Conde’s ability to take you on a journey is unmatched!
In Maryse Conde’s latest release we meet blue eyed Black people, we are taken to Mali, Guadelou Conde’s ability to take you on a journey is unmatched!
In Maryse Conde’s latest release we meet blue eyed Black people, we are taken to Mali, Guadeloupe, Palestine, Canada, and Haiti. A truly immersive read that you will not be able to put down.
In Waiting For The Waters To Rise we meet Babakar originally from Mali, he ends up living and working in Guadeloupe as a doctor. One night he is woken up and taken to a shack where he finds a dead mother and her recently birthed child. Babakar made the impromptu decision to take the child home and adopt her, not taking into consideration that the mother’s dying wish is to have her child taken back home to Haiti.
While in live improves significantly with the addition of the child to Babakar’s household, he feels complete and loved. One day a mother of the child shows up and convinces him to move back to Haiti so the child can be with her family- they journey to Haiti together. Nothing could prepare them for what would happen in next.
This story is well crafted. I love how Conde allows us to meet people, hear their backstory and how they end up where they are. I think for me, I love how we hear from a Palestinian who ends up in Haiti, a Haitian fleeing to Guadeloupe and the xenophobia that they face, Babakar who journeys from Mail to Guadeloupe… all of these people from all over the world meeting in Haiti. I love a book that is set in Haiti and it is not often I read about characters journeying to Haiti to settle and I enjoyed that.
Yes, some parts were a bit slow but overall I really enjoyed this one. The ending though… wow!
Merged review:
Conde’s ability to take you on a journey is unmatched!
In Maryse Conde’s latest release we meet blue eyed Black people, we are taken to Mali, Guadeloupe, Palestine, Canada, and Haiti. A truly immersive read that you will not be able to put down.
In Waiting For The Waters To Rise we meet Babakar originally from Mali, he ends up living and working in Guadeloupe as a doctor. One night he is woken up and taken to a shack where he finds a dead mother and her recently birthed child. Babakar made the impromptu decision to take the child home and adopt her, not taking into consideration that the mother’s dying wish is to have her child taken back home to Haiti.
While in live improves significantly with the addition of the child to Babakar’s household, he feels complete and loved. One day a mother of the child shows up and convinces him to move back to Haiti so the child can be with her family- they journey to Haiti together. Nothing could prepare them for what would happen in next.
This story is well crafted. I love how Conde allows us to meet people, hear their backstory and how they end up where they are. I think for me, I love how we hear from a Palestinian who ends up in Haiti, a Haitian fleeing to Guadeloupe and the xenophobia that they face, Babakar who journeys from Mail to Guadeloupe… all of these people from all over the world meeting in Haiti. I love a book that is set in Haiti and it is not often I read about characters journeying to Haiti to settle and I enjoyed that.
Yes, some parts were a bit slow but overall I really enjoyed this one. The ending though… wow!...more
A Read Caribbean book like no other! If you read These Ghosts Are Family I think you will absolutely enjoyThis is definitely one to watch for 2022!
A Read Caribbean book like no other! If you read These Ghosts Are Family I think you will absolutely enjoy this one. More thoughts to come! Know that it is well written, thoroughly engaging and a great book club pick!...more
I Am Not Your Baby Mother was written by Candice Brathwaite at a time when Black British women did not have the safe space to talk about being mothe I Am Not Your Baby Mother was written by Candice Brathwaite at a time when Black British women did not have the safe space to talk about being mothers and mothering their children. Brathwaite said this book is part memoir and part manifesto and when you read it you will find out why.
I decided to read this book because of.... the title... I have no interest in being a Mother much less a Baby mother but what I do find interesting is how taboo (even in 2021) it is to be a Baby Mother. I love that Candice explores this in her book and we are given a BLACK experience through it all. I enjoyed hearing about her family upbringing- sis did not hold anything back, all the family business out the door. What I enjoyed was how real she was in this book, if you are a first time Mom, I strongly recommend picking this up.
I felt the ending was a bit all over the place but this is expected with a debut memoir. Overall a strong read....more
Nella Larsen wrote a book that continues to be relevant years later.
Passing is nuanced and so layered. I am amazed at how much Larsen was able to pNella Larsen wrote a book that continues to be relevant years later.
Passing is nuanced and so layered. I am amazed at how much Larsen was able to pack into less than 150 pages. What is even more interesting is how the theme of passing continues to be explored years later in the works of Brit Bennett's Vanishing Half .
I think what I enjoyed most about this book was how well crafted and intelligent it was. The author did not offer up an excuse for passing but presented both sides of the argument. It was charged from beginning to end and you kind of hold your breath the entire time you are reading, waiting for the other shoes to fall.
This is one of those books I URGE you to read. ...more
I inhaled this book, it was easy to ready and so good to get into. What I loved was how relatable Elaine Welteroth is. She offers really great advice I inhaled this book, it was easy to ready and so good to get into. What I loved was how relatable Elaine Welteroth is. She offers really great advice to young persons who are starting a career and a reminder to know their worth.
It was really interesting to read about her climb of the corporate leader and I enjoyed every bit of it! ...more
This is a solid collection of stories, some I enjoyed and others I thought, "a wah gwan yasso?" The ones that were good were really good and the ones This is a solid collection of stories, some I enjoyed and others I thought, "a wah gwan yasso?" The ones that were good were really good and the ones I did not like I really did not like. I love how the author wrote about Caribbean history, being displace, identity and finding community.
I do recommend reading this over a period of a month because going through all at once may not be the best bet.
The author said, This novel is dedicated to the 250,000 to 300,000 individuals estimated to have perished in January 12, 2010, earthquake in Haiti.
WThe author said, This novel is dedicated to the 250,000 to 300,000 individuals estimated to have perished in January 12, 2010, earthquake in Haiti.
When you pick up a book and this is the dedication you know you are in for an emotional, moving, tender and brutal read. That is what you are in when you pick up What Storm, What Thunder / Told from the perspectives of different characters living and working in Port-au-Prince when the earthquake of 7.0 magnitude shook. The author takes us into the deepest part of their lives as they experience this disaster and how they try to rebuild what is left of their lives. The story is written from the POVs of over eight persons, while we hear about them, they also tell us about the other characters we’ve heard from. Myriam Chancy masterfully relates what is happen before, during and after the earthquake. I could not put down this novel.
It took a whole week and a half for me to write this review because no words can describe what it is like reading this book. I love Haiti, I love how their history impacts world history and my heart breaks for how as a country they do not get the respect they deserve. I wish I could read every piece of Haitian literature…. So here we are.
When I read the blurb that this book would be written about the disastrous earthquake, I knew I had to read it. I also knew it would be a very hard read. Aside from a story in Edwidge Danticat Everything Inside I cannot remember reading about the earthquake in contemporary fiction. I was ALL for it. I also feel like nothing could prepare me for the read.
I think the author did such an amazing job in telling these stories with care. It was never trauma porn. We hear from a Old vendor who works in the market, her only son who is now an expat left and never contacted her, her granddaughter who works for an NGO, a Trinidadian drug pusher, a Haitian musician living in Boston and a mother who lost all her children. We get their back story, where they were, how they ended up in Haiti… and what happens during the earthquake.
A well crafted beautiful book that EVERYONE should read....more
Like you fell off your island and there was no one there to catch you…
Yvonne Bailey-Smith debut novel follows the life of Erna Mullings from her li Like you fell off your island and there was no one there to catch you…
Yvonne Bailey-Smith debut novel follows the life of Erna Mullings from her life growing up on Jamaica and leaving to go England to live with her mother. Erna Mullings spends majority of her life growing up in rural Jamaica with her grandmother, grandfather and her four siblings. Her mother decided to leave her children back in Jamaica so she could go make a better life for them in England and then send for them… I know, you’ve read this story before, right? (Spoiler alert: you haven’t!)
Being the eldest means Erna basically helps her Grandmother and Grandfather in raising her siblings. She’s got to focus on school and being a part time mother to her siblings. One day her siblings are suddenly taken away by their father and Erna is left with her grandparents who are getting older and slower with each year. Erna does not have a relationship with her mother or her father but after the sudden death of her grandmother she is sent to England to be reunited with her siblings and her mother. Nothing could prepare Erna for being in a new country, being around a mother who never showed her warmth and reunited with her siblings who don’t really remembers her. Erna must now take the mother role again… but how will that change with her being in England?
First let me say, this is a very engaging read once you get pass the first 3 chapters. I felt the opening wasn’t as strong as it could but it really picked up. With that said, I also feel like the book could have been 50-70 pages shorter. At some points the book felt overly written and I found myself going… MOVE IT ALONG!!!! Outside of that, Erna is a character you cheer for from beginning to end. You want her to win!
I felt the author did such a beautiful job of capturing Granddaughter and Grandmother relationships and she truly made me miss my Granny. I felt she had a strong grasp of the Grandmother and Erna as a character and she executed flawlessly. This book is for anyone who maintains a great relationship with her Grandmother and love seeing it on the pages.
This is a coming of age, we meet Erna from she is nine or then and the story goes into her late twenties. So much happens within that time, her grandmother dies, she leaves the only home she’s ever known, she lives with a mother she’s got no connection to, and she finds out her father raped her mother and that’s how she was born. Yes! So much trauma is there… so much!
One of my biggest peeves was how the mother’s rape was glossed over. It actually infuriated me. I also felt the author didn’t explore with any tenderness or nuance what is like for Erna to find out about the rape and then meet her father who have about 30 children… I mean… what?
I know it sounds like I didn’t enjoy the book… I did. I also will read what the author writes next. I just wish she had a stronger editor who would have pinpoint areas that needed to be explored more or maybe even left out…
Overall a very solid debut novel, yes, its got a lot of issues but I know I will not forget Erna for now....more
A debut collection of short stories you are going to want to have on your reading list!
Motherland is Wandeka Gayle debut collection of short stori A debut collection of short stories you are going to want to have on your reading list!
Motherland is Wandeka Gayle debut collection of short stories that tells stories of Jamaicans living at home and abroad. While this is a debut collection, the stories feel really strong and leaves you feeling emotional and wanting the characters all to win. Gayle writes fresh characters and situation, this is not your usual reads and I loved that about the collection. There are twelve collections in the short stories, my favourites were: Motherland Finding Joy The Wish Help Wanted Melba The Blackout Reunion
Yes, I know, I do this ALLL the time, I talk about my favorite stories in the collection and that’s basically me re-writing the table of contents. This is proof that the author did an amazing job because so many of the stories slapped so hard.
We meet characters who are just leaving Jamaica to live in the US and England. This is their first time away from home and they must now carve out a new identity. We meet characters who are still hanging on to a dream that they won’t give up on, a Reunion that could have gone any way… and a woman looking for Help who will not fall in love with her husband.
So much happens in this collection but it is well crafted. I really wish more persons would read this collection because it is insanely good! ...more
A thoroughly enjoyable read that I wanted way more of, what an amazing read!
In Josephine Against The Sea we are transported to Barbados and we meet A thoroughly enjoyable read that I wanted way more of, what an amazing read!
In Josephine Against The Sea we are transported to Barbados and we meet eleven-year-old Josephine who lives with her father who is a fisherman. Since the death of her mother its just been Josephine and her Dad… yes, there’s been women who want to date her dad…but Josephine manage to nudge them along. Josephine’s seem to be no match for Mariss… she will not leave and something is “off” about her.
Get ready for adventure, for laughter and super cute moments that will melt your heart. This book is perfect for middle graders and adults alike. I read it and was blown away by the writing and how the writer pulls you in and teaches you about Barbados’s culture, history and mythology.
It perfectly captures Father-Daughter relationship, we don't see a lot of that and I wanted more. It is truly a beautiful read.
I want more people reading this beautiful book....more
I decided to choose this book to kick start BookOfCinz Book Club for 2022. The first time I read it, I was a little underwhe Updated January 23, 2022
I decided to choose this book to kick start BookOfCinz Book Club for 2022. The first time I read it, I was a little underwhelmed but in re-reading it I was so moved by the themes explored- particularly that of friendship. Lisa Allen-Agostini writes a friendship like no other and I wanted so much more of it! Yes, this is a book about abuse, incest, generational trauma, and hurt and while there was a heaviness throughout, it didnt feel exhaustive and I think it had to do with the book being told from the first person and in the voice of a Trini speaker.
I truly enjoyed re-reading this one and I cannot wait to discuss during book club!
The Bread The Devil Knead is a book you will inhale in one go.
The Bread the Devil Knead is set in Trinidad, we meet forty-year-old Alethea Lopez who is the manager of a fashion boutique in Downtown, Port of Spain. Alethea does not get too close to anyone, and she does not have many friends. She is very independent and spends majority of her time and effort hiding her bruises she receives from her common-law husband.
Alethea who goes by Allie has been with Leo, a failed, washed up soca artist who spends majority of his time drinking, doing low paying gigs and cheating on her. Anything can set him off, so she is constantly on eggshells around him. Why does she stay? Well, what other options does she have? She grew up with an abusive mother and was molested at an early age… life for Allie was never easy but she is making the best of the situation.
While at work one day, a woman is shot and killed by outside the boutique. Allie finds out that woman was in an abusive relationship. This death hit closer to home for her, because she keeps imagining this is what may happen if she stays with Leo… but what are her choices? Lisa Allen-Agostini brings us a heroine that we cannot help but cheer for. We feel for her in so many ways and we want her to win. Themes of love, gender violence, racism, colorism, abuse and violence are thoroughly examined in this less than 300 page book. We get an honest look into the life of a woman who is not faced with a lot of choice and must figure out how to leave an abusive relationship.
I spent less than a day reading this book because I just had to know what happened to Allie. I did feel like Allie could have gotten a bit of a let up, it was abuse after abuse after abuse… I mean.. wow. I did enjoy how Allen-Agostini write female friendship, it was truly a beauty to experience. I also felt the book wrapped up too quickly and I wish she had spent more pages examining Allie’s earlier life and what happened after she ran away from home. I felt there were a lot of plot holes and I kept wondering “how did she get here?”
This is what I call a brilliant collection of essays! This be read and studied widely! Brilliant!
In Kei Miller’s long-awaited collection of essays This is what I call a brilliant collection of essays! This be read and studied widely! Brilliant!
In Kei Miller’s long-awaited collection of essays Things I Have Withheld , he exams in the author note, silence, his body and how it is viewed by others. This is examination is continued throughout the collection. The title of the book Miller notes, was taken from poet, Dionne Brand. In each the essays he says, is an act of faith, an attempt to put my trust in words again. My attempt to offer, at long last, a clearer vocabulary to the things I have only ever mumbled…
In the thirteen essays included in this collection, Kei Miller examines his body and how it is viewed by others. He writes about being a Black Man, Writer, Gay Man, from the Caribbean and what is expected of him. How others view him and the racism he continually faces. He examine racism and classism in Jamaica by citing examples of things that happened recently- Usain Bolt being told to “go back where he comes from” #NeverForget . We read his open letters to James Baldwin and the impact he had on him. Family secrets and things you don’t talk about, love affairs and trauma. Being a gay man in Jamaica, how the writer’s white tears continue to be something he cannot shake and carnival in Trinidad- the “different type of energy”. We go on his visit to the African continent - we get mugged, visit a Rastafarian village and go to the launch of Accra Noir. So much is packed into this collection, this is a collection that is crisp, biting and intelligent. What a ride!
I particularly loved the essays Mr. Brown, Mrs. White & Ms. Black, The Boys At the Harbour, Our Worst Behavior, The Buck, The Bacchanal, And Again, The Body . After finishing The Boys At the Harbour, I was moved to tears. I literally could not breathe reading what their life is like. Miller was able to give a realistic look into he lives of these boys, what they dreams are (yes, they have dreams) and how fluid their lives can be. I was transported to the Kingston Harbour, hearing the waves crash while I reasoned with them. WOW. What I loved was how Miller handled their stories with care, this essay was truly masterful.
Jamaica wasn’t big, but there were so many different Jamaicas, that it was possible to live in the worlds that really had never intersected.
Miller’s writing is perfection. His brain is brilliant. The topics he covered was done in such an insightful way. This is a must read collection of essays that I cannot stop thinking about....more
YES YES YES YES YES!!!! This is what I call great storytelling!!! YESSSS!!!!
Fortune is set in 1920S Trinidad and Tobago, during the oil boom, when YES YES YES YES YES!!!! This is what I call great storytelling!!! YESSSS!!!!
Fortune is set in 1920S Trinidad and Tobago, during the oil boom, when oil was seen as the black gold. The book opens with Eddie Wade truck breaking down on his way to Port of Spain where he is going to get investors to invest in an oil drilling project. As luck would have it, business Tito Fernandez was driving pass and offered Edie a ride. During the ride Edie tells Tito about his venture, and he decides to invest.
Edie is a seasoned oil man, having worked in oilfields in Texas and South America. He knows how drilling for oil the luck of a draw and many men is spend years seeking that one lucky drill. After returning home to Trinidad hears the word on the ground is that Sonny Chatterjee’s estate is ripe for drilling. The only problem, Sonny is not interested, he wants to farm his cocoa, he wants to do what’s been done for generations in his family. After much back and forth, Sonny agrees to have Edie drill, but for one year, after that he will return to coca. With the oil secure, Edie must now find an investor who will take this fool’s luck investment…especially on the heels of the US market crashing….
In comes Tito, a businessman who comes from generation of wealth, only problem, after years of risky investment Tito’s funds is running low. After listening to Eddie’s pitch he is ready to try his luck, even after being advised oil is not the way, it is a fool’s errand. Eddie pushes forward in the hope that this risk will pay off big!
In the rush to get fortune, Tito and Eddie risk it all, will it pay off?
Friends! I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book, I was hooked from the very first page to the end. I absolutely loved being transported to 1920s Trinidad and Tobago when oil was now becoming a thing. I think the author did such a great job of writing characters who are believable and situation you can relate to. I could see why Sonny wouldn’t want to drill for oil- why switch from cocoa to oil? I can see why Eddie loves the rush of drilling and finding oil and I believe that this was Tito’s last shot at remaining wealthy.
This is a such a great historical look into Trinidad and Tobago, and by extension the Caribbean during that time. How oil impacted the lives of every Trini. It was just so well done!
I loved how the plot moved quickly and how immerse you were in the drilling aspect without it being too technical. I think she wrote community and characters really well. I felt like I was there waiting for the oil to spurt up. She really did a great job of tension and suspension to the very end. You literally will be rooting for Eddie and Tito down to the very end.
I do think the ending wrapped up a little too quickly for my taste and I would have loved 50 more pages, but maybe that is me being greedy. This is a book I will not forget anytime soon. WOW!
Thanks Peepal Tree Press for sending me this ARC....more
This is my second time reading Saga Boy and I really enjoyed it even more the second time around. This is a deeply moving memoir about a man that isThis is my second time reading Saga Boy and I really enjoyed it even more the second time around. This is a deeply moving memoir about a man that is constantly re-inventing himself out of survival and to secure his place in the world.
Antonio Michael Downing's life got started in Trinidad and Tobago living with his grandmother after being abandoned by his parents. He lived with his grandmother and brother until she died and he left for Canada. The culture shock or relocating, of meeting his father for the first time and his other brothers. A lot happened in Antonio’s life and he details all of this in a deeply moving memoir.
June 2021 This is what I call a well written memoir- WOW!
Antonio Michael Downing wrote a compelling memoir that will get under your skin and stay there. He writes about identity, what it means to have a home, generational trauma, dealing with trauma and having boundaries. I love how he gave us an insider look from growing up in Trinidad and Tobago and going between Canada and the US and still not having a home. As with a lot of Caribbean children raised by their Grandmothers, they always refer to them and that is exactly what Downing did.
Truly a wild ride but done with so much care....more
WOW! Addictive reading from a fresh new voice in Trinidad and Tobago literature landscape.
In Pleasantview foreword given by author Rachel Manley sh WOW! Addictive reading from a fresh new voice in Trinidad and Tobago literature landscape.
In Pleasantview foreword given by author Rachel Manley she says, “It’s my turn to suspect the mantle of Chekov, then Naipaul has now fallen to Celeste Mohammed.” When I read that line I literally wrote, “really?” because that is such a huge mantle for anyone to accept. I literally thought, “Rachel Manley is setting me up, I am going to expect Miguel Street and be profoundly disappointed.” Friends, I am here to report, that Rachel Manley was on SPOT with the Miguel Street comparison, Pleasantview was all that and MORE! WOW!
Pleaseantview is a series of interconnected stories told from the perspective of different residents of the fictional town of Pleasantview, in Trinidad. Each story gives a diverse in-depth look into the resident’s lives but at the core of it, Mr. H seems to be a character that is involved deeply in Pleasantview’s running.
These nine stories are distinct, engaging, fresh, jarring, realistic and unforgettable. We meet characters who are escaping from the prison in Bocas to be with his girlfriend being held captive at a local whorehouse. A young man forced to leave Matura, the turtle watching village to go Pleasantview for a better life, only to met up in trouble. There is Gail who wants to be a chef but finds herself as a kept woman for a Syrian man, she goes against the one rule of a kept outside woman- do not fall for the man- she falls hard in more ways than one. We meet Kimberley who is estranged from her Syrian father after he finds out she is a lesbian. She exiles herself in Barbados with her Soulmates With Benefits who keeps pushing her to come out. We meet characters who want to be good but so many opportunities forces them to be bad, we meet corrupt policemen, reader women, men marrying for green card, sons growing up fatherless, unfulfilled marriages- you meet all of these people and their battles at Pleasantview.
Let me just say, this is hands down, one of my favorite 2021 Read Caribbean Release. I am blown away by how impeccable this book was. The characters were full formed, the plot was engaging and I felt the author did a brilliant job of giving you a bird eye’s view of this community. I literally feel like I was at the top looking down on them going about their business with all their troubles and secrets tagging along behind them. It is not every day you pick up a contemporary collection of stories set in Trinidad and you know that this is distinctly Trini. WOW.
The use of language I think was spot on. The views and landscape of Trinidad was also impeccable. I loved how each character had a distinct voice internally and externally, it was beyond believable. There are so many things culturally that happened that was nuanced that was perfectly included in the stories.
There is a darkness to these stories that gets under your skin and does not leave. Sometimes I felt the author went very dark, but I also thought it was a realistic look contemporary Trinidad. Themes discussed includes, prostitution, generational trauma, father-son relationship, racism, classism, poverty, religion and sexuality. Each story gives a snapshot of the reality of Caribbean life, this is not your sun, sea and sand look, it is way more than that.
Being a Black man in America has been an entirely different experience from being Black everywhere before. Blackness is just different here. Here, it Being a Black man in America has been an entirely different experience from being Black everywhere before. Blackness is just different here. Here, it comes with a community and a history but also with an immediate fear and a proportional rage at having to be so afraid all the time. And, make no mistake, white people: I am truly afraid all the time.
Ben Philippe was born in Haiti, left at an early age to live in Canada with his parents and spent majority of his twenties in the US studying in NYC. In his first collection of essays Sure, I’ll Be Your Black Friend he details what life is like being the only Black person in different spaces. In his introduction he notes:
Because of this wrinkle of having been born Haitian, raised Canadian, and having adopted America as my third home in adulthood, conversation both about and around race have always been a fixture in my life.
It is through these conversations and experiences he is able hilariously and soberly tell us about his life. We read about how he lived a plush life in Haiti, having gone to school with expats. He left at an early age for Canada where he had to assimilate to life in this cold, far away country. Of course, looking back he was able to see all the microaggressions and the ways in which he was discriminated against. Fast forward to moving to NYC and attending university, he is thrown into what life is really like for a Black man in America.
I really enjoyed this book more than I thought it would. Ben Philippe’s writing is hilarious, self-depreciating without being cringy and truly vulnerable in moments when it needs to be. That is very hard line to walk and he does it really well. I am always looking to read more about the Haitian experience and I think this may have been the first book I read where someone was a Haitian of means who left the island on “their terms”. I loved his relationship with his mother, how he documents their early move to Canada and what finding a new community.
I think what stood out for me also was how he detailed a breakup with his roommate who happened to be his best friend. It is not every day you get a male perspective how sad and heart breaking it is to break up with your other male friend. There is also the underlining of racism and power dynamics. Well executed!
Yes, there were some moments/experiences he went over a lot and that made the memoir dragged a lot. Overall, I would recommend this one! ...more
Mrs. Death Misses Death is Salena Godden’s first prose publication. The book is told in poetry and prose and follows MSolid premise, shaky execution.
Mrs. Death Misses Death is Salena Godden’s first prose publication. The book is told in poetry and prose and follows Mrs. Death who is a Black Woman tired of doing this “job” she’s been doing since the beginning of time. In a near death experience, Wolf is saved from a fire and years later he is a struggling writer who ends up being the one to write Mrs. Death memoir. Wolf, who is no stranger to death finds it thrilling to be the one to tell the story of Mrs. Death. She takes him back in time, to places and major events that shaped her career. They both get to look at life through the lens of death, for the future, one thing is certain- death.
Let me start with the things I loved.
The Title: I mean, who does not love a great title? This one was so fresh and such great play on words.
The Premise: I can say I have never read a premise like this. Death herself gets someone to write a memoir about her life. INJECT THIS IN MY VEINS! I mean seriously, how utterly original is this premise.
Death as a Black Woman Ok, so I know this was probably explored already somewhere but for me, personally, I have always pictured death as a man. I do not know why I thought death had to be a man. Also, even if I did picture death as a woman, I would not have picture her as Black or a Black married woman. I think for me, this was well executed by the author, dispelling the myth that death had to be a man. The greatest trick man played was making you believe I was man. They erased me and made you all believe that Death was a male in spirit- the Grim Reaper. For surely only she who bears it, she who gave you life, can be she who has the power to take it. And there is no human more invisible, more easily talked over, ignored, betrayed and easy to walk pass than a woman; than a poor old black woman.
Yes, this entire paragraph had me shaking my head so much, my neck hurt. I loved that the author put forward this very solid premise to build on.
Exploring death Let’s be real, we are all going to die, yet, this is something I don’t think we talk a lot about. Or if we do it is generally clouded in fear. Death is the only thing we have surety about yet, as the book says, we don’t call it by name when it happens. We say, “pass on, passed…” anything but death. Without death, there is no life, and I enjoyed how the author was able to position death as something we should think about, maybe not harp on but at least think about. I liked that it is a troubled young writer who had experiences with people dying that got to have a friendship with Death. That for me really gave the theme the depth it needed.
The Writing It is clear Salena Godden can write. This is my first introduction to her work, and she writes solidly. I have never read any of her poetry so it was great seeing a bit of it included in this book. She writes convincingly so much so, I started feeling sorry for Mrs. Death.
Historical Look In the book Mrs. Death refers some deaths that made international news, or deaths that are still unsolved or you may not know about. I think getting a little history lesson within the book worked so seamlessly.
What I didn’t love Above I gushed about how strong a premise this book had. When I see a strong premise not strongly executed it makes me sad, maybe even a little mad because I know with tighter edits and stronger editor the book would have been great. I felt the first 25% of the book was phenomenal, the writing, introduction of characters, scenes and Mrs. Death narration was flawless. Then, it all started to wane. Death in itself is a very board topic, it’s been happening since the beginning of time- there are so many ways to explore the topic and I think that’s where the author (maybe even the editor) may have went wrong, she tried to do entirely too much instead of keeping it tighter and more focused. At one point I was like, “huh, how dis even drop in yasso?!!” that for me was a little infuriating.
While I didn’t absolutely love it, I know there are others who may enjoy it. I think one thing that really stood out for me was Mrs. Death saying, I’ve often wondered how very different this living life would be if we were born with our expiry date stamped on our foreheads. I mean, if we knew exactly how long and little time we have left to love each other, maybe then we would be more kind and loving. Imagine if we knew our death date. How different we would live, maybe, and yes I know, maybe not.
Of course I well be reading more of what Salena Godden comes with next. Thanks Cannongate for sending me this ARC....more
Being in America means I have a chance to reach my dreams, but if it weren’t for Haiti, I’d never even know how to dream.
In The Year I Flew Away w Being in America means I have a chance to reach my dreams, but if it weren’t for Haiti, I’d never even know how to dream.
In The Year I Flew Away we meet Gabrielle a ten-year-old living with her parents in Haiti. The book opens and we are taken to a village with Gabrielle and her friends in the middle of a mango eating competition. Gabrielle won the competition and that same even her parents let her know she will be moving to America to live with her Uncle and his family. Gabrielle moves to New York but her parents have to remain in Haiti until a later time. Gabrielle must now adjust to life in New York, a new country, family, school and friends. She finds out that America is not an easy place to live, added to that she does not fit it.
Gabrielle is constantly being bullied for her accent and where she is from. One evening she meets a witch who promises her all of this can change, she grants her three wishes… but, we all know witches be witching and things goes worse than Gabrielle can imagine.
I honestly, enjoyed reading this book. Gabrielle is such a strong character that you WANT to see win. She is sincere and thoroughly entertaining. The author did such a great job of having strong characters alongside Gabrielle who were hilarious and beyond engaging. I think as a adult we can all see ourselves in a character who are looking to belong and have a community- this is a theme I never get tired of reading about.
I loved that the author spoke about racism and how America really is, even in a YA novel.
Yes this is YA and yes it is fantasy but it is so well done and deeply engaging. A must read....more
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