wasn't too exhilarating, especially as I've read some pretty good nonfiction this year.
But I will admit that the subject matter is good - therefore I give it 3 stars. It was interesting to her certain stories of Harlem, and to gather more background about some of the bigger names in black people's culture that, to use their own words - “advanced the race”. I loved reading about what they believed in, and despite how mistreated they were, how they still persisted. I honestly didn't know New York was such a bad place to live in the 1970s, especially if you were PoC. So as an educational experience, it was good.
In the end, I figured out why it's called Down the Up Staircase. Ultimately, this is a story of a family's downfall, with the backdrop of Harlem history. And although the author didn't really make it quite clear what the story was about, it does do it's job and give you quite a lot of insight about the place and the day.
I thank Columbia University Press and NetGalley for giving me access to an early copy in exchange for an honest review....more
Yet another perfect book – yet another review overdue. I have been sitting with this one for maybe a half a year, no kidding. It's just hard to wrYet another perfect book – yet another review overdue. I have been sitting with this one for maybe a half a year, no kidding. It's just hard to write a review for a book that moved me SO much...But I'm going to try.
First of all, this is real. This is not fiction. And this is a topic that needs to be talked about. A young artist tries to find a temporary job teaching, to make ends meet. And ends up working one of the most meaningful jobs in her life. Which is teaching incarcerated kids – some of them with no future, trapped by a past that wasn't really their doing. The book explores the problems with our society such as racism, the inherent lack of love towards those less fortunate and our complete inability to bring up members of society in a rational way – planning for numbers of jail cells to be taken, rather than school desks and exam papers.
Reason #1.This Is A Topic Nobody Wants To Talk About [image] And indeed it should be talked about all the more. Now, I don't even live in the US! In fact, there are barely any black people in my country historically. Yet, racism is very relevant to me. How relevant should it be to you then, if you live in the US? This book broke my heart – from the media or movies, one could never guess how deeply ingrained racism is in some parts of America. If you still don't know – read this. Read this and find out how people are divided into two groups, and I don't just mean black and white – I mostly mean "poor" and "worth attention". Because if you come from humble backgrounds, you will be treated so very differently than everyone else. The American Dream isn't for everyone. It's only for the right kind of Americans.I don't want to talk about this in detail, as I've read this a while ago, but Liza Jessie Peterson has enough facts and they're all reasonable. It's painful to think a black kid can land in jail by merely shouting at someone. Teenagers shout, okay? They do that. All of them do that. It's scary to think that would land someone in jail!
Reason #2.You Will Cry [image] Crying at fiction is alright. But crying at reality facts is more than alright – it's right. Because it's better to know than to remain ignorant. I felt very deeply for the fates of some of the people talked about in this book, some of those children. Granted, some of them were at fault. But some were not. Some will never be given a second chance.
Reason #3.It's Measured And Honest And Doesn't Hate On Anyone If you think that this book blindly defends people of color against whites, then you're wrong. Liza Jessie Peterson writes very soberly, and she never sugarcoats anything. She will give you the truth, at least how she saw it. A lot of the kids she talks about did misbehave, and she will give you her honest opinion about them being little ****ers, and that it's their own fault. This is the magic of this book. It does not label. It just gives you the story, the way it was.
Reason #4.This Woman's Got Soul! [image] I've never met an archetypal strong black woman in my life (that's basically cause I haven't met a single black woman! xD), but I know now that that's the way I'll imagine one, for the rest of my life, probably. Since this is a memoir, we get to see and learn a lot about Liza's character – and you just can't help falling in love with her personality! She is soulful and strong, she's got this immense love for her culture and roots, she won't let anyone step on her, and yet she is loving towards these teens in the way they will need the most – hard love. Strong love that doesn't let them get what they want. It gives them what they need. This book has inspired the biggest kind of respect for the author in my heart. I believe you will feel the same.
Reason #5.Despite The Hardship, The Book Is Very Inspiring I run out of words to explain. Can you just take my word on this? This book was so good, and it's worth much more than just 5 stars. It's definitely worth your time and attention. I'll even go this far. It could serve as a nonfiction companion to these greatly appreciated fiction books:
Homegoing is one of those books that took me about a year to read. The stars in my rating (4.5) should tell you that it's not because I got stuck – buHomegoing is one of those books that took me about a year to read. The stars in my rating (4.5) should tell you that it's not because I got stuck – but because this is just one of these books that gets too painful to read, if you're highly empathetic. Which is exactly why I kept putting it down. Although it's told in relatively short stories that don't often span entire lives, the stories get under your skin and they don't let you go. The injustice in most of them was the biggest reason I had to keep taking breaks. It was ovrwhelming and so, so sad.
The main thing I want to highlight that I loved about this book was that it breaks up the complicated history of the Black people of America by not just telling half of it – the book tells it all, because only half the stories are based in America – the other half continue in Africa, the place that was left behind when those people were taken. To me, as a reader, this didn't just present the unique opportunity to read the part of history no one ever really talks about, but also enrich my knowledge of it with a lot of cultural detail. You can feel how the story becomes full when it's told like that. You can't tell the story of Black slaves without telling the story of the place they left behind.
Another interesting thing about Homegoing is that there will be stories that stick and stories that just go by – for everyone. But these stories will be different for all of us. The one that stuck the most for me was the story of Marjorie, a girl originally from Ghana, living and growing up in Alabama, and how she wasn't allowed her own identity, because even the Black people there wanted to put her in the frame of American Black, although that wasn't her experience, coming from Ghana. The author wants to say that there's no single definition of being Black,and it can't be considered the same experience for everyone, just like we can see through all of those stories, detailing the very many different pasts of the characters of this book.
Homegoing is a book that conveys so much. I'm amazed by the fact that so many different histories and ideas even fit in one book. It's a unique book be be sure, and I'm certain it tells a different story to each reader, depending on their culture and background. But I'm sure every reader will be able to take something valuable from it.
Evelina | AvalinahsBooks
>
Books:
racial-topics
(22)
Loading...
