A review by naika
Let Us Dream by Alyssa Cole

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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