Natalie's Nook

Well, June went by quick.

Since the end of May, there have been a number of protests demanding justice for African Americans who have lost their lives at the hands of officers, and demanding that government officials—to not reform—but to defund the police. These in-person and virtual movements have been happening across nations of people— across the world.

I did my part of using my platforms to talk about said issues because it’s at a point where people—who believe in life, liberty, the pursuit of happiness and justice for all—should no longer be turning a blind eye.

I made a video on my youtube channel: BLACK Lives Matter🖤 | Reads for Times Like These, where I talk about the recent death of George Floyd, the protests and rioting while recommending some literature by African American authors. I also provided links for websites to sign petitions and donate that have been circulating all over social media: Black Lives Matter Petition and Donation Card Links and Say Their Names Petition Card Links.

ALSO! Because June was the month of Juneteenth, I along with many other readers decided to devote that month to read books written by Black authors. Although I couldn’t get my hands on all of the books I wanted to read, since all of a sudden people want to wake up and actually educate themselves, I still managed to read a few from different genres that focused on the beautiful and the ugly of the Black experience.

Book #1: The Beast Side: Living and Dying While Black In America by D. Watkins (2015). I read this book the first three days of June, it was a read that I simply could not put down!

My thoughts/review on the book (from Goodreads):

This book was published in 2015. It’s 2020-five years later-and every subject of what Watkins wrote about in this book is still relevant to this day, but it’s gotten a lot worse! This is the rawest piece of non-fiction I’ve read in a while. He writes about issues he’s dealt with firsthand or has witnessed from being around others. He points out the failure of the public education school system and school to prison pipeline, the job market, our healthcare system, and our food supply (food deserts are real, not all black people are privileged to have grocery stores in their communities or nice quality groceries). He mentions how we’re so engrossed in social media and the issue of how black men treat their black women despite all that we do to keep them lifted. He mentions Obama’s terms in office and the most concerning issues of them all- police brutality, systemic racism, and the black lives matter movement.

As I read the book I became a bit frustrated. I couldn’t quite understand how what I was reading was what I was STILL LIVING. Some of those are issues that have solutions, the political platform of this nation just isn’t willing to listen. But this book is nothing but real, raw, hard, FACTS! PHENOMENAL.

If you feel like you’re not educated enough on black issues or how America is built on this disgusting black and white system then READ THIS!

P.S. Oh, and the plot twist with who the antagonist is…..WOW!

Book #3: A Song Below Water by Bethany C. Morrow (2020). With this debut, I took a deep dive into a new fantasy world. Fantasy isn’t a preferred genre of mine, but what drew me to this book were two words: Black + Siren.

My thoughts/review on the book:

First, I love how both protagonists were able to share their points of view from chapter to chapter. You have Tavia who is a secret Siren (abilities passed down from her grandmother) and Effie who isn’t quite sure of who or what she is. With the fear of being labeled the enemy and the curiosity that literally makes one itch; both girls go on this self-discovery journey that takes you through some of the most magical, frightening, motivating, loving, and enlightening moments in this story.

I love how the author wrote the main characters as black without it being their main label, the more important matter was what mythical creatures they were and the discrimination they suffered because of it. Writing about real-life matters in a fictional world only reminded me of how real it really is. I have a lot of love for this book, but if I can suggest one thing it would be better world-building. I was a bit confused about if it was ok for mythical creatures to exist and since when?

P.S. Effie was my favorite character and her overall story was just truly amazing to read! From her love for swimming, to her love for the renaissance fair (my first taste of that in literature), to transforming into what she truly is, to her twists to the blackness of her skin.

Book #4: Monday’s Not Coming by Tiffany D. Jackson (2018). This last read of June was too good of a book that it put me through a book hangover for about two weeks. She goes into a heavy discussion about sensitive topics that can be triggering, I.e.: child abuse/domestic violence and murder. There is also the conversation of gentrification, mental health, proof of how authoritative figures don’t listen to children when they’re wanting help, and how the care system can be a complete failure when “doing” their job.

My thoughts/review on the book (from Goodreads):

By far THE BEST realistic fiction/YA book I have ever read! This book touches on topics that are heavy and that need to be talked about even if they can be heartbreaking or gut-wrenching and make you ugly cry. I haven’t had a book pull at my heart and mind in so long. Also, being a Black girl that has been born and raised in DC, it hit home with some points.

The timelines were a little confusing at first but as I continued reading it started to make some type of sense. In the end, even with that being a bit confusing, the details of the story unraveled perfectly for me to understand Claudia’s story about Monday.

Thank you Tiffany D. Jackson for Claudia and Monday’s story. Thank you for giving a voice to girls of color whose fight has yet to be won and stories have yet to be told.

One big beautiful cry for help…