Girl, Woman, Other by Bernadine Evaristo was a joy to read and one of my absolute favorites this year. This is a book I read right after finishing Communion: The Female Search For Love by bell hooks. Communion is a nonfiction book focusing on women, love, and patriarchy; it’s profound. Reading Communion before reading Girl,…
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As soon as I saw this book’s beautiful cover and read the blurb, I knew I wanted to read Yinka, where is your huzband by Lizzie Damiola Blackburn. Luckily, I had won the book in an Instagram giveaway at the beginning of the year. So, I finally started it last month, and while it took a…
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As humans, I think we are fixated on our realities. It is so easy for me to constantly focus on life’s difficulties, ruminating on how things could be better. But, until I encounter another individual, who openly shares their situation, I realize it could be far worse. Not to say my problems are not significant,…
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Recently, I read Monster in the Middle by Tiphanie Yanique for book club. The novel centers on Fly, a Black-American man, and Stella, a Caribbean woman, who meet in New York City in the present time. It spans several decades, and its characters travel across the continental United States, to the Virgin Islands, and Ghana.…
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*Spoiler Alert* As I stare out the window on this bleak, snowy morning, I contemplate Toni Morrison’s book, Recitatif, and my prejudices. As humans, we like to think we are perfect and have no bias, but we do! What are yours? Recitatif, the only short story by Morrison, was written in 1980 and was first published…
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At the beginning of the year, the book Wahala by Nikki May was all over Instagram. Everything intrigued me – the beautiful book cover, the premise about female friendships, Nigerian culture/food, and even a character with my namesake, what?! Sign me up! The novel centers around three British-Nigerian best friends (Boo, Ronke, Simi) living in…
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If someone stopped me on the street and asked me to use a few words to express what it means to be a Black woman in the United States, I would say pure exhaustion, frustration, and rare moments of exhilaration. Why these particular terms? Because no matter how astute, accomplished, attentive or agreeable you are,…
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The premise of the novel Open Water sounds like a must-read. A beautiful love story with a male protagonist? Yes, yes! Set in the United Kingdom and written by a black male? Hmm, intriguing. Even the book cover is enticing, so how can I pass on this book? Read below to find out! The novel…
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My favorite book is What Storm, What Thunder by Myriam Chancy! Let me ask you, what do you know about Haiti? Do you know about the association of the Louisiana Purchase and Haiti? Do you know that it is the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere? Do you know about an estimated 250,000 to 300,000…
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Even though I love Toni Morrison for her brilliance, poetic lines, and spectacular word choices – I was not fond of Song of Solomon.In this novel, Morrison fleshes out black men while focusing on self-image and self-discovery. Although I was not keen on this book and would not recommend it, chapter 6 left me in…
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Bookish Naija Gal 