Athena Arkansas

I wasn't as dedicated to reading in March. Honestly, I'm trying to think of what I was dedicated to in March and nothing is really coming to mind. I did make it to the library and picked up a few books to try out. 2 out 3 ain't bad, but this was my weakest month for reading thus far. Untamed State : Roxane Gay is an INCREDIBLE WRITER!! I loved this book!! I devoured it within two days. My love for reading was reawakened by this book. Within the first two pages she was kidnapped and I was left in SHOCK and I had to restart the book to be prepared. My heart really aches after reading the book. A woman is always in some of kind of cage or men are attempting to contain or abuse a woman in some way that they are unaware. After her kidnapping the book tackles the privilege men have when it comes to their own safety and the ignorance they have for how their actions are perceived by women. This book is brutal and not for the faint of heart, but through the brutality the absolute ...

For the month of February I wanted to celebrate Black History Month by choosing books that were written by black authors. I typically don't pay any attention to an author (unless she's Sarah Dessen because I am a super stan), so finding books by author is a new thing to me. Luckily, we live in the age of Buzzfeed and list internet, so I was able to scour several "you must read" lists and find some books with plots that drew me in. As always, from reading I hope to be entertained and potentially learn something or see into a different part of the world that I wouldn't be able to on my own. I'm a brown girl, so I'm not ignorant to the fact that race impacts your life more at different times than at others based on geographic location, how brown I'm looking, etc... In most books written by white authors, race isn't really addressed in the book because it isn't as heavy in their lives. In a book written by a black author the struggles of race are...