recently read: red at the bone

16: by jacqueline woodson, heads of the colored people and the next seen library pop up

Knowing what book someone is reading and what parts they resonate with most can be so intimate. It reveals their interests, where their head is at, and what excerpts are so significant that they will mark up a page because they think it’s worth revisiting at a later time. I’m fascinated by what books others gravitate towards and I find that it helps me get to know them better and gives me a small glimpse into who they are at their core. No one asked for these book reviews, but maybe it’s my way of showing who I am and what I’m interested in – beyond the clothes, the products, and my career. Or at the very least, encourage some to look up from their phones and instead towards the pages of a good book. 

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Book no. 9 of 2023

Red at the Bone by Jacqueline Woodson

Just beautiful. One of my favorite books I’ve read this year. It’s unlike any fiction I’ve read before. With alternating narratives and flashbacks, it’s told in a way that’s short, sweet and simple, and somehow still allows the reader to know these characters intimately. I love how it explored so much — in a way that’s subtle yet impactful — mother and daughter relationships, sexuality and identity, class, and family legacy, all while shedding light on historic events. I highly recommend.

Underlined quotes:

“I wanted more, though — a hug, a kindness whispered into my ear. I wanted her to tell me I was beautiful… that she loved me… but instead, she got up.”

“Maybe all over the world there were daughters who knew their mothers as young girls and old women, inside and out, deep. I wasn’t one of them.”

“There’s so much in this great big world that you don’t have a single ounce of control over. Guess the sooner you learn that, the sooner you’ll have one less heartbreak in your life.”

“She nursed the child because she was supposed to feel some deep electric connectedness to her and didn’t. So she gave her what she had — her body.”

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Book no. 10 of 2023

Heads of the Colored People by Nafissa Thompson-Spires

A unique set of short stories that showcase the various experiences of the Black middle class in America, more specifically in the suburbs near Los Angeles. I actually grew up very close to the cities mentioned in these short stories, which made me feel more connected. The stories highlight a range of Black identities and the tensions that come with each one, while covering so much — social media obsession, code switching, self-hatred and internalized racism, police brutality. It wasn’t my favorite read but I do appreciate the author’s ability to humanize her characters.

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Save the date: Seen Library pop up in Los Angeles

You heard it here first — a Seen Library pop up is in the works and it’s coming to Los Angeles in December.