Their Eyes Were Watching God (1937) by Zora Neale Hurston is a relatively short classic that I read because it was on my Fifty Books Every Woman Should Read Before She Turns 40 List. The introduction stated that the book is a classic because of its unique contribution to black literature: “it affirms black cultural traditions while revising them to empower black women.” I honestly wasn’t sure what to expect, and was afraid it was one of those classics that feels dated or is difficult to read and […]
Black women and feminism
Ain’t I a Woman: Black Women and Feminism (1981) by Bell Hooks is another book from my 50 Books Every Woman Should Read Before She Turns 40 List. Bell Hooks is a black woman, a feminist and social activist. While going through school, she found that her women studies courses and the books she read did not reflect her own experiences as a Black woman. When she tried to bring in her own experiences, her voice was often ignored or disregarded. Because there were no books discussing […]
War sucks
I just recently turned thirty-nine, so forty is just around the corner. Not too long ago, I stumbled on a reading list on the internet: 50 Books Every Woman Should Read Before She Turns 40. It’s a list with many great books, some of which I’ve already read. However, the list loses some credibility for a number of reasons. First, the blurb states that the list celebrates female writers, but then Gustave Flaubert is one of the authors? Second, and more importantly, Fifty Shades of Grey is on […]
Romance in the workplace
Like many good romance novels I’ve discovered, I first heard of Dating You/Hating You (2017) by Christina Lauren* on the Cannonball website. However, like it often happens, by the time I found and read the book, I couldn’t remember whose review led me to the book in the first place. I think it was described as a hate-to-love workplace romance, similar to The Hating Game. Anyway, after I was surprisingly enchanted a couple of years ago by The Hating Game, I’ve become more accepting of hate-to-love romances. I figured that […]