book club

[pullquote align=”right” style=”style4″ width=”381″ size=”14″ line_height=”18″ bg_color=”#ffffff” txt_color=”#222222″][blockquote custom_class=”” txt_color=”#222222″ size=”25″ line_height=”32″] “You looked at them and wondered why they were so ugly; you looked closely and could not find the source. Then you realized that it came from conviction, their conviction. It was as though some mysterious all-knowing master had given each one a cloak of ugliness to wear, and they had each accepted it without question.”

We took a small break but now the This Black Girl Reads Book Club is BACK, and ready to read. So dust off your highlighters and let’s do this.

We’ve been hearing A LOT about banned books these days, and it’s incredible that in this age of information people are still wanting to censor what people read.

But whatever…

One of the top banned books of our time is this month’s Book Club Pick of the Month and quite frankly still one of my favourites, The Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison.

We all remember our very first love, I know I do, and “The Bluest Eye’ by Toni Morrison is the very first book I ever fell in love with.

I first read it when I was seventeen and I remember seeing myself for the first time in the book. Growing up in an ALL-white town, I was used to being the only Black girl in the classroom and privy to questions of my otherness. Surprisingly I never wanted blue eyes or straight hair or lighter skin, I just wanted to be seen. The same way Pecola, the main character, searches to be seen.

Book Club Pick of the Month- March 2022

The Bluest Eye is Toni Morrison’s first novel, a book heralded for its richness of language and boldness of vision. Set in the author’s girlhood hometown of Lorain, Ohio, it tells the story of Black, eleven-year-old Pecola Breedlove.

Pecola prays for her eyes to turn blue so that she will be as beautiful and beloved as all the blond, blue-eyed children in America. In the autumn of 1941, the year the marigolds in the Breedloves’ garden do not bloom. Pecola’s life does change- in painful, devastating ways.

This book is bold and unforgettable speaking to the human spirit in a way that only Morrison can.

So grab your book from your local library or bookstore and let the reading begin. Don’t forget to jot down notes and ideas for the discussion! If you want to listen to the audiobook check out LibroFM

Our discussion will take place via Google Meet on March 25th at 7pm, so mark your calendars! I’ll be in touch as you read. Until then, if you have any questions or comments come join the discussion in our TBGR Book Club Facebook Group.

It’s great to have you with us. Happy Reading!

Sincerely,

Lalaa aka @ThisBlackGirlReads

Book Club: July Book of the Month

by LalaaLeave a Comment

[pullquote align=”right” style=”style4″ width=”381″ size=”14″ line_height=”18″ bg_color=”#ffffff” txt_color=”#222222″][blockquote custom_class=”” txt_color=”#222222″ size=”25″ line_height=”32″] “That was both the best and worst part, that all that happened was the unintended consequence of a good person’s mistakes.” [/blockquote][/pullquote]

[dropcap custom_class=”whb”] At its core Miracle Creek questions how far will parents go to save their children? Written by Angie Kim this book is a perfect fusion of court room drama and part mystery.

Part of the reason I chose this book is that it has something for everyone. It surprises, captivates, and makes us question our own instincts and prejudice.

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Miracle Creek” opens with a fatal explosion at a small HBOT (hyperbaric oxygen therapy) facility in rural Virginia, owned and operated by Korean immigrants, Pak Yoo and his wife, Young. On an unusually eventful day marked by protests and a power outage, a fire breaks out near the oxygen tanks during a treatment session. What follows is the unraveling of this small community as we see each person is guilty in their own way, of something but who actually set the fire?

A gripping, fascinating and beautiful read that will leave you questioning, what would I do?

Although this book is way out of the realm of anything we’ve read before, I think that’s also part of the beauty of it

Read with us as we examine the voice of another beautiful minority writer.

Buy the book here: https://amzn.to/316YQ9W

Book Club Pick Monthly Reads

Book Club: June Book of the Month

by LalaaLeave a Comment

[pullquote align=”right” style=”style4″ width=”381″ size=”14″ line_height=”18″ bg_color=”#ffffff” txt_color=”#222222″][blockquote custom_class=”” txt_color=”#222222″ size=”25″ line_height=”32″] The Skin We’re In battles the myth that Canada is more inclusive, welcoming, celebratory of diversity than the US.[/blockquote][/pullquote]

[dropcap custom_class=”whb”] On May 25, 2020, George Floyd, a 46-year-old Black man, died in Minneapolis, Minnesota after Derek Chauvin, a white police officer, knelt on Floyd’s neck for almost nine minutes while Floyd was handcuffed face down in the street. Two other officers further restrained Floyd and a fourth officer prevented onlookers from intervening. During the final three minutes, Floyd was motionless and had no pulse yet the coward officers made no attempt to revive him, and Chauvin’s knee remained on Floyd’s neck even as emergency medical technicians attempted to treat him. George Floyd died.

And for years so many POC have faced the same fate.

This incident prompted a worldwide cry out for Black lives. Cities all across the US, Canada, and the UK have protested that enough is enough. This outcry is something that we, as Black people, have been feeling in our spirits for decades. For as long as I can remember I’ve felt deep down inside that my Black life was in danger.

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But disproportionate violence against Black people is not the problem:
it is a symptom of the white supremacist that guides
all Canadian institutions.

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In Canada, we like to think that these sorts of issues do not exist for us. For years I’ve been hearing that Canada is a land of the free and that we celebrate our multiculturalism.

And for years I’ve argued, showed stats and begged people to wake up because Canada is arguably jus as bad or even worse than our neighbours.

But I digress. This month’s book is ‘The Skin We’re In’ by Desmond Cole. There’s no other way than I can describe this book than DAMN what an incredible read.

In the book, columnist turn activist, Desmond Cole attempts to highlight a year of Black resistance, and Anti-Black racism that took place across the country.

With everything occurring across the world this book is a view of the same issues taking place on Canadian soil. I cannot wait to discuss this with all my well-read sistahs.

Happy Reading!

Book Club Pick of the Month- March 2022

But disproportionate violence against Black people is not the problem: it is a symptom of the white supremacist that guides all Canadian institutions.

But disproportionate violence against Black people is not the problem:
it is a symptom of the white supremacist that guides
all Canadian institutions.