This is a hard book to read.  Not just because of the venacular of the Jamaican author and slave talk of the time, but also the content is so violent.  Marlon James was holding nothing back.  As a black person, I found it hard to stomach the violence my ancestors (being of similar color although in USA) went through.  I won't even try to imagine what others went through.  I know this is fiction, so I hate to even think about what is says about me that I enjoyed this book knowing the historical fiction aspect of it. There is lot of cussing and I can only assume Jamaican cuss words and insults that I didn't understand. Plot of was good, slow paced, but appropriate.  I enjoyed every page.  Characters were fleshed out enough to know their stories and motivations.  I find myself even now thinking about Lillith's reasons for hesitation to participate in the revolt.  Some kindness in a lifetime of struggle is everything.  Powerful book.  I plan to do a book discussion on my Youtube channel this week and looking forward to it. 

This book was not what I expected. The mixed media threw me off. I prefer a graphic to be a graphic and not have long pages of dialogue like a traditional book. It was confusing to follow the different timelines and I didn’t understand the sequence until towards the end. The story was OK. Not withstanding the dystopian sci fi elements, it was about trauma, correcting a wrong (if you ever really can) and giving into your fears. The science behind the never dying story line was interesting, but overall I was not vested in this story.  I just wanted to know why the girl was in the bag. 

I like this book is set pre and post Civil War. It opens up a very important conversation about the African American’s place America. Somewhat bold to presume what people should do, but very introspective. I felt this is more an essay than a novel. Many of the topics are relevant today as race relations are a direct result of slavery. Harper is very much in tuned with her race. The writing reminds me of Victorian era writing. 

This is a cross between the movies Free Guy and Terminator. I enjoyed it a lot. Our obsession with technology can definitely be the downfall of society. It won’t keep you warm at night. 

I  knew something was up from the beginning, but didn’t guess the ending. Scientists do not know, or care, their limits. Very suspenseful and I was invested the whole way through.  And I learned the treadmill was invented to torture prisoners

This feels like a nostalgic story of people keeping busy until the world ends.  It reminds me of the movie 2012, with the ark. I enjoyed it. Beautifully told, made me sad. 

OK this story has a great basis in reality. I am not a computer person so I can’t speak to the abundance of tech spoken about, but it sounded legit.  The scheme was also a good one, but the plan was flawed from the beginning.  Come on ya’ll

This story raises the question of nature vs nurture with some gene altering.  The gene selection process was interesting and definitely makes you wonder. Is there really such thing as perfection. And the government is everywhere. Watch out. 

I enjoyed this comic. Diverse race, queer characters and interesting story. It has a dense plot that includes relevant topics: voter suppression, marginalized populations, police brutality, citizen rights, drug use, and of course cat memes. Many of the illustrations are too busy that I couldn’t understand them though. Overall, I enjoyed this story. 

Wild Seed was a wild ride from Africa to colonial USA. The one statement that kept coming back to me was “It is better to be a master than a slave”. That explains many things about Doro to me.  A man in charge of his own destiny in a world that would crucify you.  Even then I thought he was flawed, especially in his interaction with Anyanwu.  I enjoyed the fantastical elements of shape shifting, psychic powers, jumping between bodies.  And the historical elements were educational, yet made me upset. Especially since it didn’t upset the characters that much.  They seemed removed emotionally from it which is sad, but necessary for survival. Overall, great book. Written well and enjoyable.