It's been a long time since I've dove into a really good book, and Friends and Strangers was that for me. It's sharp, piercing and, at times, self-deprecating. I tore through the 400-some pages in three days. Friends and Strangers is the kind of book I wish I could give every young, college-aged grad on the cusp of leaving behind the cocooned ivy walls of university and entering the real world. It's a compilation—a manual—for how real life in your 20s and 30s often plays out and what becomes truly important as you move through life. It's the book version of your older sister telling you not to worry about being single and taking a big, impressive job in the city, because in ten years everyone's going to be pregnant and throwing gender ...
Transcendent Kingdom by Yaa Gyasi | Book Review
Transcendent Kingdom is the kind of book I would've liked to say I loved. I'd expected to rip through it, devour every page and revel in the kind of existential, philosophical questions the author posed throughout this sad, baffling tale. Sadly, that didn't happen. But two things were true: I did blow through it—reading the whole thing in a day and half —and I did drink in each word. Gifty's words were true, honest, an anchor, and her reflections of her past and present felt like I was spending my time reading her journals, where she withheld nothing. It was a perfect foray into a different kind of family life, getting to see a different example of locality and life and all the sad things that come with it. Synopsis Gifty, a ...
Such a Fun Age by Kiley Reid | Book Review
Such A Fun Age is an irresistible read. I stayed up till 4am to finish it, and had no absolutely qualms about it. I just had to get to the end, and had zero regrets once I did. The end came quicker than I expected and washed over me in waves of slow realization, as I looked back and mentally pieced together parts of the book together with the end revelation in mind. It's no surprise that Queen & Slim writer/producer Lena Waithe picked up the film and TV rights to this story before publication. I expect this book to stay with me long after I begin picking up other reads. It took me on a journey, constantly leaving mental breadcrumbs to mull through while I was away from the book, keeping the story and its characters continually in my ...
