Reviews

Send Her Back and Other Stories by Munashe Kaseke

rmarcin's review

4.0

Send Her Back is a series of stories of Zimbabwean woman and their experiences as immigrants in America, as well as the differences between US and Zimbabwean culture. I really enjoyed some of the stories, especially the ones that detailed the difficulties they faced, as they are being stopped by police, as they struggle to get immigrant status, as they are noticed due to their deep color. It was painful to read some of these stories and recognize the awful way immigrants are treated, or how bad the immigration system is. I also remembered the disgust I felt when the former POTUS called countries in Africa, S*hole countries. His absolute bigotry was highlighted and written about very well in this book.
I also enjoyed when the author highlighted all the things she loved about her home country, the foods, the endless sunshine, even the mosquitos were a source of her absorbing the entire experience.
I believe that by reading other people's experiences and essays are a good way to help in understanding the plights of others.
I also had the opportunity to listen to this book on audio, and I enjoyed the narration of the book. The narrator's voice was clear, distinct, and lyrical. Thanks to NetGalley for the audio, and to BookishFirst for the print copy!

aejung's review against another edition

3.0

I enjoyed the different stories that were told within this collection, and both the varied and shared experiences and perspectives they revealed for the reader. There were common themes across the collection, but they were drawn out according to each character's unique world and story.

I really appreciated the variety of protagonists across this collection and the unique world and character development of each. There were several where I wished they'd kept going ('Tsoro', for example), and if some of the characters from this collection appeared in longer-form stories in the future, I'd happily pick up the books to read! I found myself particularly engaged in one of the longer stories, 'Dear Aunt Vimbai', where there was more opportunity for greater character development, so I can imagine that the same would be true for other stories in the collection!

Overall, I enjoyed this book and the perspectives it brought!

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

angiew23's review

5.0

This book contains a collection of short stories about young women from Zimbabwe. Several themes are explored, including: discrimination, racism, immigration and sexism. The book is well written and weaves together many different stories in a very seamless way. The author handles difficult issues with the perfect mix of straightforward descriptions and careful sensitivity. I would definitely recommend this book. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for giving me the opportunity to read and review this book.

enolarayne's review

dark emotional hopeful sad fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes

5.0

readinginprogress1237's review

adventurous challenging dark emotional funny hopeful informative inspiring lighthearted mysterious reflective relaxing 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? It's complicated

4.25

Send Her Back and Other Stories by Munashe Kaseke is a collection of short stories featuring Zimbabwean immigrant women living in America. The Zimbabwean protagonists in the short stories navigate through a variety of issues such as identity, displacement, misogyny, microaggressions, sexism, racism, belonging, and culture. Each and every story in the collection is unique and well-crafted. We read a short story about dating outside your culture, a story concerning a police interaction, and a story about displacement in both your home country and the country you are residing in. It taught me a lot about Zimbabwean culture and gave a good perspective on the Zimbabwean experience.

I have read a few short story collections and I found the theme of Send Her Back and Other Stories unique which was what initially piqued my interest. I have read a collection of stories where each chapter is different and there is no connection which makes the book whole. Though, this collection connected all the stories with the theme of Zimbabwean immigrant women living in America. As a reader, I enjoyed this because it felt like I was almost reading about the different experiences of one protagonist even though each book had different characters. Despite the protagonist being a Zimbabwean woman, as a person of color I could relate to many of the experiences that were dealt by the protagonist. In each story, all the characters felt so real and genuine. When reading the book it felt like a movie. The book felt so raw and I went through a rollercoaster of emotions as I read through each story. I always think that it’s a plus point when you read a book and you really care about the characters or feel strong emotions toward the characters you don’t like. Especially since it's a short collection with new characters each time. It really did evoke my emotions. I was angry when the main protagonist was angry and sad when the main character was sad.

I have mentioned a few times how I really enjoyed the book due to its diversity, theme, and how unique each story is. But, not only is each story different and well-crafted in its plot but also in its writing style. Every story is written in a different manner, different formatting, and with different stylistic writing choices. To give an example one of the stories is formatted in a way where it jumps from different perspectives and different timelines. A multi-perspective story. Another story is written with a lot of figurative language and is lyrical. A lyrical story. This made this book all the more interesting to read. Some of the stories used Shona which is a language native to Zimbabwe. I liked seeing the different formats and styles of writing used in a short story collection. Some stories felt like they could be an entirely separate book because they were so well-written. Some of the stories were suspenseful and some were lighthearted. This is why I think the collection is truly unique. A lot of the time when complimenting a book people say how they could not put the book down. But for me, I truly know I like the book when I stop to really think about what I just read in between the stories and relate to it. After I read each story I could take a break to think about it and come back to a totally different story. And since it was a collection I would not have to reread something to remember what the story was about. At times it felt like an anthology series because it felt like each story was written by a different author. The author is very versatile as each story is written differently than the other.

The order of the stories also caught my attention after completing the book. I felt like the first story was simple but set the tone for the next story after that. The last story really ended the book on a positive note finalizing the book. So, I think the order in which the stories were placed was very incisive and smart.

However there were some things that I think could be improved in this book to make this book even better. To start, there are some writing choices that I thought could be better, especially in the first story of the collection. Though I love how unique each format and style is, there could be slight tweaking in how those stylistic choices are made. Particularly in one story the dialogue between the characters was a bit cringe-inducing, forced, and unnatural. Despite this, the narrative and exposition carried the overall story making the characters feel raw and making you care for them. But, I think if the dialogue was changed and written in a better manner the book would be even better. Effective dialogue is always nice to see in a book. Finally, I think that the placement of Shona could be better. Whenever I read a book that intertwines a different language I want it to be consistent, written smoothly, and the language to connect with the context. And it does depend on the book. This is just my perspective and opinion but I think there could have been a better use of the language to really bring out the text. Not to say that I did not like the addition of the language but I think it could have been more expertly intertwined with it. There were some times I thought that the language was incorporated well other times not so much. If those little inconsistencies were worked on, the book would have a great balance. Obviously, there are some stories that I liked better than the others but there was no story that I disliked.

To conclude I really enjoyed reading this book. Yes, there were some things that could be improved on to make this book even better. But it did not take away from my appreciation and respect for this collection of stories by Munashe Kaseke. This is why I rated the book the way I did.

stucifer_'s review against another edition

(copy received via goodreads giveaway)

I got about halfway through this collection of short stories before I threw in the towel. I applaud the author's achievement : at the very baseline, writing and publishing a short story collection is an accomplishment.

That said, these stories desperately need an editor. There's just a lot of sloppiness that detracts from the overall works : things like unclear and variating pronouns, an in-person conversation abruptly ending by a phone hanging up, etc. The stories themselves - while all centering on different women who have in common that they are Zimbabwean immigrants to America - all start with the seed of a good concept, and an interesting character. But the writing is just lacking for this genre. The narrative structure is inconsistent or absent altogether, and the writing voice is pedestrian.

The author is herself a Zimbabwean immigrant to America. I wonder how this publication would differ if it were written as a memoir or an essay collection, instead of as short stories. I just don't think the construct of fiction writing serves her well here, and I finally realized I had put all the time into it I was willing to.

One thing I will find fault with, however, is the fatphobia of several stories. Enough of the MCs here seemed to find fatness to be a moral failing that I feel the sentiment must go beyond their characterization and reach back to the author herself. I hope she realizes both how incorrect and how damaging that perspective is, and soon.

mkbonzelaar's review

challenging emotional hopeful informative reflective sad medium-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? It's complicated

5.0

bunny_herondale's review against another edition

5.0

This was a powerful anthology that really makes us see how difficult immigrants have it in the USA, specially women from Zimbabwe.

We see different stories from a variety of women, but they all have that thing in common.

Not all the stories are cute and we don't have a happy ever after assured for every story, but that's part of what makes it so real and it gives us an insight on how hard immigrant women have it.

From cultural differences to the fear of being deported, ungrateful families that believe you are a magical ATM just because you made it in the US, to the unfair migration system. This anthology covers almost everything up and it's so real it makes you cry in frustration.

It also gives us a great insight for intersectional feminism, since all women have different experiences and not everything applies the same to all of us, even when we are part of a minority as well.

I highly recommend this book to everyone that wants to get an insight for immigrants on their side, and for people that wants to understand more about to intersectional feminism.

sheska_meroba's review

3.25

I received a copy of this book from the publisher.
I unfortunately didn’t really enjoy this book that much. I found a lot of the stories pointless and the characters felt repetitive.
I enjoyed a couple of the stories but for the most part the were just okay.
When Zimbabwe Fell For Wyoming - 4 stars 
Send Her Back - 3.5 stars 
Return To The Land of Giant Suns - 3.5 stars 
The Collector of Degrees - 3 stars 
Tsoro - 3 stars 
Unhinged - 3.5 stars 
Ghost of My Mother - 4 stars 
Noon - 3 stars 
Torture in Minnesota - 3 stars 
Globe-Trotter - 2.5 stars 
Imported Husband- 3 stars 
Not So Micro - 3.5 stars 
It’s So Much More Complicated When You Love Him - 3.5 stars 
Dear Aunt Vimbai - 2.5 stars 
The Zimbabwean Dream - 3 stars 
An Ostrich Partnership - 3 stars

rottyreads's review against another edition

5.0

Send Her Back and Other Storiesby Munashe Kaseke

[Barnes & Nobel] Blurb: In Send Her Back and other stories, Munashe Kaseke offers an awfully intimate, fresh telling of the immigrant Black woman experience in the United States, equally awash with a myriad of challenges as well as the joys of exploring a new world.
★★★★★

What a powerful book. I loved the differing perspectives in these stories. I really value the insight and perspectives from different cultures. "Was he a jerk or simply an American?" As an American, I'm screaming, "NOOOOOOO he's the one who's wrong!!!" but I can totally see where she would be confused. I empathize with these stories, and I get wanting to help your family in your county. But as a white woman, I don't have those same deeply engrained bonds and ties. My gut is to say, just cut them off. But in the next breath I'm aching for the bond of Dear Aunt Vimbai. I know you can't have it both ways. I am deeply grateful for this look into the lives and experiences of Immigrant Black Women in America. 

I loved the arc of this book. The author notes this at the end, but as she was writing, you can tell that she was able to find some peace in her writing. The characters and stories start out sad and hopeless, and at the end there is hope and happiness. I'm a sucker for a HEA (happily-ever-after). There are so many stories in here that I want to know more. I want them to have their own moments. Their own stand-alone books. But, I guess that's the point of short stories, to leave you wanting more. 

I so deeply want to dive into each chapter in this review and talk about it all. But this is a review and not book club, and I don't want to spoil the experience for others. But I highly recommend this book for others. 

Thank you Munashe Kaseke for sharing these stories with me and others. Thank you NetGalley for the ARC Audiobook to review. 

Overall: ★★★★★ Overall
Narration: ★★★★★ Narrator