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A review by arisbookcorner
Virgin Soul by Judy Juanita
3.0
IQ "Sure, I had fancied myself militant. That fit my naturally rebellious nature. But to bea militant was frightful. Yet intriguing." (199)
This is one of those rare books I stumbled upon, not physically in a library (because covid) but via Twitter when Kaitlyn Greenidge recommended it in response to her Twitter thread asking for books about Black women forming a political consciousness. I immediately bookmarked the thread and in that one regard in particular this book more than delivers, we witness Geniece gradually become more and more radical and it's a delightful journey. What I didn't love is how much of her radicalization comes from men, especially the men she's interested in, "I wanted to say intelligent but Allwood was an intellectual. I was neither" (32). I really wanted her growing political consciousness to come from female friends as well or even a professor or two so it felt slightly less condescending. And what makes it harder to stomach is that Geniece rarely interacts with the famous real life women in the Black Panther Party, we learn more about Huey Newton and Bobby Seale than we do Kathleen Cleaver. The author makes it clear that the BPP is sexist but she also reinforces their habit of ignoring women by not giving them equal or close to equal attention in her own novel. In addition to discussing the sexism of the Panthers Juanita also discusses colorism within the Black community writ large but also more specifically within the Black Panther Party. Geniece is dark skinned and treated even worse than other women who are light skinned. The other issue I had is the overly ambitious tone of the book, Geniece comes to embody the experience of every Black woman. SO MUCH happens to her and those she knows that it reads like the author tried to cram as many experiences as possible into a select few characters and the sole main character.
The book structure is somewhat confusing, each section is divided by school year but she bounces around a lot in the stories she tells and it's hard to keep the characters and chronology straight. There's also lot of slang specific to the time which is often funny but can be tough to follow even with context clues. The ending was also very disappointing, it felt predictable and too neat. I wanted to see Geniece learn how to be radical even outside of college and that's not the ending we get. Geniece herself is very naive which leads to some hilarious encounters and her voice is also quite distinctive and amusing. At the same time she is also refreshingly clear eyed about what she does and doesn't know which helps make the book feel more accurate and real as she goes from being a sheltered middle class child to a working class student enamored with the Black Panthers. The author doesn't shy away from the controversy around the Black Panthers either, aside from the sexism some of the characters do hard drugs and some own guns. Gun ownership as self defense and militant civil disobedience are topics the author unflinchingly addresses but she also talks about the breakfast program and newspaper and how they were run and really revolutionary in their very existence. FBI surveillance of Black militants is also matter of factly discussed although more could have been done with that storyline.
VIRGIN SOUL is a much needed new spin on historical fiction that is set in the Bay Area during the height of counterculture and Black liberation that explores the nuances of the Black Panther Party that is thoughtfully paired with an offbeat coming of awareness and shedding of naïveté. It is about Black identity and the many themes/movements during this specific point in time; Black is Beautiful, Black Power and Black Love but also sexual freedom and tangentially the second wave of feminism. It is also very honest about the issues with the Black Panthers; drugs, the split over gun ownership, the chauvinism and misogynoir. I can only name one other historical fiction book set during the 60s/70s and about the Black Panthers, we need more of these stories told. However I wish the tone had been less didactic and that Geniece's experience more singular and specific. Along with a better ending.
This is one of those rare books I stumbled upon, not physically in a library (because covid) but via Twitter when Kaitlyn Greenidge recommended it in response to her Twitter thread asking for books about Black women forming a political consciousness. I immediately bookmarked the thread and in that one regard in particular this book more than delivers, we witness Geniece gradually become more and more radical and it's a delightful journey. What I didn't love is how much of her radicalization comes from men, especially the men she's interested in, "I wanted to say intelligent but Allwood was an intellectual. I was neither" (32). I really wanted her growing political consciousness to come from female friends as well or even a professor or two so it felt slightly less condescending. And what makes it harder to stomach is that Geniece rarely interacts with the famous real life women in the Black Panther Party, we learn more about Huey Newton and Bobby Seale than we do Kathleen Cleaver. The author makes it clear that the BPP is sexist but she also reinforces their habit of ignoring women by not giving them equal or close to equal attention in her own novel. In addition to discussing the sexism of the Panthers Juanita also discusses colorism within the Black community writ large but also more specifically within the Black Panther Party. Geniece is dark skinned and treated even worse than other women who are light skinned. The other issue I had is the overly ambitious tone of the book, Geniece comes to embody the experience of every Black woman. SO MUCH happens to her and those she knows that it reads like the author tried to cram as many experiences as possible into a select few characters and the sole main character.
The book structure is somewhat confusing, each section is divided by school year but she bounces around a lot in the stories she tells and it's hard to keep the characters and chronology straight. There's also lot of slang specific to the time which is often funny but can be tough to follow even with context clues. The ending was also very disappointing, it felt predictable and too neat. I wanted to see Geniece learn how to be radical even outside of college and that's not the ending we get. Geniece herself is very naive which leads to some hilarious encounters and her voice is also quite distinctive and amusing. At the same time she is also refreshingly clear eyed about what she does and doesn't know which helps make the book feel more accurate and real as she goes from being a sheltered middle class child to a working class student enamored with the Black Panthers. The author doesn't shy away from the controversy around the Black Panthers either, aside from the sexism some of the characters do hard drugs and some own guns. Gun ownership as self defense and militant civil disobedience are topics the author unflinchingly addresses but she also talks about the breakfast program and newspaper and how they were run and really revolutionary in their very existence. FBI surveillance of Black militants is also matter of factly discussed although more could have been done with that storyline.
VIRGIN SOUL is a much needed new spin on historical fiction that is set in the Bay Area during the height of counterculture and Black liberation that explores the nuances of the Black Panther Party that is thoughtfully paired with an offbeat coming of awareness and shedding of naïveté. It is about Black identity and the many themes/movements during this specific point in time; Black is Beautiful, Black Power and Black Love but also sexual freedom and tangentially the second wave of feminism. It is also very honest about the issues with the Black Panthers; drugs, the split over gun ownership, the chauvinism and misogynoir. I can only name one other historical fiction book set during the 60s/70s and about the Black Panthers, we need more of these stories told. However I wish the tone had been less didactic and that Geniece's experience more singular and specific. Along with a better ending.