ubepandesol 's review for:

Love in Color: Mythical Tales from Around the World, Retold by Bolu Babalola

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this turned out to be a timely read for me, in line with the historical shifts happening now in my homeland. in the introduction, the author writes: "love [...] binds and propels us. this isn't a naïve denial of the darkness that we know exists in the world; rather it is a refusal to allow the devastation, the horror, or the heartache to consume us. it is affirming the knowledge that there is light. love is that light." this is what VP leni robredo meant when she said that choosing to love is a radical act. while author bolu babalola may have been talking of romantic love in this collection, i took that quote to mean love in general, including love for one's homeland. this kind of love is also weaved into the stories of Yaa and Siya: both women made choices out of love for their land and their people too.

if i have to pick a favorite i would say it's Yaa's story, about a woman on whom expectations weighed heavy on her shoulders ever since she was born, who went through an eye-opening experience in the university yet still tried very hard to repress the power she wields to fit herself into others' expectations lol it took another person who sees her power in all its entirety to snap her out of it

special mentions: osun, psyche, tiara