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Book 1 of 2019: The Private Joys of Nnenna Maloney
This is an incredibly intelligent book. However, I find it hard to relate to this seemingly mature 17 year old that has such an expansive lexicon at her disposal. Not my cup of tea but I encourage yâall to read it.
This is an incredibly intelligent book. However, I find it hard to relate to this seemingly mature 17 year old that has such an expansive lexicon at her disposal. Not my cup of tea but I encourage yâall to read it.
Book 2 of 2019: Corregidora by Gayl Jones
âMy great-grandmama told my grandma the part she lived through that my grandma didn't live through and my grandma told my mama what they both didn't live through and my mama told me.â
Ph: @ViragoBooks
âMy great-grandmama told my grandma the part she lived through that my grandma didn't live through and my grandma told my mama what they both didn't live through and my mama told me.â
Ph: @ViragoBooks
Book 3 of 2019: Like a Mule bringing Ice Cream to the Sun by Sarah Ladipo
This book is a short read. Itâs a little riotous in its attempt at centering sexuality and desire in the life of an aging womxn. I struggled to finish it because it seemed idle at times.
This book is a short read. Itâs a little riotous in its attempt at centering sexuality and desire in the life of an aging womxn. I struggled to finish it because it seemed idle at times.
Book 4 of 2019: THICK by Tressie McMillan Cottom
âThey say that beauty is in the eye of the beholder and that ugly is as ugly does. Both are lies. Ugly is everything done to you in the name of beauty. Knowing the difference is part of getting free.â Fuck
âThey say that beauty is in the eye of the beholder and that ugly is as ugly does. Both are lies. Ugly is everything done to you in the name of beauty. Knowing the difference is part of getting free.â Fuck
Book 5 of 2019: Pet
You want many things, you are full of want, carved out of it, made from it, yes. But the truth does not care about what you want, the truth is what it is. It is not moved by want, it is not a blade of grass to be bent by the wind of your hopes and desires
You want many things, you are full of want, carved out of it, made from it, yes. But the truth does not care about what you want, the truth is what it is. It is not moved by want, it is not a blade of grass to be bent by the wind of your hopes and desires
Book 6 of 2020: Here Comes the Sun by Nicole Dennis Benn
I have never felt such profound frustration with characters. This author is gifted with an exquisite ability to spin into life deeply flawed and complex characters that breathe and have flesh. Itâs also a queer book.
I have never felt such profound frustration with characters. This author is gifted with an exquisite ability to spin into life deeply flawed and complex characters that breathe and have flesh. Itâs also a queer book.
Book 7 of 2020: Pushout by Monique W. Morris
What happens when the disciplining of school children is left to law enforcement officers that have no experience in child development? When black girls are handcuffed for throwing tantrums and racially profiled in school?
What happens when the disciplining of school children is left to law enforcement officers that have no experience in child development? When black girls are handcuffed for throwing tantrums and racially profiled in school?
Book 8 of 2020: Red at The Bone by Jacqueline Woodson
This man looks at his daughter coming down the stairs and thinks âthis apology of a child.â That is because when he found out her mother was pregnant, he kept apologizing. Whoa a writer.
This man looks at his daughter coming down the stairs and thinks âthis apology of a child.â That is because when he found out her mother was pregnant, he kept apologizing. Whoa a writer.
Book 9 of 2020: The Girl with the Louding voice by Abi Dare.
This is a beautiful book about resilience and girl power and all of that stuff. My difficulty is what the book perpetuates when it is in the wrong hands. I may be wrong to put the onus on the author .
This is a beautiful book about resilience and girl power and all of that stuff. My difficulty is what the book perpetuates when it is in the wrong hands. I may be wrong to put the onus on the author .
Book 10 of 2020: The Street by Ann Petry
âI am tempted to describe Petry as a magician for the many ways that The Street amazes, but this description cheapens her talent.â Tayari Jones on The Street.
âI am tempted to describe Petry as a magician for the many ways that The Street amazes, but this description cheapens her talent.â Tayari Jones on The Street.
Book 11 of 2020: A fire like you by Upile Chisala
What a piece of sweetness in this extraordinary time. The collaboration between the author and illustrator, Neo Phage and Lulama Wolf, really bring various perceptions on womxnhood and femininity and masculinity.
What a piece of sweetness in this extraordinary time. The collaboration between the author and illustrator, Neo Phage and Lulama Wolf, really bring various perceptions on womxnhood and femininity and masculinity.
Book 12 of 2020: Salt by Nayyirah Waheed
One of the pioneers of the revival of poetry. So many poets have borrowed from her form, style and imagery.
One of the pioneers of the revival of poetry. So many poets have borrowed from her form, style and imagery.
Book 13 of 2020: Her Body and Other Parties
I just started reading this one and Iâm really excited to review it. Itâs a collection of short stories exploring sexuality, sensuality, autonomy, horror and all things abominable.
I just started reading this one and Iâm really excited to review it. Itâs a collection of short stories exploring sexuality, sensuality, autonomy, horror and all things abominable.
Book 14 of 2020: An Orchestra of Minorities by Chigozie Obioma
The book is centered in Igbo Cosmology and the Chi speaks on behalf of its host, the protagonist. The protagonist is a bereaved chicken farmer who saves the life of his paramour using a rare and expensive fowl.
The book is centered in Igbo Cosmology and the Chi speaks on behalf of its host, the protagonist. The protagonist is a bereaved chicken farmer who saves the life of his paramour using a rare and expensive fowl.
Book 15 of 2020: Braised Pork by An Yu
This was a bizarre book. It follows a womxn in search for self determination and answers after she finds her husband dead in the bath. The illusive sketch of a âfishmanâ bounds her to a strange journey from Beijing to Tibet.
This was a bizarre book. It follows a womxn in search for self determination and answers after she finds her husband dead in the bath. The illusive sketch of a âfishmanâ bounds her to a strange journey from Beijing to Tibet.
Book 16 of 2020: The Hidden Star by K Sello Duiker
I came into this book expecting the Sello who breathed life into Tshepo and Azure. This book is different, childlike and whimsical. It was difficult for me to adapt. I also have to accept that I donât like child protagonists.
I came into this book expecting the Sello who breathed life into Tshepo and Azure. This book is different, childlike and whimsical. It was difficult for me to adapt. I also have to accept that I donât like child protagonists.
Book 17 of 2020: Sisters of the Yam
bell hooks write a book encouraging black womxn to self actualize within political organizing. hooks recognizes that classism and racism are institunalized and we canât heal the wounds of our psyche through sheer will.
bell hooks write a book encouraging black womxn to self actualize within political organizing. hooks recognizes that classism and racism are institunalized and we canât heal the wounds of our psyche through sheer will.
Book 18 of 2020: Khamr by Jamil F Khan
This book generously pulls apart the cloak of respectability and appearance to expose traumas. The legacy of colonial conquest is mapped throughout this memoir, identifiable is the assault of dispossession and the tyranny of religion...
This book generously pulls apart the cloak of respectability and appearance to expose traumas. The legacy of colonial conquest is mapped throughout this memoir, identifiable is the assault of dispossession and the tyranny of religion...
Book 19 of 2020: What it means when a man falls from the sky
Iâm breezing through this collection of short stories. They carry a heaviness thatâs is mostly implied and reliant on the authorâs capacity to pull on the readers emotions. Family, displacement, disorientation.
Iâm breezing through this collection of short stories. They carry a heaviness thatâs is mostly implied and reliant on the authorâs capacity to pull on the readers emotions. Family, displacement, disorientation.
Book 21 of 2020: On Earth Weâre Briefly Gorgeous by Ocean Vuong
This book is so devastating. A child being raised in a foreign land where the residue of war and trauma is stuck on the older minds and generations need to wade through the spill. Incredible.
This book is so devastating. A child being raised in a foreign land where the residue of war and trauma is stuck on the older minds and generations need to wade through the spill. Incredible.
Book 21 of 2020: Such a fun age by Kiley Reid
I canât say I enjoyed this book. It sounded inauthentic and such serious issues were dealt with flippantly. I tried to not expect too much from it but I draw the line at âniggerâ jokes from the white boyfriend on date night.
I canât say I enjoyed this book. It sounded inauthentic and such serious issues were dealt with flippantly. I tried to not expect too much from it but I draw the line at âniggerâ jokes from the white boyfriend on date night.
Book 22 of 2020: Queenie by Candice Carty- Williams
The protagonist in this book really pur me through an emotional rollercoaster. I thought it was going to be a light read but truly, it really delves into the legacy of unspoken traumas and how fucked up the 20s are.
The protagonist in this book really pur me through an emotional rollercoaster. I thought it was going to be a light read but truly, it really delves into the legacy of unspoken traumas and how fucked up the 20s are.
Book 23 of 2020: Conjure Women
Thereâs a magic that Iâm missing in this book. The time, style and provocation of memory are similar to a lot of books in my own memory. I was really intending to enjoy this book and itâs just... in waiting for it to take me somewhere.
Thereâs a magic that Iâm missing in this book. The time, style and provocation of memory are similar to a lot of books in my own memory. I was really intending to enjoy this book and itâs just... in waiting for it to take me somewhere.
Book 24 of 2020: Silver Sparrow by Tayari Jones
Imagine your whole life being dependent of you remaining in your fatherâs shadow. You can never split from him and alert the world that something else came from him. His âillegitimateâ family. This book was sore.
Imagine your whole life being dependent of you remaining in your fatherâs shadow. You can never split from him and alert the world that something else came from him. His âillegitimateâ family. This book was sore.
Book 25 of 2020: Wow, No Thank You
If youâre looking for dark humor thatâs relatable and stories so ridiculous, youâd like to throw your book at the wall, this is it. Gay, queer and approaching 40 with no idea whatâs going on and why your body has forsaken you.
If youâre looking for dark humor thatâs relatable and stories so ridiculous, youâd like to throw your book at the wall, this is it. Gay, queer and approaching 40 with no idea whatâs going on and why your body has forsaken you.
Book 26 of 2020: The Men We Reaped
Death is an unrelenting stalker here to silence people who were erased even in life. Jesmyn Ward sings a coherent song for the beautiful black boys she loved and all the ills they contended with living in the South.
Death is an unrelenting stalker here to silence people who were erased even in life. Jesmyn Ward sings a coherent song for the beautiful black boys she loved and all the ills they contended with living in the South.
Book 27 of 2020: Wayward Lives, Beautiful Experiments
Saidya Hartman writes into life archives of nameless womxn who exist in body count and statistics. She beautifully reconstructs the history of black womxn by making them subversive figures who had agency, sexual desire et al.
Saidya Hartman writes into life archives of nameless womxn who exist in body count and statistics. She beautifully reconstructs the history of black womxn by making them subversive figures who had agency, sexual desire et al.
Book 28 of 2020: The Death of Vivek Oji
This book was beautiful and subversive in every type of way. The way in which Emezi has the capacity to splinter gender and create something beautiful is incredible. Read this book!
This book was beautiful and subversive in every type of way. The way in which Emezi has the capacity to splinter gender and create something beautiful is incredible. Read this book!
Book 29 of 2020: All Boys Arent Blue
This is a beautiful introductory read about sexuality and grappling with self as a young adult. I wish there was a more organic co-existence of politic and personhood. I had to DNF it. (not a fan of YA)
This is a beautiful introductory read about sexuality and grappling with self as a young adult. I wish there was a more organic co-existence of politic and personhood. I had to DNF it. (not a fan of YA)
Book 30 of 2020: The Vanishing Half
If there was ever a book that made me Nostalgic for Toni Morrisonâs ability to illustrate the multiplicity of blackness, this is it! An incredible read that confronts colourism and one twinâs pursuit of living as a white womn in a racist USA.
If there was ever a book that made me Nostalgic for Toni Morrisonâs ability to illustrate the multiplicity of blackness, this is it! An incredible read that confronts colourism and one twinâs pursuit of living as a white womn in a racist USA.
Book 31 of 2020: In the Dream House
Confronting Intimate Partner Violence in same sex relationships. âWhen she kisses you in a McDonaldâ parking lot, you both look up to see a group of men- a risk of men, a murder of men- standing, there watching, laughing ,pointing. â
Confronting Intimate Partner Violence in same sex relationships. âWhen she kisses you in a McDonaldâ parking lot, you both look up to see a group of men- a risk of men, a murder of men- standing, there watching, laughing ,pointing. â
Book 32 of 2020: Black Leopard Red Wolf by Marlon James
This book is absolutely terrifying. It follows a group of mercenaries, witches, sangomas and mythical creatures in their quest to find a boy we know nothing about. Itâs long and MJ has incredible world making skills.
This book is absolutely terrifying. It follows a group of mercenaries, witches, sangomas and mythical creatures in their quest to find a boy we know nothing about. Itâs long and MJ has incredible world making skills.
Book 33 of 2020: Salvage the Bones by Jesmyn Ward
Esch is a teenage girl grappling with grief, invisibility and poverty in the South. Her body knows groping and plunder from her brothersâ friends but she yearns to be seen. This book is set just before Hurricane Katrina.
Esch is a teenage girl grappling with grief, invisibility and poverty in the South. Her body knows groping and plunder from her brothersâ friends but she yearns to be seen. This book is set just before Hurricane Katrina.
Book 34 of 2020: Temple of my Familiar by Alice Walker
The was this womn describes and writes about sex in a blatant way subverts everything you are taught about black womnâs sexuality. This a multiple narrative complex novel following disobedient black people!
The was this womn describes and writes about sex in a blatant way subverts everything you are taught about black womnâs sexuality. This a multiple narrative complex novel following disobedient black people!
Book 35 of 2020: All about Love by bell hooks
This offering by Aunty Glo is everything you need to know about love. Love is a practice that stems from spirituality, care, community, trust, kindness. Love isnât a weak solution, it has the capacity to be radical.
This offering by Aunty Glo is everything you need to know about love. Love is a practice that stems from spirituality, care, community, trust, kindness. Love isnât a weak solution, it has the capacity to be radical.
Book 36 of 2020: Transcendent Kingdom by Yaa Gyasi
This book really reminded me off the burdenhood of being the girl child in a black family. The burden of erasure, the demand to be completely exceptional and to carry emotional trauma. Yoh.
This book really reminded me off the burdenhood of being the girl child in a black family. The burden of erasure, the demand to be completely exceptional and to carry emotional trauma. Yoh.
