he considers the legacy of Black women in the South, of eldest daughters turned caretakers as their own mothers worked long, difficult hours, of the women left behind by the men who were unwilling to commit or honor wedding vows. How Black girls in the South have to grow up so quickly. How little they have to look forward to when they can trace the line of their mothers, grandmothers, and great-grandmothers all in much the same way.
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With the Fire on High by Elizabeth Acevedo You already know I’m a sucker for a good YA novel. Elizabeth Acevedo first came on my radar with the major success of her previous book, The Poet X, which blew up on #BookTwitter. Since then, she has literally sky rocketed to the top of the New…
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I recently listed to an episode of one of my favorite podcasts, Still Processing, in which the hosts Jenna Wortham and Wesley Morris drew parallels between Jordan Peele’s newest thriller, Us, and Beloved. I was so intrigued by the connection they make between the characters Red in the film and Beloved in the text that I decided to explore them further here. So I hope you’ve seen the movie too!
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In Thick, Cottom writes on the Black woman’s body — how it is judged by our own, by others and the life or death outcomes of that judging. She reminds readers to “Trust Black Women,” and of the consequences of stripping Black girls of their girlhood. She discusses the heirarchy of Blackness in how one is deemed more or less acceptable based on being “black-black” or “worthy black” ethnic black.
Read MoreWhat does it mean when the only space that you’ve ever been able to claim as your own is invaded with people who don’t look like you, think like you, or care to understand your experiences and perspective? Get this book for your younger loved ones and tell them that you see them and care. In Pride, Zoboi does just that.
Read MoreElle Jeffries is a 2015 graduate of The Ohio State University. She received her Master’s in Education from the University of Maryland – College Park and has lived in the DC area for the last four years. She is the phenomenal author of deep condition and was recently kind enough to chat with me about the making of her debut novel. Keep reading for some spectacular insights on her personal story, how deep condition came to be, why she writes under a pseudonym, and her aspirations for the novel moving forward. Grab a snack and a cup of tea and check it out.
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deep condition is Elle Jeffries’ debut novel, and her future is very bright if this is any indication. This is a story about a woman struggling to come into her own, and find her own voice, in the midst of dealing with significant personal trauma. The way she attempts to do this is through writing. Our narrator says, “Writing can heal” (pg.154), and this story is an example.
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