The Next Book On My List

The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms by N.K. Jemisin                 Yeine Darr was never looking to rule. She only came to Sky by request of her grandfather, Dekatur Arameri, a man she had never set eyes on before. Yeine’s mother had abdicated the throne and left for the North to be with Yeine’s father. Now both of her parents were dead, she was the ruler of the Darr in the North but considered a barbarian. But when she kneeled in front of her grandfather and he recognized her as kin, she knew other things were at play. Yeine didn’t realize it would be a fight for the throne and she didn’t realize the gods enslaved to the Arameri were involved and that her life was a stake.                 I was not prepared for this book to start off the way that it did. I’ve read Jemisin before so I was expecting amazing world building, an intense and intricate plot and beautiful writing. But she came out in the first chapter hitting readers with a dark chaotic action sequence that put Yeine

The Black Rose by Tananarive Due                 Have you ever wondered about the life of Madam CJ Walker? Well, of course you’ve heard of her. Without her we would have never had pressing combs and our scalps would have more than likely been a mess. Madam CJ Walker built an empire around Black women’s hair care products. The Black Rose is a historical fiction based on the life of Madam CJ Walker, born Sarah Breedlove. Due used research conducted by Alex Haley and created this novel which looks at the many trials, tribulations and successes experience in both love, family and business by Madam CJ Walker.                 After reading the first few pages, I knew this would be a novel I really enjoyed, because Due is a beautiful writer. She creates detailed worlds with her words, sewing the atmosphere, culture and scenery together in a way that transports readers to that time and place. I felt like I was with Walker as she traveled through the streets in her luxury vehicle

The Skin I’m In by Sharon G. Flake I’m making it a point to read classics written by Black authors this year and The Skin I’m In is the first for this year. It’s the story of Maleeka, a young girl in seventh grade who is constantly harassed because of the darkness of her skin and bullied because she’s poor. She is constantly being manipulated by other girls in her grade and it’s taking a toll. When a new teacher comes to her school, with a scarred face the kids find another target. But this teacher, Ms. Saunders, takes a liking to Maleeka. Intimidated and angered by this at first, Maleeka rejects her kindness. Overtime things change but Maleeka has to find her own strength before she can stand up to her abusers. This book has been sitting on my bookshelf screaming to be read for at least a year. Now that I’ve read it, I have a lot of emotions. This book is so painful because it hints at the worst part of people and how some of those traits can appear in young people.