LIZ'S BLACK HISTORY MONTH PICKS
THEIR EYES WERE WATCHING GOD
by Zora Neale Hurston
Originally published in 1937 and recognized as one of the most important novels in American Black literature, I somehow never read this gorgeous novel. I think all of my daughters read it in high school – and I can see why. Their Eyes Were Watching God follows Janie Crawford as she grows up with her grandmother in a small southern town, vowing to remain independent and strong. Janie is stunning in her perseverance and grit and she continues to evolve through each of her three marriages. Hurston has created an unforgettable character in Janie – one who despite the odds, becomes the strong, wise, independent woman she aspires to be. If you haven’t read this classic, treat yourself. Hurston’s writing is like reading poetry.
THE FORTUNE MEN
by Nadifa Mohamed
Shortlisted for the Booker prize, The Fortune Men, is gripping, harrowing and infuriating. Nadifa Mohamed was born in Somalia and has lived most of her life in London, so she no doubt has experienced extreme examples of racism in the United Kingdom similar to what she writes about in The Fortune Men. Mahmood Mattan, a young Somali sailor and father of three living in Cardiff, Wales, is accused of murdering a white female shopkeeper. Initially dismissive of the charge and confident his innocence will prevail, Mattan finds himself irrevocably sucked into the British judicial system. Mohamed crafts a painful, yet beautifully written, expose of the racism driving that justice system. Certainly not uplifting, but The Fortune Men opened my eyes and broke my heart.
WHAT LOOKS LIKE CRAZY ON AN ORDINARY DAY
by Pearl Cleage
Inspired by my co-editor’s previous review of this book (read review here), I borrowed What Looks Like Crazy from her on a recent visit to Toronto. Cleage writes with such clarity and authenticity, that I was immediately drawn into this novel and still find myself thinking about it weeks later. What Looks Like Crazy’s narrator, Ava Johnson, has been running a successful, high-end beauty salon in Atlanta. She lives a freewheeling, sexually liberated life until she finds out she has HIV. Rocked to her core, she returns to her small, lakeside hometown in Northern Michigan. But things have changed since she left ten years ago: unemployment is skyrocketing, opioids are everywhere and the crime rate is soaring. In a truly original exploration of a woman’s identity, What Looks Like Crazy, touches the core of how we judge ourselves and others. What cues do we use to decide whether someone is worthy of our friendship or trust? And, what should we really be looking at? This is a great read and will leave you thinking about your own life and identity.
KINDRED
by Octavia Butler
I have my friend Ellen to thank for recommending Kindred. Written in 1979, Kindred is another landmark Black American novel that I hadn’t read, by a novelist I had always intended to read. Set in modern-day California, Butler tells the story of a newly married woman, Dana, who one day without warning or explanation, finds herself transported to the antebellum South. Shaken and confused, she immediately comes to the rescue of a plantation owner’s son, Rufus, who is drowning. What follows are years of unplanned time-travel visits to the plantation, where Dana, a black woman, establishes a real bond with Rufus, but still must endure living the life of a slave when she is there. If time-travel isn’t your favorite literary device, I encourage you to give this novel a read anyway. Butler’s story about Dana, who in our time is married to a white man, but who also experiences the antebellum South firsthand, will draw you in and fascinate you. Kindred has become an iconic book and Butler’s use of time-travel is one of the reasons why. I highly recommend Kindred.
BLACK CAKE
by Charmaine Wilkerson
I was drawn to Black Cake because it seemed everyone, everywhere was reading this debut novel. The story begins with Byron and Bennie, brother and sister, who have been estranged for years, but who are thrust together to hear their mother Eleanor’s lawyer read them her will and last requests. This premise might seem tired, but Wilkerson’s execution is brilliant. In the course of the novel, Wilkerson crafts an unforgettable story of what it was like for their mother to grow up on a small Caribbean island the only child of a gambling father and an absent mother. Forced by her father’s actions to flee the island and create a new life in England, Benny and Byron are shocked to hear that their mother – and their father – had lived full and secret lives of which they had no knowledge. A very clever story about identity, Black Cake draws a fascinating portrayal of how we all struggle to define ourselves and how that evolves over time. Black Cake tells a multi-generational story about love and family and will keep you absorbed from beginning to end. (Liz)
