March Book Review: SWA Edition

What I Read This Month:

When They Call You a Terrorist
Unbought and Unbossed
A Cup of Water Under My Bed
The Warmth of Other Suns
The Last Black Unicorn
Juliet Takes a Breath by Gabby Rivera
Colored No More: Reinventing Black Womanhood in Washington D.C. by Lindsey Treva
Antagonists, Advocates, and Allies by Catrice M. Jackson
An American Marriage by Tayari Jones







When They Call You a Terrorist by Catrisse Cullors and Asha Bandele

pages: 256
content: Emotionally heavy, but, very easy reading. You won't need a dictionary, but, probably a hightlighter; many parts are incredibly well-written and/or include important information. 

What I was expecting was rawness, honesty, and truth about how this country tortures Black Americans. What I was not expecting was the poetic style Catrisse Cullors uses to tell her truth, as well as all the love. The love for her fathers, for her lover, her brother, even her ex-husband seep through every story and description she writes of. When They Call You a Terrorist reveals the matrix behind Black Lives Matter by sharing the inhumane treatment Monte, Cullors older brother suffers through when beholden to the American prison system. Cullors proves that the very reason why Black America reminds this country that Black lives matter is because they don't believe Black lives do. 

Highlights: When Cullors writes about her relationship with Mark Anthony. It was filled with love, and passion, and understanding, and all the things that turn me on about true love.

Lowlights: It's important that what I consider a lowlight is no reflection on Cullors, When They Call You a Terrorists, or Black Lives Matter. Still, reading about the torture that Monte experienced through the prison system made me put the book down and sob in my pillow. Full stop. It's necessary reading, and I'm so glad it's in the book, but it does not go down easy. I have an extensive history with mental illness and several Black men in my life who are currently incarcerated, or have been. Reading about the barbaric treatment Monte had to suffer through pulled at many heart strings for me.

I give it:  


Unbought and Unbossed by Shirley Chisholm

pages: 198
content: easy reading; very cut and dry delivery and writing style

It's not a bad book. It just wasn't a page turner. Regardless, there's so much information in this book that should be common knowledge about the first Black woman to find a place in the United States congress that most don't know.

Shirley Chisholm was a serious, focused woman, raised by West Indian parents in Brooklyn, New York. The story of how the young girl grew into a woman who would find success in politics is, if nothing else, interesting and worth knowing. Through the pages of Unbought and Unbossed, Chisholm explains some of her biggest challenges, such as standing her ground on supporting women's reproductive rights, as well as her failures, which included an unsuccessful bid for the White House in 1972. Again, it's not a bad book. But, it ain't juicy. What I learned most from this book is that I will no longer recommend one without reading it first. Ever.


I give it: 


A Cup of Water Under My Bed by Daisy Hernandez

pages: 176
content: Basic reading, but, easier if you can read in Spanish; unique writing style, incredibly interesting content.

A Cup of Water Under My Bed is a memoir written by Daisy Hernandez, based on her upbringing in a house that frowned on Latino's who were not like them, Colombian and Cuban, and held onto many of the traditions, rituals, and culture of their native lands. 

Hernandez does a brilliant job of discussing major issues within the Latinx community, such as colorism, anti-Blackness, and the way we treat the LGBTQ+ community. Most importantly,  A Cup of Water Under My Bed was the first book we ever read that addresses Santeria, a practice that has been in many of our family's for generations. The religion is one that brought us together long before the inception of SWA. We related to Hernandez's upbringing and thought she didn't an excellent job of describing what it's like being raised into a religion that no one ever talks about.

Highlights: All of the parts of the book where she writes about her father. He was an alcoholic, and his behavior left an impression on Hernandez about both alcohol and men, one that many children of alcoholic father's can relate to (myself included).

Lowlights: Getting used to her style of writing. Rather than regular chapters that roll into each other, each chapter in A Cup of Water is split into choppy passages, telling short stories that lead into a bigger picture. Once I got used to it I barely noticed it, but it took me a good 50 pages to get used to it. 

I give it: 


The Warmth of Other Suns by Isabel Wilkerson *BOOK OF THE MONTH*

pages: 543 (not including notes)
content: Intimidating to look at, but, super easy to read. You'll definitely need a highlighter though, because there are many parts you'll want to remember.

Isabel Wilkerson, author of The Warmth of Other Suns

Damn. Best book I ever read. For real for real.

In The Warmth of Other Suns Isabel Wilkerson uses the real lives of three then-living survivors of the Great Migration. While testimonies are based on the experiences of Ida Mae Gladney, Robert Perishing Foster, and George Sterling, Wilkerson extended her research and interviews to include the stories of many other prolific Black figures during the great Migration. 

This book is recommended reading for every living breathing American, but, specifically, any Black American who is the descendant of enslaved Africans. So often we forget to question how our ancestors survived the Jim Crow south, or how we came to be in the big cities we now reside in. 

Highlights: Every page. For real, I'm not getting paid to pump this book! Besides the fact that the content is interesting one hundred percent of the time, Isabel Wilkerson is a very eloquent, compassionate writer. Her words alude to so much that's not included in commentary and quotes. The book took her fifteen years to write, and, I'm so glad she took her time.

Lowlights: None. Like I said, best book I've ever read.

I give it: Every Book I Have to Give 




The Last Black Unicorn by Tiffany Haddish

pages: 276
contents: Super easy read. You won't need a highlighter because the stories you'll want to remember are unforgettable. I sped-read this book on a day off without trying.

I'm a bigger fan of Tiffany Haddish the entertainer than I am of Tiffany Haddish the writer. Each story she tells in The Last Black Unicorn is worth telling, no doubt. However, everything in between are just stiff words that I had to read in order to get to the next funny story. 

Regardless of how I felt about her writing style, what she chose to write about can be game-changing for a lot of women going through a personal struggle. Haddish minces no words when describing what it's like coming up in foster care, being in an abusive relationship, and being homeless. Her story is filled with determination, focus, and pure faith that she would one day be bigger than her circumstance.

Highlights: When she told the story of Roscoe, a man she worked with at the airport who was living with a disability. When Tiffany Haddish writes about slowing appreciating the attention Roscoe gave her, she doesn't front like she did it for money, or for any reason other than she chose to. Reading about how the relationship ran its course was sad, but, because it's Tiffany Haddish telling the story, it's also funny as fcuk.

Lowlights: There are certain statements she made that made me twinge. 

I gave it: 


Juliet Takes a Breath by Gabby Rivera

pages: 260
content: the complexity of this read is largely based on how fluent the reader is with intersectionality, both as a term, a concept, and verb that's meant to suggest 'welcoming' environments, organizations, and feminism.

This book is incredible af. Juliet is a young, Puerto Rican college student from the Bronx. Moments before she heads off to spend a summer in Portland, Oregon for an internship, Juliet drops the bomb on her traditional family that she is a lesbian. Gabby Rivera uses Juliet Takes a Breath to explain so many of the terms and situations that non-people of color are still lost on. By the time you get to the end of this page turner, you walk away with a clear understanding of what white feminism looks like and how violent it is, as well as the importance of not getting hooked up on labels, and trusting your own opinions.

Highlights: The Harlow character. I wasn't sure where Rivera was going with her character, so I really enjoyed it when she uses her at to give accurate portrayal to misguided white women who proclaim themselves allies, yet, end up doing more harm than help.

Lowlights: I kinda didn't like the fact that Rivera uses incredibly timely and relevant topics and terms, such as intersectionality, white feminism, and white fragility, yet, the time period is early 2000's. I'm definitely not one to say when these terms were created because I just learned that these behaviors even had names to them a few years ago.

I give it: 


Colored No More: Reinventing Black Womanhood in Washington D.C. by Treva Lindsey

pages: 243 - excluding notes
content: This is a very dense read. Big pages, little words. It often reads like college text (it may actually be intended for college students). 

It took me a few pages to get into, but, once I did I was hooked. Treva Lindsey jam-packed Colored No More with stories of legendary Black women who were leaders in art, beauty, and education in Washington D.C. and abroad. Lindsey gives extensive bios on unsung heroes like Lucy Diggs Slowe, Mary Burrill, and Angelina Weld Grimke. 

Highlights: The education Colored No More offers. You will literally feel smarter with eahc page you turn. You'll walk away feeling bad about all the stuff you didn't know, but, feeling good about finally knowing it. You'll start a whole reading course that leads you to more stories about more Black women who's songs remain unsung. And, it will be because of Colored No More. Totally happened to me.

Lowlights: Getting over the fact that it's a dense read with big pages and little words.

I give it: 


Antagonists, Advocates, and Allies by Catrice M. Jackson



pages: 241
content: This book is written for white women who "want to become allies with Black women". If you're serious about doing the necessary work required to dismantle your privilege and 'weapons of violence', then this will be a tough but fruitful read. If you're the type of white woman who still doesn't understand why Black women and women of color demand that you stop speaking and start listening, than you're probably not ready for this book.

Even though it's written for white women who are ready to do the work, I wanted to read it to make sure it was appropriate to recommend for that certain Miss Ann that simply cannot understand why white women and Black women are so estranged. It's beyond appropriate, it's the nail on the head. What surprised me most about the book was the delicacy that Jackson gives to the reader. She doesn't sugar coat a syllable, but, she doesn't do any shaming either. She simply uses facts and history to tell the truth of white women who stand on the sidelines with no skin in the game. 

Highlights: I've long been a fan of Catrice M. Jackson's writing style, as well as her sense of humor. Even in the midst of heavy content, she's able to sprinkle some of her signature wit that makes the truth a lot easier for the reader to process.

Lowlights: Reading certain parts and knowing that some white women who are not ready are likely to dismiss Jackson's works and finding, doing her work and intersectional feminism a major disservice.

I gave it: 


An American Marriage by Tayari Jones

pages: 306
content: Fiction. Easy, beautiful, intense, addictive read. 

Roy and Celestial are a newly-married and visiting Roy's parents in Louisiana. All is well with the young couple. Until Roy steps out their hotel room for a bucket of ice, and, thanks to a white woman and the state of Louisana, Roy is accused of rape and imprisoned. In the snap of a finger, all that could have been and should have been between the married couple is destroyed. Tayari Jones tells the fictional tale using prison letters between the two, and writing from both Celestial and Roy's perspectives. There are more twists and turns than I could keep track of, and they all made perfect sense. An American Marriage is about the end of one lifestyle meeting the beginning of another, the destruction that injustice and wrongful imprisonment causes on not just Black men, but the family's that they leave on the outside. You may find yourself rooting for some characters harder than others, but in the end, there are no bad guys in this book.

Highlights: The love letters. They are so real, and express so much, not by what the in-and-out of love couple say, but, by what they don't.

Lowlights: The reality of what prison time does to a relationship, and knowing that that reality will not be avoided in the book.

I give it: 



Reading List for April:

The New Jim Crow: Mass Incarceration in the Age of Colorblindness by Michelle Alexander

Pushout: The Criminalization of Black Girls in School by Monique W. Morris

The Year of Yes: How to Dance it Out, Stand in the Sun, and Be Your Own Person by Shonda Rhimes

Sirena Selena by Mayra Santos-Febres

United States of Banana by Giannina Braschi

Assata by Assata Shakur

Queen Sugar by Natalie Brazile