A teen mother triumphs in Elizabeth Acevedo’s With the Fire on High

- originally published in the January 23,2022 edition of the Stabroek News I was introduced to Elizabeth Acevedo back in 2020 when I read “Gilded”, her contribution to the short story anthology A Phoenix First Must Burn. Her tale about a young Taino metalmancer starting a revolution in the colonised Dominican Republic was one of my …

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Cover of Redemptor by Jordan Ifueko

Behold the Saviour Empress in Redemptor by Jordan Ifueko

-- Originally published on December 12, 2021 in the Stabroek News Last December, I had the pleasure of reviewing a gift: Raybearer by Jordan Ifueko, which sits on my bookshelf as one of the best books I have ever read, and I was happy to share it with my readers last year. Thankfully, Ifueko herself …

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Cover of Beneath the Rising by Premee Mohamed

The triumphs and woes of genius in Premee Mohamed’s Beneath the Rising

-- Originally published on November 14, 2021 in the Stabroek News Photograph of Premee Mohamed I love cosmic horror. There is something unsettling about one day finding one’s self battling against giant incomprehensible forces older than humanity itself. Add a dash of action/adventure to the mix and set it in the early 2000s and I …

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The Underground Railroad by Colson Whitehead

Originally posted on TurkeyenReviews2018. “It was her grandmother talking that Sunday evening when Caesar approached Cora about the underground railroad, and she said no. Three weeks later, she said yes. This time it was her mother talking.” pp. 8 The Underground Railroad is a Pulitzer Prize-winning novel by Colson Whitehead. It revolves around Cora, a …

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Reading Update (Halfway There!)

Note: For a full analysis table of my readings, click here. Dear Lord! I have been gone for quite a long time, haven’t I? I was so busy with my school work that I was forced to take a very LONG hiatus. There were so many exams, assignments, tests, and presentations that I needed to …

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Reading Table

Hello! Here is a table of the books I have read along with their associated countries and regions. I will be updating this from time to time, so do enjoy! # Book Countries and Regions 1. The Valley of Amazement by Amy Tan China East Asia U.S.A. (California and New York) North America 2. Memoirs of …

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Binti – An Afrofuturistic Tale

Afropunk steered my readings to Nigeria again by introducing me to Binti. I don’t remember what their Facebook post said, but I do remember reading the book's description...

Middle Eastern Sojourns – Part 2

It took me almost a month to get through And the Mountains Echoed. I spoke about my initial difficulties in my first installment of Middle Eastern Sojourns, only to be bombarded with even more hindrances soon after. Nevertheless, I persevered through sporadic reading and once I had finished the book, I developed a new appreciation …

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In Defense of Dystopian Fiction

Over the past few days, I have developed an acute but powerful appreciation for my ability to read. I watched Donald Trump’s inauguration. I listened to his dismal speech. Yesterday, I was heartbroken as I watched him begin to repeal back the march of progress in America. And then it hit me. Suddenly, I became …

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Middle Eastern Sojourns – Part 1

My father introduced me to Khaled Hosseini in 2015 by blasting the audio version of The Kite Runner in the car every morning for two weeks.  You see, my father doesn’t actually read his books. Instead, he listens to them in his spare time - usually during his morning and afternoon commutes to work and …

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