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A review by bookph1le
Yinka, Where is Your Huzband? by Lizzie Damilola Blackburn
3.0
3.5 stars
I enjoyed this, but my frustration with Yinka sometimes made it hard for me to be as into the book as I would have liked. Some spoilers to follow.
Still, I do think the book does a good job of folding in a lot of issues worth unpacking--everything from the expectations placed on women to the conflict between being a mother and holding down a career to the detrimental effects of colorism. I thought the author did such an amazing job of conveying how the messages Yinka has internalized about beauty have deeply hurt her. I also thought the author was deft at using tiny moments--such as Yinka's foray into a hair supply store--to creating a really searing, painful image of what it means to be a dark-skinned woman growing up in a world that insists on equating paleness with beauty.
I was also glad to see that this book advocated for counseling. After reading far too many books in which mental health issues are conveyed in a negative way, I was so glad to see a book extolling the benefits of counseling and how the work Yinka did with her counselor helped her to become a better and more authentic version of herself.
As for the ending, I found it extremely satisfying. All in all, I liked the way the book showed Yinka grappling with her longing to find love and her confusion over whether that made her a bad feminist. As a feminist myself, I love seeing multi-faceted views of feminism like this, and I appreciated that the author emphasized that yearning for love is a very human emotion.
I look forward to seeing what this author does next.
I enjoyed this, but my frustration with Yinka sometimes made it hard for me to be as into the book as I would have liked. Some spoilers to follow.
Still, I do think the book does a good job of folding in a lot of issues worth unpacking--everything from the expectations placed on women to the conflict between being a mother and holding down a career to the detrimental effects of colorism. I thought the author did such an amazing job of conveying how the messages Yinka has internalized about beauty have deeply hurt her. I also thought the author was deft at using tiny moments--such as Yinka's foray into a hair supply store--to creating a really searing, painful image of what it means to be a dark-skinned woman growing up in a world that insists on equating paleness with beauty.
I was also glad to see that this book advocated for counseling. After reading far too many books in which mental health issues are conveyed in a negative way, I was so glad to see a book extolling the benefits of counseling and how the work Yinka did with her counselor helped her to become a better and more authentic version of herself.
As for the ending, I found it extremely satisfying.
Spoiler
I was glad to see a book showing that women need to work on themselves by resolving their own issues and fulfilling their own needs before they enter a romantic relationship. It's not that I think romantic partners can't help one another resolve personal issues, because I do, but I was SO glad to read a book that make Yinka's problems get better because of the work Yinka does and not because a romance magically fixes everything for her.I look forward to seeing what this author does next.