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bahareads's reviews
957 reviews
Americanah by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Perhaps Americanah was a revolutionary immigrant novel when it came out but I have read better. Adichie's writing is fantastic. The book unfurls itself in waves. The book is plotless, we see Ifemelu and Obinze going through life. There was no serious character development. While readers see Ifemelu and Obinze grow up they fundamentally do not change. Obinze's POV was just there, Obinze's POV was my favorite. Ifemelu was unlikable for me. I wanted MORE of Obinze throughout the book.
The secondary characters are not fleshed out well. They're there for the plot and to help the main characters progress forward. Dike is the only one I felt attached to at all. I adored him because Ifemelu adored him. I loved being able to see the struggles of the diaspora in him.
I enjoyed how Ifemelu's relationships allowed us to see interactions with White and Black Americans. Ifemelu realises she will never fully be able to understand her White boy and with Blaine (Black bf), she sees she can never fully understand him either. Personally, I don’t think Black people who weren’t born and raised in America can truly understand what it’s like to grow up in the USA’s specific repressive and oppressive environment. I did not like how all the interactions Ifelemu had with African Americans were negative either overly or subtly so; it brought an abrasiveness.
Adichie said in an interview that Americanah was supposed to be funny... It was not. The blog posts of Ifemelu were humorous occasionally but een nuttin' funny in this book. The ending of the book was soft. The book is almost divided into two halves: immigration and romance. The romance was lacking. I understand pinning and star-crossed lovers, but OH BROTHER GIVE ME A FUCKING BREAK.
The way Adichie approaches race in the novel is interesting... Ifemelu has never experienced racism in Nigeria. I saw a clip where Adichie says she did not think of herself as Black, and that no one in Nigeria thinks of themselves as Black which.... Ifemelu has experienced colourism; which TO ME is a subcategory of racism. I live and grew up in a Black, former-British-colony society and you can SEE racism within the society. You KNOW you're Black. I understand in a majority Black society you need to find other ways to distinguish yourself, like through ethnicity and class but...
The secondary characters are not fleshed out well. They're there for the plot and to help the main characters progress forward. Dike is the only one I felt attached to at all. I adored him because Ifemelu adored him. I loved being able to see the struggles of the diaspora in him.
I enjoyed how Ifemelu's relationships allowed us to see interactions with White and Black Americans. Ifemelu realises she will never fully be able to understand her White boy and with Blaine (Black bf), she sees she can never fully understand him either. Personally, I don’t think Black people who weren’t born and raised in America can truly understand what it’s like to grow up in the USA’s specific repressive and oppressive environment. I did not like how all the interactions Ifelemu had with African Americans were negative either overly or subtly so; it brought an abrasiveness.
Adichie said in an interview that Americanah was supposed to be funny... It was not. The blog posts of Ifemelu were humorous occasionally but een nuttin' funny in this book. The ending of the book was soft. The book is almost divided into two halves: immigration and romance. The romance was lacking. I understand pinning and star-crossed lovers, but OH BROTHER GIVE ME A FUCKING BREAK.
The way Adichie approaches race in the novel is interesting... Ifemelu has never experienced racism in Nigeria. I saw a clip where Adichie says she did not think of herself as Black, and that no one in Nigeria thinks of themselves as Black which.... Ifemelu has experienced colourism; which TO ME is a subcategory of racism. I live and grew up in a Black, former-British-colony society and you can SEE racism within the society. You KNOW you're Black. I understand in a majority Black society you need to find other ways to distinguish yourself, like through ethnicity and class but...
Asking for It by Louise O'Neill
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
slut … bitch … skank … whore.
Louise O'Neill is going to see me in HELL. I should have known; Asking For It is my second book by O'Neill. I wanted to throw my phone and scream. I wanted to cry. I wanted to rage. This book is dark and triggering.
All of the characters are unlikeable. The only one who had a redeeming quality about them was the brother. I do not like MCs that have no likeable qualities about them but when we hit the rape section I changed from no liking for Emma to the deepest depths of pity. Emma is a stereotypical mean girl. She has no true friends. She's shallow. She's insecure. She uses her sexuality for influence, and to be liked. She has a bad relationship with her mother who is a Boy-Mom.
It was very thought-inducing. Asking For It has no resolution. Readers see Emma's life in the toilet, and it does not change. I reflected on what if it was me; how would that affect my life? The phrase at the beginning is rinsed and repeated constantly by Emma. It becomes her internal dialogue. I couldn't stop thinking about her internal monologue. She has no memory of the event, but thanks to FB there are pictures and comments for EVERYONE to see. Legs splayed open. Pink flesh.
Before the rape, I thought about DNF-ing. I was not sure where O'Neill was going. It was 20% of the way in asking myself - "wtf am I reading." It was just Emma's adventures with her friends but reflecting. It sets the scene for what is to come. HOWEVER it was a horrible first 20%, I only got through it because I was listening to an audiobook. I think I didn't find the characters overwhelming because it was an audiobook. Emma is the MC. All the secondary characters are very very side characters. Do not think there will be character development in the book. No character develops into anything else.
Louise O'Neill is going to see me in HELL. I should have known; Asking For It is my second book by O'Neill. I wanted to throw my phone and scream. I wanted to cry. I wanted to rage. This book is dark and triggering.
All of the characters are unlikeable. The only one who had a redeeming quality about them was the brother. I do not like MCs that have no likeable qualities about them but when we hit the rape section I changed from no liking for Emma to the deepest depths of pity. Emma is a stereotypical mean girl. She has no true friends. She's shallow. She's insecure. She uses her sexuality for influence, and to be liked. She has a bad relationship with her mother who is a Boy-Mom.
It was very thought-inducing. Asking For It has no resolution. Readers see Emma's life in the toilet, and it does not change. I reflected on what if it was me; how would that affect my life? The phrase at the beginning is rinsed and repeated constantly by Emma. It becomes her internal dialogue. I couldn't stop thinking about her internal monologue. She has no memory of the event, but thanks to FB there are pictures and comments for EVERYONE to see. Legs splayed open. Pink flesh.
Before the rape, I thought about DNF-ing. I was not sure where O'Neill was going. It was 20% of the way in asking myself - "wtf am I reading." It was just Emma's adventures with her friends but reflecting. It sets the scene for what is to come. HOWEVER it was a horrible first 20%, I only got through it because I was listening to an audiobook. I think I didn't find the characters overwhelming because it was an audiobook. Emma is the MC. All the secondary characters are very very side characters. Do not think there will be character development in the book. No character develops into anything else.
Clap When You Land by Elizabeth Acevedo
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
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? Yes
4.0
*I listened to this on audiobook* Now I listened to all of Avevedo's books back-to-back except Family Lore. While this novel is told in verse, it did not sound like it. It read (sounded) like regular prose.
On November 12, 2001, flight AA587 crashed in the ground in Queens killing 260 persons. More than 90% of the passengers on flight AA587 were of Dominican descent. It is the second-deadliest aviation crash in United States history. It is from this historical event that Elizabeth Acevedo decided to pen her third novel. (just took this from BookofCinz review to help with the background).
The book is split between Camino and Yahaira's POV. I LOVED the split view; it translates well when the girls turn to WHY their father has done this. Honestly that is my favourite part, when and how they wrestle with issues of WHO their father was, and WHY he lived two lives. They do not get all the answers, but we do see healing and kindling of family ties. THAT is what I liked. I preferred Yahaira's POV, yet both Camino and Yahaira were loveable. They were imperfect. They were REAL. I felt all the feelings they felt; the rise and fall of the emotional waves was amazing.
The book is raw and real. The characters shine through. I did not like (though I know it to be true in most cases), that Yaharia HAD to go to the US to have a better life. It rubbed me the wrong that emigration was a must in the book. I could be transposing my personal feelings on the book, regarding brain drain and the tropicalization of island life.
On November 12, 2001, flight AA587 crashed in the ground in Queens killing 260 persons. More than 90% of the passengers on flight AA587 were of Dominican descent. It is the second-deadliest aviation crash in United States history. It is from this historical event that Elizabeth Acevedo decided to pen her third novel. (just took this from BookofCinz review to help with the background).
The book is split between Camino and Yahaira's POV. I LOVED the split view; it translates well when the girls turn to WHY their father has done this. Honestly that is my favourite part, when and how they wrestle with issues of WHO their father was, and WHY he lived two lives. They do not get all the answers, but we do see healing and kindling of family ties. THAT is what I liked. I preferred Yahaira's POV, yet both Camino and Yahaira were loveable. They were imperfect. They were REAL. I felt all the feelings they felt; the rise and fall of the emotional waves was amazing.
The book is raw and real. The characters shine through. I did not like (though I know it to be true in most cases), that Yaharia HAD to go to the US to have a better life. It rubbed me the wrong that emigration was a must in the book. I could be transposing my personal feelings on the book, regarding brain drain and the tropicalization of island life.
With the Fire on High by Elizabeth Acevedo
adventurous
challenging
emotional
informative
reflective
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
*I listened to this on audiobook*
Now I listened to all of Avevedo's books back-to-back except Family Lore.
The dreaded line of 'letting out holding breath they didn't know they were holding' was in this book BUT I'll let it pass. The pacing of the book was good, I enjoyed the storyline. The plot reminded me of when teenage pregnancy was very very popular on TV (like 16 and pregnant). Pregnancy AS a plot point always irks me. However I did not mind it with this book. I realize cooking is one of THE plot anchors in the book, but constantly being reminded of how it's such a gift of Emoni's did get tiresome.
Emoni's struggles as a teenage mom, learning to trust men romantically again, and fostering a relationship with her father were all done well. I enjoyed how they carried throughout the plot and were 'resolved.' The resolution was realistic. Readers see how Emoni begin to heal in areas while also still having problems/struggles. The romance was heart-warming; one of my favorite part of the book.
The strong woman trope is overdone. Acevedo titters on the edge with Emoni. It's one of my least favorite parts of the book. I realise she NEEDS to be strong to not break down but it was abrasive to me in some aspects.
With all this being said this was my least favorite book, out of all Acevedo's that I have read so far.
Now I listened to all of Avevedo's books back-to-back except Family Lore.
The dreaded line of 'letting out holding breath they didn't know they were holding' was in this book BUT I'll let it pass. The pacing of the book was good, I enjoyed the storyline. The plot reminded me of when teenage pregnancy was very very popular on TV (like 16 and pregnant). Pregnancy AS a plot point always irks me. However I did not mind it with this book. I realize cooking is one of THE plot anchors in the book, but constantly being reminded of how it's such a gift of Emoni's did get tiresome.
Emoni's struggles as a teenage mom, learning to trust men romantically again, and fostering a relationship with her father were all done well. I enjoyed how they carried throughout the plot and were 'resolved.' The resolution was realistic. Readers see how Emoni begin to heal in areas while also still having problems/struggles. The romance was heart-warming; one of my favorite part of the book.
The strong woman trope is overdone. Acevedo titters on the edge with Emoni. It's one of my least favorite parts of the book. I realise she NEEDS to be strong to not break down but it was abrasive to me in some aspects.
With all this being said this was my least favorite book, out of all Acevedo's that I have read so far.
The Poet X by Elizabeth Acevedo
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
It's hard for me to read novels in verse but LISTENING. Acevedo did a great job. I felt a wide range of emotions. Acevado probes religion and family with Poet X. Xiomara's struggle with finding herself, her place in faith, and her footing with her family struck me deeply. I cried listening to some scenes. I was made at Mami in other scenes. I was frustrated at Xiomara in others. I have not been a fan of YA recently but I deeply enjoyed Acevedo's work. As a debut novel, Poet X is strong.
Popisho by Leone Ross
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
entertaining. whitty. smooth. funny. falling out pum pum. special cors. taking moth and butterfly. A frickin' great read. Popisho (Poppy Show) is also known as One Sky Day in the UK (Popisho is a wayyy better name). Leone Ross is a fantastic author and narrator. Some people are writers and some people are storytellers. Ross was born to tell a story. I was enthralled. I couldn't stop listening to the audiobook.
From the accent to the cadence to the sharp and meaningful prose. The POVs were everything. I enjoyed every single one. I loved the connections as the story unfolded. You can feel every single emotion of the characters. This is how you do 'magical realism.' Ross tackles different themes: political corruption, homophobia, sexism, sex worker rights, and colonialism. Every issue one could conceive countries in the Caribbean deal with is in this book. All of them are addressed in an obvious but subtle way. My words can't do this book justice. I would love to read it again in a physical version. A delightful tale.
From the accent to the cadence to the sharp and meaningful prose. The POVs were everything. I enjoyed every single one. I loved the connections as the story unfolded. You can feel every single emotion of the characters. This is how you do 'magical realism.' Ross tackles different themes: political corruption, homophobia, sexism, sex worker rights, and colonialism. Every issue one could conceive countries in the Caribbean deal with is in this book. All of them are addressed in an obvious but subtle way. My words can't do this book justice. I would love to read it again in a physical version. A delightful tale.
Black Political Activism and the Cuban Republic by Melina Pappademos
hopeful
informative
reflective
medium-paced
4.0
A history of black civic and political activists in the republic who struggled for resources despite complex mechanisms of racial subordination. Pappademos offers a reconfiguration of questions on how Black Cuban activism has been understood, looking at political machinations. She reconstructs social and political heterogeneity by showing motivation in complex circumstances.
She uses the Cuban case to help move the theory of racial politics beyond racial binaries and historical dimensions of black experience and discourse. Gender constructs, the role of class, ethnicity and cultural practices intersectionality are undertheorized and Pappademos helps theorize them. Black experiences are silenced by polarizing nationalist narratives that ignore micro/local level engagement.
Scholars have conflated studies of Cuban race relations with black politics with black daily experiences with universal racial consciousness. Pappademos builds on De la Fuente and Helg's books by decentering nationalism as a primary frame for understanding racial politics and black activism by looking at how social and political communities worked within a larger system. She moves beyond nationalist and race relations histories (black/white dichotomy) etc for which state policies serve as its principal muse. She expands concepts of African diaspora consciousness and activism, by saying they are influenced centrally but partially by race.
Pappademos examines the range and meaning of formal and informal political participation to see culture, sociability and political engagement. She historicizes the process that Black politicians and clubmen built political authority and resources. She maps the experiences of Blacks and shows how it was shaped in its contexts. The book destabilizes race as a static category by looking at the ways Cuban activism challenges the misrepresentation of Black life. Pappademos argues Black activism should consider Black political machinations and reject universal race consciousness. Blacks were not the only people to rally around race in Cuba.
Pappademos suggested the absence of a national mass-based civil rights movement can be attributed to the local experience which trumped black engagement. She recovers part of the history of the Black Cuban struggle for resources. Arguing that Black leaders' negotiation for power intersects with racial discourse and mass Black experience. The Black population in republican Cuba were nuanced.
She uses the Cuban case to help move the theory of racial politics beyond racial binaries and historical dimensions of black experience and discourse. Gender constructs, the role of class, ethnicity and cultural practices intersectionality are undertheorized and Pappademos helps theorize them. Black experiences are silenced by polarizing nationalist narratives that ignore micro/local level engagement.
Scholars have conflated studies of Cuban race relations with black politics with black daily experiences with universal racial consciousness. Pappademos builds on De la Fuente and Helg's books by decentering nationalism as a primary frame for understanding racial politics and black activism by looking at how social and political communities worked within a larger system. She moves beyond nationalist and race relations histories (black/white dichotomy) etc for which state policies serve as its principal muse. She expands concepts of African diaspora consciousness and activism, by saying they are influenced centrally but partially by race.
Pappademos examines the range and meaning of formal and informal political participation to see culture, sociability and political engagement. She historicizes the process that Black politicians and clubmen built political authority and resources. She maps the experiences of Blacks and shows how it was shaped in its contexts. The book destabilizes race as a static category by looking at the ways Cuban activism challenges the misrepresentation of Black life. Pappademos argues Black activism should consider Black political machinations and reject universal race consciousness. Blacks were not the only people to rally around race in Cuba.
Pappademos suggested the absence of a national mass-based civil rights movement can be attributed to the local experience which trumped black engagement. She recovers part of the history of the Black Cuban struggle for resources. Arguing that Black leaders' negotiation for power intersects with racial discourse and mass Black experience. The Black population in republican Cuba were nuanced.
A Miscarriage of Justice: Women's Reproductive Lives and the Law in Early Twentieth-Century Brazil by Cassia Roth
emotional
informative
reflective
4.0
Roth presents a feminist history of reproduction that centres the lives and deaths of women in the understanding of the past tracing multiple reasons behind women's reproductive decisions over time. She historicizes the legal, medical and personal trajectory of reproduction in Brazil. Roth also traces how legal thought and medical knowledge became cemented into law and policy, how those prescriptions were implemented in the police precincts and hospital rooms (of Rio de Janeiro), and how women experienced and negotiated those institutional constraints on a daily basis.
She shows that Brazilian reproductive negotiations are part of a larger global history of modern state formation. The nature of reproductive health with fertility control is under-explored, and Roth is helping explore it. Roth departs from other legal studies of gender and sexuality because of Brazil's laws. She adds herself to the scholars who keep fertility control from the influence of poverty on pregnancy and motherhood.
Analyzing the medical, legal, social and political to understand women's reproductive experiences Roth shows women's reproductive lives on a continuum. She defines reproductive health as a range of events and practices. Roth approaches women's reproduction from three angles: law, medicine, and women's experiences. The book does not extend to child raising and kinship influences on childrearing beyond biological reproduction; only to pregnancy, childbirth, and fertility control. She uses reproductive practices or events to refer to biological reproduction (pregnancy, miscarriage, stillbirth, childbirth, and abortion).
Roth argues that infanticide investigations highlight the centrality of women's reproduction to Brazil's expanding state apparatus and political agenda in the 20th century. Medical and legal prescriptions on childbirth and fertility control alongside embodied experiences of gendered laws and inequality reveal an expanding interventionist Brazilian state. The centrality of women's reproduction in transitional political regimes resonates in and out of Brazil. The state allocates unequal citizenship through women's bodies and women's reproductive experiences is the key to understanding institutionalization of inequality in Brazil. Roth examines the connection between bodily experiences, state policy (from many angles) and scales of inquiry (home, community, nation).
Roth's book was great. There were some graphic stories and photos within the book, but it all adds to the argument. Roth's conclusion is women's reproductive lives were a focus of an expanding state after abolition, the beginning of republicanism and the strengthening of the federal government. The state restricted access to citizenship by reinforcing gender and racial hierarchies.
She shows that Brazilian reproductive negotiations are part of a larger global history of modern state formation. The nature of reproductive health with fertility control is under-explored, and Roth is helping explore it. Roth departs from other legal studies of gender and sexuality because of Brazil's laws. She adds herself to the scholars who keep fertility control from the influence of poverty on pregnancy and motherhood.
Analyzing the medical, legal, social and political to understand women's reproductive experiences Roth shows women's reproductive lives on a continuum. She defines reproductive health as a range of events and practices. Roth approaches women's reproduction from three angles: law, medicine, and women's experiences. The book does not extend to child raising and kinship influences on childrearing beyond biological reproduction; only to pregnancy, childbirth, and fertility control. She uses reproductive practices or events to refer to biological reproduction (pregnancy, miscarriage, stillbirth, childbirth, and abortion).
Roth argues that infanticide investigations highlight the centrality of women's reproduction to Brazil's expanding state apparatus and political agenda in the 20th century. Medical and legal prescriptions on childbirth and fertility control alongside embodied experiences of gendered laws and inequality reveal an expanding interventionist Brazilian state. The centrality of women's reproduction in transitional political regimes resonates in and out of Brazil. The state allocates unequal citizenship through women's bodies and women's reproductive experiences is the key to understanding institutionalization of inequality in Brazil. Roth examines the connection between bodily experiences, state policy (from many angles) and scales of inquiry (home, community, nation).
Roth's book was great. There were some graphic stories and photos within the book, but it all adds to the argument. Roth's conclusion is women's reproductive lives were a focus of an expanding state after abolition, the beginning of republicanism and the strengthening of the federal government. The state restricted access to citizenship by reinforcing gender and racial hierarchies.
Race and Reproduction in Cuba by Bonnie A. Lucero
informative
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
3.0
Lucero presents a counter-narrative to to male-normative perspective that dominates Cuban demographic history by centering women and women's reproduction in island politics. She shows how the twin demographic goals of white population growth and non-white population management shaped reproduction from colonialization to the Cuban revolution. She claims to employ the lens of reproduction to examine pregnancy and childbearing within a broad range. She uses a broader conceptual and chronological frame to reveal attitudes towards abortion were complex and changed over time. Lucero seeks to give readers access to the voices, perspectives, and experiences of women.
Cuban slave scholars focus on family formation and midwifery and less on reproduction solely. The desire for whiteness remained a constant in Cuban history. Honour and status shaped women's reproduction. The centrepiece of the book is 1780-1880, though she spans up to 1956. This book recognizes women who attempted to disaggregate womanhood from motherhood.
The biggest problem with this book is Lucero's definition of a non-white population is solely Black. The brief mentions of the Indigenous and Chinese in the book were not enough. To employ a solely black-and-white dynamic on Cuba de-complicates the historical circumstances of what's actually going on here. PLUS she flip-flops on pieces of her argument throughout the book; sometimes the State's close attention to White people is a good thing and other times it's a bad thing.
My professor (who is a Latin Americanist) had a lot of issues with Lucero's approach to the book and some of her conclusions; all of which make complete sense. Another issue is that 1920-1956 is smooshed into one chapter and covers a lot of ground. You miss a lot of historical context.
The preface of the book was very emotional. You can tell that these topics are very near and dear to Lucero, which I appreciate. The book concludes that the state lay claim to fertility because of population. The interest in pregnancy hinged on race, class and legal status. The Cuban elite feared free Blacks' fertility. Fertility was rooted in the Malthusian perspective of overpopulation and poverty.
Cuban slave scholars focus on family formation and midwifery and less on reproduction solely. The desire for whiteness remained a constant in Cuban history. Honour and status shaped women's reproduction. The centrepiece of the book is 1780-1880, though she spans up to 1956. This book recognizes women who attempted to disaggregate womanhood from motherhood.
The biggest problem with this book is Lucero's definition of a non-white population is solely Black. The brief mentions of the Indigenous and Chinese in the book were not enough. To employ a solely black-and-white dynamic on Cuba de-complicates the historical circumstances of what's actually going on here. PLUS she flip-flops on pieces of her argument throughout the book; sometimes the State's close attention to White people is a good thing and other times it's a bad thing.
My professor (who is a Latin Americanist) had a lot of issues with Lucero's approach to the book and some of her conclusions; all of which make complete sense. Another issue is that 1920-1956 is smooshed into one chapter and covers a lot of ground. You miss a lot of historical context.
The preface of the book was very emotional. You can tell that these topics are very near and dear to Lucero, which I appreciate. The book concludes that the state lay claim to fertility because of population. The interest in pregnancy hinged on race, class and legal status. The Cuban elite feared free Blacks' fertility. Fertility was rooted in the Malthusian perspective of overpopulation and poverty.