The Books I Read In February '18
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 very present. These issues of race don't overshadow the plot or the characters, but it made me realize how often race is not integral to a person's way of living in a book. I can often get used to living in a comfortable bubble and these books shook me out of that and helped me articulate the struggles I have had in my own life. It is necessary to read books written by people who come from a different life than you in order for you to be more empathetic to others successes and struggles. I've learned so much from these books and had a really enjoyable month reading them. Scroll down to see what books I'm talking about and what I thought about each one more specifically.
As y'all know I have been on a mystery book kick, so I wanted to reign in my addiction, but still give myself at least one mystery in case the other books failed to thoroughly entertain me (they delivered). I went with two non-fiction, one mystery, and one fiction which verged on fairytale.
Bluebird, Bluebird: This is a whodunnit mystery set in Texas told from the perspective of Texas Ranger. The issue of race is prevalent throughout the whole book as is the struggle of male power. I found the parts when the two of these are combined to be the scariest. Specifically, when white men who feel their power is lessened by a black man in a position of power create terrifying situations within the book. Overall, I liked this book. More so for the interesting and very real way race and prejudice in a small town were addressed. There were a lot of twists and shocking revelations, but the book introduces most of these reveals like most mystery books - right at the end. Call me crazy, but I'd like to be able to have the clues in the meat of the book.
Boy, Snow, Bird: I guess this book is part fantasy and fairy tale. It is told in three parts Boy's, Snow's, and then Bird's. I liked the pace of this book and how shocked was by all the little reveals that help you understand each person.
What was most interesting about this book was when SPOILER ALERT, Boy has a black baby. No she didn't cheat on her husband, he's black, his whole family is black, they've just been 'passable' as white and in order to better their own lives and the lives of their children they've stuck with the lie until Bird is born. I liked that this book tackles the issue of race within one family and how the physical manifestation of race for a person is so important to their societal survival. I loved reading this book and thought each of the three parts were very interesting.
Bad Feminist: I didn't finish this book in February, but I have to include it because I fell in love with Roxane Gay's voice and her writing style. Bad Feminist is a collection of essays that investigates the impact of specific media programs in varying forms: tv, movies, books. She also includes a section of the book about herself. I'm a bitch and I hated this part. She talks about scrabble and I was BORED. So if you think scrabble is nerdy and boring like me then skip this to get to her incredible criticism of what we consume and how it impacts us. Her critique of popular shows and movies that are viewed as feminist allows you to see their flaws and to learn to think critically yourself. I have recommended this book to so many people and it was my favorite book of February.
Dear Ijeawele, or A Feminist Manifesto in 15 Suggestions: This is a tiny little book, but it is packed with SO MUCH KNOWLEDGE. One of the things that has stayed with me the most after reading this were the tools of feminism she uses when reflecting on her own decisions. If it can be said in the reverse than the decision can be said to be a feminist decision. I don't think enough women put gravity into what their partner would do. The system that we were raised in says that the man comes first and it does take thinking critically to change that. I think this book will make a cute addition to a baby shower basket or to give a parent.
xoxo
Athena
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 very present. These issues of race don't overshadow the plot or the characters, but it made me realize how often race is not integral to a person's way of living in a book. I can often get used to living in a comfortable bubble and these books shook me out of that and helped me articulate the struggles I have had in my own life. It is necessary to read books written by people who come from a different life than you in order for you to be more empathetic to others successes and struggles. I've learned so much from these books and had a really enjoyable month reading them. Scroll down to see what books I'm talking about and what I thought about each one more specifically.
As y'all know I have been on a mystery book kick, so I wanted to reign in my addiction, but still give myself at least one mystery in case the other books failed to thoroughly entertain me (they delivered). I went with two non-fiction, one mystery, and one fiction which verged on fairytale.
Bluebird, Bluebird: This is a whodunnit mystery set in Texas told from the perspective of Texas Ranger. The issue of race is prevalent throughout the whole book as is the struggle of male power. I found the parts when the two of these are combined to be the scariest. Specifically, when white men who feel their power is lessened by a black man in a position of power create terrifying situations within the book. Overall, I liked this book. More so for the interesting and very real way race and prejudice in a small town were addressed. There were a lot of twists and shocking revelations, but the book introduces most of these reveals like most mystery books - right at the end. Call me crazy, but I'd like to be able to have the clues in the meat of the book.
Boy, Snow, Bird: I guess this book is part fantasy and fairy tale. It is told in three parts Boy's, Snow's, and then Bird's. I liked the pace of this book and how shocked was by all the little reveals that help you understand each person.
What was most interesting about this book was when SPOILER ALERT, Boy has a black baby. No she didn't cheat on her husband, he's black, his whole family is black, they've just been 'passable' as white and in order to better their own lives and the lives of their children they've stuck with the lie until Bird is born. I liked that this book tackles the issue of race within one family and how the physical manifestation of race for a person is so important to their societal survival. I loved reading this book and thought each of the three parts were very interesting.
Bad Feminist: I didn't finish this book in February, but I have to include it because I fell in love with Roxane Gay's voice and her writing style. Bad Feminist is a collection of essays that investigates the impact of specific media programs in varying forms: tv, movies, books. She also includes a section of the book about herself. I'm a bitch and I hated this part. She talks about scrabble and I was BORED. So if you think scrabble is nerdy and boring like me then skip this to get to her incredible criticism of what we consume and how it impacts us. Her critique of popular shows and movies that are viewed as feminist allows you to see their flaws and to learn to think critically yourself. I have recommended this book to so many people and it was my favorite book of February.
Dear Ijeawele, or A Feminist Manifesto in 15 Suggestions: This is a tiny little book, but it is packed with SO MUCH KNOWLEDGE. One of the things that has stayed with me the most after reading this were the tools of feminism she uses when reflecting on her own decisions. If it can be said in the reverse than the decision can be said to be a feminist decision. I don't think enough women put gravity into what their partner would do. The system that we were raised in says that the man comes first and it does take thinking critically to change that. I think this book will make a cute addition to a baby shower basket or to give a parent.
xoxo
Athena
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