I usually say that I have no interest in being characterized as strong and even worse a Strong Black Woman. There is just so Wow! What a freaking WOW!
I usually say that I have no interest in being characterized as strong and even worse a Strong Black Woman. There is just so much expectation that comes with being a Black woman, the weight that we have to carry is immeasurable.
I loved that Muna, Brittany and Kemi were given the freedom to just exist and to LIVE freely to make mistakes. Its so rare that black characters are so well written that I become engrossed in them but the author understood the assignment and delivered! I was able to relate to them, empathize with them and celebrate them.
What I'm trying to say that this was pure magic! ...more
Took me longer than I thought it would to finish this one and I didn't quite zing with it either. I did like the premise and what the author set out tTook me longer than I thought it would to finish this one and I didn't quite zing with it either. I did like the premise and what the author set out to explore (the prospect of magical realism was very intriguing). It's just that the characters were unremarkable and the writing too stilted and oftentimes bland for my tastes. Not to say that the book is a fail, I believe that many will still enjoy it. ...more
The first time I read this book I must've been 14/15 in my first year of high school. I was in an all girls secondary school back then and to pass theThe first time I read this book I must've been 14/15 in my first year of high school. I was in an all girls secondary school back then and to pass the time (because there is nothing as boring as same sex schools and a boarding school no less!) I would read anything and everything.
I found this book quite magical telling stories about strong women who in their intelligence, strength and resilience reminded me so much of the women in my life. My Grandma, our strong matriarch who was so much like Akoko in character. My mother, our saint, ever the selfless one with a fierce love for her children that knows no bounds. The late Ms Ogola's masterpiece was one of the books that awakened the feminist in me at such a young age.
I loved how the book built up women and elevated them as the pillars of the African society as is they usually are. Rereading it gave me such deep nostalgia and I will forever be in awe of one of the greatest Kenyan writers that ever lived...more
It's taken me a while to finish and review this. I started out with the hardcover and decied to go the Audiobook route and GIIRRRRRLLL wasnt that the It's taken me a while to finish and review this. I started out with the hardcover and decied to go the Audiobook route and GIIRRRRRLLL wasnt that the best decision. I felt so validated by this book. I have been going through moments recently where I have faltered and sometimes found myself dimming myself to fit the narrative of those around me.
Through Ms Tyson, I have learnt that it is OK to be a strong ambitious black woman, it is OK to aggressively go for what I want. I am so glad that this astounding woman will foreve be immortalized.
"Don't touch my crown They say the vision I've found Don't touch what's there When it's the feelings I wear."
I'll always remember the first time someone"Don't touch my crown They say the vision I've found Don't touch what's there When it's the feelings I wear."
I'll always remember the first time someone put their hands on my hair and said it looked like black cotton candy. It was my first summer here, I was just shy of 20 and all alone in a foreign country. So, a bunch of us were in group study and this 'person' just puts his hand in my high puff for a good couple of seconds just feeling it and all I could do was just sit there in that stuffy lecture hall smile and say THANKS when really I was boiling inside because "How the dareth you touch my hair and say it looks like bloody COTTON!!!"
Anyways I'm far from that smiley 20 year old, New York has raised me well. Now, if you try that move on me I will karate chop off your hand. Cheers.
Now personally, I have gone through the most with my hair. My relationship with Atemba (My hair) is complex. I can be term it as a love-hate relationship . On some days, I will love on her and she can decide to show love back. On other days, she'll be like girl NO! but she comes correct.. (well sometimes)
I've not always understood that my hair is perfect as it is; growing up my mother used to do my hair cornrows, bantu knots, fro babies name it. But like most 4C type hair, mine is really coarse and abhors heat which is something that our mothers never really got. (Hello heat damage!) So I had it relaxed just before going away to a boarding school for my secondary education because I thought and honestly believed that is how beautiful hair should look.
As a young adult, I slowly began to understand that my hair does not define me. I learnt that I do not need to conform to euro centric standards of beauty and that I do not have to hide my hair if that is not what I want to do. My hair is mine! It is beautiful!! It does not look like bloody cotton candy!! I can do with it as I please.. and so can you black queen
"You can shave it off Like an African beauty Or get in on lock Like Bob Marley You can rock it straight Like Oprah Winfrey If its not what’s on your head Its what’s underneath and say HEY…."
Dabiri talked about the aspect of hair as non binary and I appreciated the concept. Just because some choose to wear their hair natural doesn't make those that don't any less. We can not attempt binarize (is this even a word) our relationship with our hair because it is complex.
So overall I am happy to have read a book that details something that I'm very passionate about! I really enjoyed this book. I speed read through it as it was easily relatable. I will definitely be coming back to it as it also alludes to aspects of internalized racism that I would like to understand her perspective of ......more
I am determined to identify with this book. I just think it's a ME thing which is why I will come back to this. I am determined to identify with this book. I just think it's a ME thing which is why I will come back to this. ...more
I can only describe Whitehead's book as a horror filled coming of age story where a school of young 'Juvenile' boys have only tales of barbarity and sI can only describe Whitehead's book as a horror filled coming of age story where a school of young 'Juvenile' boys have only tales of barbarity and savagery to share about their experiences at the Nickel Academy. Based on real ass experiences it is difficult to attempt to unpack such a book. This is the kind of the book that begs to ask, does the moral compass of the universe bend toward what is right? And who's to say what this "right" is? My emotions are all over guys..
I also wonder, we live in a digital era where we know and understand our rights and freedoms but are we really FREE?? We live in the post Jim Crow Era but what era shall we call these times where the police are killing black people at whim?? I wonder...
Wacha tu nimalize kusoma mimi nirudi kwetu....more
I would describe Robert Jr. debut novel as deeply profound and moving which captivated me with its rich poetic prose & biblical allusions. Despite allI would describe Robert Jr. debut novel as deeply profound and moving which captivated me with its rich poetic prose & biblical allusions. Despite all this, the book was a hard read as it was very unsettling, but really what book about slavery isn't..
I am going to commend the author because he managed to bring to life a monumental concept- Two men in love in the age of slavery and he did so quite beautifully. The book tells the unique story of two characters Isaiah and Samuel and as expected their love was met with confusion, quiet acceptance and of course anger and hate.
As I mentioned, this was a hard read for me- the derogatory slurs, the objectification of black people, the pain I could feel bleed out of the pages. It was hard. I must say that I also struggled with the authors writing style in very deep prose took abit of getting used to though I have to admit for people who enjoy such, they will have no problem flowing with it.
I highly recommend 'The Prophets' I am most definitely going to come back to this in the near future because the book has alot to give which I have not wrapped my head the first time around....more
Interesting read. Nadia's story had the potential to be gripping and powerful but I just couldn't relate to. Must be a me kind of problem. I shall defInteresting read. Nadia's story had the potential to be gripping and powerful but I just couldn't relate to. Must be a me kind of problem. I shall definitely come back to this....more
Every time I remember that we live in a world without Ms Toni Morrison my heart falls just a little.
This is my 3rd time reading this and I am still Every time I remember that we live in a world without Ms Toni Morrison my heart falls just a little.
This is my 3rd time reading this and I am still in awe of this masterpiece! Quite frankly though, I think this is the time that I fully appreciate this book with its rich prose and captivating fluidity. This book made me think about a lot of things, like I would seriously read a chapter and feel like curling into a ball. I love this book, as much as you can love a book so heart wrenching and filled with so much sadness, but I love it.
It made me question a lot social and cultural conditioning within myself, like how for the longest time I wished to be lighter than my current skin tone, because (and I hate to say it) having a lighter skin tone comes with much greater social currency. Let's face it as a black woman there is a lot of internalized self hate that I suffer from and through my constant introspection this is something that I am constantly working to get over. Like Malcolm X asked us, "Who taught you to hate yourself from the top of your head to the soles of your feet?"
Ms Toni goes on to probe the systemic dehumanisation of black people and how we constantly fail black girls and black women by insisting on victim blaming and stripping them of their power. I pray that we can do and be more for the next generation of kids.
The bluest eye is a true Black Classic which I highly recommend!!...more
I love TDJ's books. I love that how her characters accurately portray realistic black people and how her books address real life black people problemsI love TDJ's books. I love that how her characters accurately portray realistic black people and how her books address real life black people problems. Grown is partly based off Robert Kelly 'R.Kelly' while still managing to capture strong issues grooming of minors, sexual assault, microaggressions and mental health. All of this was weaved in captivating book filled with twist and turns. Like almost all of Tiffany D. Jackson books, this one was heavy. HEAVY doesn't even begin to cover it though. Here we follow the life of a starry eyed young girl who just wanted to live her dream. A girl who just wanted to sing. A girl who put her trust on the worst kind of public figure who promised to mentor her but in turn violated her both physically and mentally but still was put through the wringer after being accused of heinous crime. I will say this, Black women almost always never come out ahead of their abusers. Why would we when in all spheres, we are at the bottom of the food chain. Always shamed. Always objectified. Always villified.
Adjust your crown BLACK QUEEN, It ain't over till its over ...more
“If you’re born in America with a black skin, you’re born in prison, and the masses of black people in America today are beginning to regard our pligh“If you’re born in America with a black skin, you’re born in prison, and the masses of black people in America today are beginning to regard our plight or predicament in this society as one of a prison inmate.” — Malcolm X...more
If you've read this, ask yourself this, did you hate how realistic this book was to today's society?? If yes, what the hell are you doing to ensure thaIf you've read this, ask yourself this, did you hate how realistic this book was to today's society?? If yes, what the hell are you doing to ensure that racial profiling finally comes to an end? If no, well I have no words for you.
WWMD?? What Would Martin Do? That's the mantra when it comes to having black skin and dealing with the other folk. Heres my take away You can’t change how other people think and act, but you’re in full control of you. When it comes down to it, the only question that matters is this: If nothing in the world ever changes, what type of man are you gonna be? ...more
Intersectional Feminism is where it's at sis! I will never get tired of saying this!Intersectional Feminism is where it's at sis! I will never get tired of saying this!...more
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