Reviews with content warning for Racism - Let Us Dream

Reviews tagging 'Racism'

Let Us Dream by Alyssa Cole

6 reviews

yourbookishbff's review against another edition

challenging emotional hopeful sad tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

I loved this setting - in Harlem in the early 1900s - and I loved how original the premise is - a Black woman rewrites her dead husband's will to keep his nightclub and build a business on her own terms (while casually leading marginalized suffragettes in advocacy for the vote) and falls in love with her dishwasher-turned-sous-chef, a Bengali man who ditched a life at sea to live in NY and is now living in fear of immigration. Their love story is cautious and redemptive, and their relationship as guided by their passion for workers' rights as for each other. I will note that cultural appropriate is the crux of the original conflict between characters, and the foundation for their continued connection. It is used intentionally and challenged on page, as it helps both characters examine colorism, orientalism, and exoticization, but it is a lot packed into a novella, and I felt like it could have been further addressed with more page time.

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joonlily's review against another edition

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challenging emotional hopeful reflective medium-paced

Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes

3.5

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otterpebbles's review against another edition

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emotional funny hopeful informative inspiring reflective medium-paced

Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

I adored this book, with absolutely fantastic characters throughout that I wanted to read so much more about.

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ehmannky's review against another edition

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emotional hopeful fast-paced

Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

What a little gem of a novella. Amir and Bertha were such a lovely couple, with Bertha being all prickly and no-nonsense as a business owner and Amir being a good old socialist fighting America's forever shit immigration laws. And their romance was sweet and lovely to read, but then Cole's romances always are. I don't think I've read/watched any other piece of media that focuses on suffragists like this--the importance of the vote in the lives of Black women, poor women, and sex workers--rather than just on already privileged white women. More of this please.

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zombiezami's review

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emotional funny informative lighthearted reflective fast-paced

Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

This was really enjoyable. I liked the pairing of Bertha and Amir a lot.

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naika's review against another edition

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fast-paced

4.0

Bertha’s life has always been a performance. She spent much of it subjected to the male gaze and learned how to play into their desires, often at her own expense. Even when she is able to remove herself as a sex worker, she never fully leaves that world, but rather manages her own club and employs a group of women of the trade. Except, agency is the norm, not the exception in Bertha’s club. Her ladies are never expected to give anything of themselves they were not willing, comfortable, and/or able to do. In 1917 Harlem, this is quite exceptional.

But it is no easy feat to keep her business running and her crew safe, with white people actively trying to destroy and disrupt Black businesses. Bertha has had enough of being disenfranchised simply due to her skin color and sex. She wants the right to vote and be heard, so she joins the suffragette movement, despite not being seen as the “right fit” due to her trade and social status.

Not one for respectability politics, Bertha organizes her community of sex workers, club owners, number runners, etc. She educates them on current politics and social ills. She helps amplify the voices of those who’ve been silenced for too long. She is a resource for those who cannot find find it in more conventional ways.

Enters in Amir, the Bengali, undocumented immigrant looking for work after bottoming out of numerous jobs due to his outspoken disdain for the working conditions of people of color. Bertha takes a huge risk employing him, and initially, they clash. Amir had several misconceptions, but quickly begins to be enraptured by Bertha’s intellect, savviness, and persistence. Bertha has no interest in men; she already had given them too much of her time and herself. But she can’t help but be intrigued by the man who, although can be prickly and judgmental, still manages to see her humanity first, and not just her body.

My review is more heavily focused on the social commentary aspects of the book because that is what initially drew me in and kept hold of me. Even though this story was set a bit over 100 years ago, little has changed for Black and Brown folks. Our mere existence is revolutionary.

This, however is a romance, but I wasn’t as connected to Bertha and Amir in that regard. Were they strong, distinct characters in their own right? Absolutely. But I felt their passion for equity and social justice burned brighter than their passion for one another. But overall, that did not take away from the power of the story, even as short as it was.

I was in a bit of a reading funk and picked this book up for a reread hoping it’ll reignite me. I think it may have just done the trick. I highly suggest reading if you’re intrigued. I’m sure you won’t be disappointed.

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