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February is Black History Month so this seems like the perfect occasion to share some favorite reads from black authors. However, don’t read these books because they are written by black authors — read these books because they are good books, period.
Amanda’s Picks
I loved this book and devoured it in less than 24 hours. It’s a book that will stick with me. It’s not a book for everyone. It read a bit like a Quentin Tarantino movie so if you don’t like F-bombs and descriptive scenes of people getting hurt this probably isn’t the book for you. There are also race and LGBT themes throughout the book.Ike and Buddy Lee are two unlikely partners in crime – literally. But after the death of their sons, who were married and had a three-year-old daughter, the two work together to figure out who murdered their kids. Ike and Buddy Lee are both ex-cons. Ike, a black man, has made a decent life for himself owning a landscaping business and living life on the right side of the law. Buddy Lee hasn’t been in jail for a decade but he has become a loner who drinks too much and hasn’t tried to better himself.Both men face their own feelings about their sons being gay. Throughout Razorblade Tears, the reader feels their loss and conflict, something only the two of them really understand. As the two start to look into the murder of their sons, they are faced with decisions on whether or not it’s worth going back to a life of crime and who they may upset along the way.In spite of the sometimes gruesome scenes and rigid personalities of the two main characters, there were also some funny moments and lines. This is a heavy book both in plot and topics addressed, but it’s worth riding alongside Ike and Buddy Lee as they take matters into their own hands.
The Yellow Wife was a hard book to read at times because of the content and descriptions but it was a quick read for me and something I enjoyed. I didn’t expect to like it as much as I did. For me it was more the overall story of heartbreak and determination that drew me in. While I felt for the main character she wasn’t super developed as far as getting inside her head. The ending also felt abrupt to me. But neither of these things took away from the book enough for me to not give it five stars.Pheby was born on a plantation, the daughter of a slave and white plantation owner. She grew up relatively sheltered from the hard life of a slave and was promised freedom on her eighteenth birthday. She looks forward to this life with Essex who she has found love with while on the plantation.However, she instead finds herself sold to a man who runs a jail where slaves are tortured and sold. Pheby has to figure out how to survive and wonders if she’ll ever see Essex again as she witnesses horrible things happening to children and adults. The Jailer, as she calls him, treats her well at times but she must always live on edge as she tries to figure out how she can escape.
Maryalene’s Picks
The Color Purple by Alice Walker
4 out of 5
This was a tough book to read and may not be for everyone — particularly if you are sensitive to the topic of child sexual abuse. I had no idea what this book was about when I picked it up, and I almost gave up after the first gut-wrenching chapter. You know awful things happen to kids every day, but sometimes you don’t want to read about it.
However, I’m glad I stuck with the story. It’s all about how people endure and even thrive despite the crummy cards life hands them. The plot didn’t strike me as entirely realistic — after all, how many people in desperate situations are lucky enough to have a successful singer around to save them? — but the ideas conveyed seem authentic to me. Time marches on and in the middle of even messy lives, there can be hope and light and redemption.
From a more technical standpoint, I found the timeline a little hard to follow. In some cases, numerous years pass between chapters, and I have to confess that I finished the book not entirely sure how old some of the younger characters were.
The Color Purple is a classic for a reason, and while it’s can be an uncomfortable read at times, I think sometimes we need to be uncomfortable if we want to be empathetic.
I Wanna Be Where You Are by Kristina Forest
4 out of 5
Around the time that the video adaptation of Colson Whitehead’s The Underground Railroad was released (which is another excellent but gut-wrenching book), I ran across a book list online. The gist of the article was, “Hey! You know there’s more to the black experience than pain and trauma, right? How about you read some books on black joy too.” And that is how this book ended up on my to-read list.
This is a sweet YA romance about a high school student who dreams of going to a dance conservatory in New York City. When her mom forbids her from auditioning, she decides to go anyway. While her mom is on vacation, she road-trips from New Jersey to North Carolina with the boy next door along for the ride.
The book checks off a lot of the boxes you’d expect in a modern tale — the gay friend, a misunderstanding, the person with a secret, the unlikely romance. Well, the romance is only unlikely to the characters; readers will see it coming from a mile away.
For parents: this book has some swearing, including the f-word, and references to underage drinking. For that reason, I wouldn’t recommend it for middle schoolers. However, it probably doesn’t have anything an average high schooler hasn’t already heard in the hallway from classmates. The romance is strictly PG with a few kisses and holding hands. The main characters spend a couple nights in hotel rooms together, but it’s strictly platonic.
Overall, I’d recommend I Wanna Be Where You Are to anyone looking for a light read and who wants to cheer on a character as she pursues her dreams.
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