7 Books We’re Reading in September
Warning: You may lose track of time while reading these. Not that that's a bad thing.
There’s something about September that makes us crave freshly sharpened pencils and that new book smell more than ever. As we compiled our September reading list, we thought of a wide range of books to help us stay at home and read more deliberately.
RWL Book Club Pick Of The Month:
The Fifth Season by N. K. Jemisin
This Hugo award winning groundbreaking book has been on many of our reading lists for a while now and it’s time we finally check this onto our “been there, read that” list.
Summary:
The Fifth Season takes place on a planet with a single supercontinent called the Stillness. Every few centuries, its inhabitants endure what they call a "Fifth Season" of catastrophic climate change. In the prologue, an extraordinarily powerful orogene discusses the sad state of the world and laments the oppression of his race. He then uses his enormous power to fracture the entire continent along its length, threatening to cause the worst Fifth Season in recorded history. The story then follows three female orogenes across the Stillness from different time periods: Essun, Damaya, and Syenite.
RSVP for Book Club to join our talk about this book.
RWL Books & Tea Pick Of the Month
The Death of Vivek Oji by Akwaeke Emezi
You really thought we were going to let Akwaeke write a new book and we DON’T read it? LOL!
The theme for this month’s Books and Tea package was ‘Raining Inside Me’ inspired directly from a line by Osita in Akwaeke Emezi’s beautiful third book, The Death of Vivek Oji.
This book builds on Freshwater & PET’s exploration of self-hood in a community through heartbreaking, visceral, and tender prose.
Summary:
One afternoon, in a town in southeastern Nigeria, a mother opens her front door to discover her son’s body, wrapped in colorful fabric, at her feet. What follows is the tumultuous, heart-wrenching story of one family’s struggle to understand a child whose spirit is both gentle and mysterious. Raised by a distant father and an understanding but overprotective mother, Vivek suffers disorienting blackouts, moments of disconnection between self and surroundings. As adolescence gives way to adulthood, Vivek finds solace in friendships with the warm, boisterous daughters of the Nigerwives, foreign-born women married to Nigerian men. But Vivek’s closest bond is with Osita, the worldly, high-spirited cousin whose teasing confidence masks a guarded private life. As their relationship deepens—and Osita struggles to understand Vivek’s escalating crisis—the mystery gives way to a heart-stopping act of violence in a moment of exhilarating freedom.
Rebel Teens Lit Subscription Picks Of the Month
Punching the Air by Ibi Zoboi
and Yusef Salaam &
Cinderella is Dead by Kalynn Bayron
Cinderella is Dead
We wanted to take classic story and find a cool retelling through a feminist and queer lens that we thought tweens would love. Cinderella is Dead will make readers question the tales they’ve been told, and root for girls to break down the oppressive constructs of the world around them.
Summary
It’s 200 years after Cinderella found her prince, but the fairy tale is over. Teen girls are now required to appear at the Annual Ball, where the men of the kingdom select wives based on a girl’s display of finery. If a suitable match is not found, the girls not chosen are never heard from again.
Sixteen-year-old Sophia would much rather marry Erin, her childhood best friend, than parade in front of suitors. At the ball, Sophia makes the desperate decision to flee, and finds herself hiding in Cinderella’s mausoleum. There, she meets Constance, the last known descendant of Cinderella and her step sisters. Together they vow to bring down the king once and for all–and in the process, they learn that there’s more to Cinderella’s story than they ever knew…
Punching The Air
Summary
Amal Shahid has always been an artist and a poet. But even in a diverse art school, he’s seen as disruptive and unmotivated by a biased system. Then one fateful night, an altercation in a gentrifying neighborhood escalates into tragedy. “Boys just being boys” turns out to be true only when those boys are white.
Suddenly, at just sixteen years old, Amal’s bright future is upended: he is convicted of a crime he didn’t commit and sent to prison. Despair and rage almost sink him until he turns to the refuge of his words, his art. This never should have been his story. But can he change it?
Rebel Women Lit Caribbean Classics:
Song of Night by Glenville Lowell
Rebel Caribbean Classics Subscription - September Books
Song of Night by Glenville Lovell
The Painted Canoe by Anthony C. Winkler
Buxton Spice by Oonya Kempadoo
Song of Night by Glenville Lovell
Summary: So the heroine of this evocative novel introduces herself to the tourist-woman lying on the sands of Accra Beach to whom she hopes to sell the dresses she is peddling. It is an unplanned encounter, but Amanda, the African American tourist, is not in Barbados just for a vacation. Nor is Night the simple, easy-going island girl Amanda takes her for. This is a meeting that changes both their lives
Summary: The poverty-stricken Jamaican fisherman Zachariah is stubborn and, some would say, foolish. When he is lost at sea, his stubbornness makes him refuse to accept that he will not survive, even after being adrift for many weeks. When he is diagnosed with cancer, his foolishness makes him refuse to accept that the disease will kill him. The English doctor responsible for the district is first frustrated, then incensed: what makes a man with so little cling to life with such senseless obduracy?
In this first novel by outstanding Jamaican novelist Anthony C. Winkler, set in the tiny village of Charity Bay, Portland, faith is pitted against fate, irrationality against rationality – all amidst hilarious displays of eccentricity – as Zachariah determinedly battles the odds for survival.
Kempadoo's semi-autobiographical first novel follows bright, sensitive Lula, a girl growing up in Guyana, through her first frightening and thrilling pubescent milestones. In the early 1970s, when Guyana is beset by racial friction between the East Indian and Afro-Caribbean populations, Lula and her racially mixed family find themselves at the center of conflict in their town of Tamarind Grove. A bastion of the PNC (People's National Congress), Tamarind Grove is run by Our Comrade Linden Forbes Burnham, the leader of the Black Socialist Party, and Lula's progress unfolds as a series of vignettes set against this volatile environment. Omnipresent witness to these adventures is the Buxton Spice mango tree--a mute embodiment of wisdom and identity--whose branches hang over the family home.
Join us to read this month!
About Rebel Women Lit
Rebel Women Lit is an open book club, turned literary community, based in Jamaica. We focus on stories from women, non-binary persons, queer persons, and other voices that have been tradtionally marginalised in publishing. Yes, everything we do is political and deliberate. We have a podcast, book store, free community library, youtube channel and a few awesome projects.
Our Favourite Books of 2020 (So Far)
We asked four of our book club members for some the best books they’ve read so far this year and think would be a great accompaniment to your summer adventures, whether you're exploring the great outdoors or sticking close to the A/C.
As we figure out how to stay ‘socially distant’ while planning beach trips, — or chill out on the couch in front of your fan — we have to admit there's no better Summer companion than a great book. Instead of giving in to the torpor of long, hot days, and watching that series for the eighth time, why not use this Summer to expand your mind?
We asked four book club members for some of their favourite reads for the year (so far) and why they’re recommending you read it before the end of Summer.
Candiese’s favourite: Here Comes The Sun by Nicole Dennis Benn
Candiese with her favourite 2020 read (so far) Here Comes The Sun by Nicole Dennis-Benn
I love a good story and “Here Comes The Sun” is a great one. As a dark-skinned Jamaican woman, I saw myself and people I relate to in every single character. I especially loved the way Dennis-Benn was able to address issues we face daily in an authentic way without missing a beat and without dragging on. This story is authentic, entertaining and engrossing, but it will make you think.
The way the writer juxtaposed the white sand, tourist-attracting elements of this country and the struggles faced by those serving those tourists and working to keep the facade going was excellent. The way she brought to the forefront the various acts carried out behind the scenes while using one character to justify those acts while another condemns them... wow. This book is full of twists and turns, heartbreak and triumph. Characters struggle with identity issues, self-esteem issues, financial woes, trauma, sexual and emotional abuse, sexuality and coming of age concerns... just so much but in such a way that you’ll never want to put this down. This is a must-read.
It’s the one book I shove at all my friends and I’m shameless about it. Would I make the leap and say this is my favourite book of all time? I might. There’s just so much to say. I think my favourite thing about this book is how realistic it is. There is no dressing up - and I appreciate that more than anything else. Reading it was an experience.
Go read it and thank me later.
Follow Candiese on Twitter: @CandieseReads and Instagram MsLeveridge
Tyesha’s Favourite: Born A Crime By Trevor Noah
There had been much buzz about this book. However, my affinity for most things South African nurtured by a good South African friend drew me to this book.
In a big nutshell, Born a Crime is Noah's memoir focused on his childhood journey from illegitimate son (by society's standards) born out of an immoral and criminal act (by virtue of South Africa's 1927 Immorality Act with which he opens the book) to young adult. The story flows from Apartheid to democratic South Africa with his mother (she was the star character) as central theme throughout.
I enthusiastically recommend this book, especially to boys, as I enjoyed his easy, authentic and humorous way of dropping some blinding gems about life - racism and discrimination, relationships and friendships, love, sacrifice, charting one's path, acceptance, spirituality and priorities.
As I read the recounting of life under Apartheid in the late 1980s to early 90s and what that meant for black people living in their own country, I could not help but connect that to recent highlighted events of discrimination unfolding in the US and sadly, other parts of the world (Jamaica included) that may not be so widely televised.
In Chapter 15 "Go Hitler!", Noah writes "Every country thinks their history is the most important, and that’s especially true in the West. But if black South Africans could go back in time and kill one person, Cecil Rhodes would come up before Hitler. If people in the Congo could go back in time and kill one person, Belgium’s King Leopold would come way before Hitler. If Native Americans could go back in time and kill one person, it would probably be Christopher Columbus or Andrew Jackson." All key figures that struck a chord in these 2020 riots and sentiments! Are we not progressing? I felt sad and hopeless but never failed to crack a smile at some show of wit or comedy that Noah weaves consistently from start to end.
Shantay’s Favourite: Girl, Woman, Other by Bernardine Evaristo
Shantay With Her Favourite for 2020 (so far) Girl, Woman, Other by Bernardine Evaristo
Girl, Woman, Other was my first book of 2020, and I could not have started my literary year any better. This book was a JOURNEY! Bernardine Evaristo's writing style pulled me in from the very first page - in the first two lines! She threw the usual rules of punctuation out the window in favor of a more poetic but unconventional structure for prose - what is a full stop? Once I started, I could not put this book down. And as soon as I finished, I began losing my mind trying to find someone - anyone - to discuss this book with. I NEEDED someone to share all this greatness with because greatness like this deserves to be shared. The characters felt like people I've known all my life. Each individual's story was short, but Evaristo created such fully formed characters with each chapter. These are women you've mentioned on Twitter and women whose plays you want to watch. These women are your teachers and your friends.
Then there's the DRAMA! WHEW! It gets spicy. This is the sort of book that makes you want to sit down over tea and gossip about the things the characters are getting up to lately. I began to feel like the nosy neighbour keeping tabs on who is visiting who at what hours of the night and asking questions like "When last you visit your grandma?" The book also has it's more sensitive moments and deals so well with issues of abandonment and abuse. This book has so many POVs with characters of different ages with different upbringings, including immigrants and first and second-generation British women. It truly shows the diversity that is the experience of being a Black woman in Britain and the connections to Africa and the Caribbean. I don't know what else to say besides why haven't you bought this book yet? It is sheer brilliance, and I'm not going to shut up about it for a long time.
Follow Shantay’s mind and reading journey on Instagram & Twitter
Gabrielle’s Favourite: Children of Virtue and Vengence by Tomi Adeyemi
Gabrielle serving and sharing her favourite 2020 book: Children of Virtue and Vengence by Tomi Adeyemi
One of my best reads and this speaks volumes as this was a great year for literature. Children of Virtue and Vengence is the second book in the Legacy of Orisha series by Tomi Adeyemi.I’m obsessed with fantasy especially if it’s based on Afro-spirituality so I really love the retelling of Yoruban mythology in this book.
It was so exceptional but on the other hand, it made me so mad; I wanted to reach within the book and curse the characters for the drama they curated. But again, it is so good at the same time which is amazing for not many persons can write fantasy so enjoyable.
As such, I have all the reason to be frustrated because the release date of the third book is yet to be announced and I am itching to read it. How will I survive the wait? I still haven’t determined that.
Follow Gabrielle on Instagram: @gen_zea where she posts about books and tea
What’s your favourite book so far this year and what are you planning on getting to this Summer?
Come let’s get our Goodreads counter up!
Reading Deliberately: Our 2020 Reading List
Our 2020 book club reading list - complete with prompts!
2020 Books
Read Deliberately with RWL
We promised you that if you read with us for 2020 you’d complete our Reading Deliberately challenge and have 12 amazing new books under your belt (technically 13, we have two Olive Senior collections for August).
Here’s our complete 2020 Reading List matched with our Read Deliberately prompts:
Our Complete 2020 Reading List
January - Shortlisted for Lots of Awards
Girl, Woman, Other 🇬🇧 by Bernardine Evaristo
February - Mystery Novel by a Black Author
The Confessions of Frannie Langton🇯🇲 by Sara Collins
March - Collection by Queer Poet
Crossfire: A Litany of Survival 🇯🇲 by Staceyann Chin
April - Caribbean Based Historical Fiction
A Tall History of Sugar 🇯🇲 by Curdella Forbes
May - YA with Queer Main Characters
The Stars and the Blackness Between Them🇹🇹 by Junauda Petrus
June - Book that Centres 'Family' by a WoC
The Star Side of Bird Hill 🇧🇧 by Naomi Jackson
July - Book Filled With Drama
Come Let Us Sing Anyway 🇯🇲 by Leone Ross
August - Collection by Caribbean Poet
over the roofs of the world & Gardening in the Tropics 🇯🇲by Olive Senior
September - Science Fiction/Fantasy from a Black Author
The Fifth Season (The Broken Earth #1) 🇺🇸 by N.K. Jemisin
October - Self-Published & from the Caribbean
The Girl with the Hazel Eyes 🇧🇧 by Callie Browning
November - Novel With the Main Character Over 60 Yrs Old
Like A Mule Bringing Ice-Cream To The Sun 🇳🇬 by Sarah Ladipo Manyika
December - Caribbean Fabulism/Speculative/Magical Realism
The Marvelous Equations of the Dread 🇯🇲 by Marcia Douglas
If you’re reading any of these books this year, tag us on social media using #RebelWomenLit, join our book discussions on Goodreads, or listen to our podcast Like A Real Book Club.
7 Books You Should Read Before They Hit The Screens
7 Books You Should Read Before They Hit The Screens
Controversial opinion: read the book before its tv/movie adaptation comes out.
I can already hear the arguments in the comments and on twitter about which you should indulge in first to save yourself possible heartbreak. Personally, after I see a movie, it always feels too late to go back and read the book. So, when I know that a tv of film adaptation for a book is coming out, I try my hardest to read it first.
Regardless of where you stand on the Read It First vs Read It After debate, we can all agree that there’s nothing like seeing a story you only imagined come alive brilliantly on screen. So to help prep our reading list, I came up with a roundup of tv shows and movies coming out within the next few months that are based off novels diverse novels or will have diverse creators & casting.
Whether it be on your commute to work, before you go to bed, or on the beach these are definitely worth taking the time to read.
Americanah
About: Lupita Nyong’o and Danai Gurira’s planned adaptation of the Chimamanda Adiche’s novel “Americanah” has a 10 episode show lined up for HBO Max. When she was a teenager Ifemelu, fell in love with her classmate Obinze while living in military-ruled Nigeria. As young adults, they each depart for the West, with Ifemelu heading for America, where, despite her academic success, she is forced to grapple for the first time with what it means to be black living in America. Obinze had hoped to join her in America, but with post-9/11 America closed to him, he instead plunges into a dangerous undocumented life in London.
Who’s in it: Lupita Nyong'o, Uzo Aduba, Corey Hawkins, Zackary Momoh
Read Americanah
Release date: TBA from HBO
P.S. I Love You 2
About: If you love a cute rom-com you’ve probably seen the film To All The Boys I Loved Before a few million times on Netflix and you can’t wait to see the sequel coming out just before Valentine’s Day! In part 2, Lara Jean and Peter have finally taken their relationship from pretend to officially official. They’re going on romantic dinner dates, holding hands, giving valentine’s day gifts, the works. When another recipient of one of her old love letters (from part 1) enters the picture and Lara Jean realises she also has feelings for him. Can a girl be in love with two boys at once?
Who’s in it: Lana Condor, Noah Centineo, Madeleine Arthur, Ross Butler
Release date: February 12 on Netflix
High Fidelity
About: Hulu is also swinging in this Valentine’s Day with their gender and race swap on British novel High Fidelity was not something anyone could have anticipated, but we’re all pleasantly surprised by it. This Rom-Com follows Rob, the owner of a semi-failing record store, as she takes a look back at the five biggest heartbreaks in her life, all so she can figure out why she keeps having her heart broken.
Who’s in it: Zoë Kravitz, Jake Lacy, and Da’Vine Joy Randolph
Read High Fidelity
Release date: 14th February on Hulu
Little Fires Everywhere
About: Based on Celeste Ng’s 2017 turn-pager, Little Fires Everywhere follows the intertwined fates of the picture-perfect Richardson family and an enigmatic mother and daughter who upend their lives when they move into their rental property.
Who’s in it: Kerry Washington, Reese Witherspoon, Rosemarie DeWitt, and Joshua Jackson.
Read Little Fires Everywhere
Release date: March 13 on Hulu
The Underground Railroad
About: This Pulitzer Prize and National Book Award winner’s screen adaptation is highly anticipated by readers and cinephiles alike. This historical fiction TV series directed by Barry Jenkins follows Cora, a slave on a cotton plantation in Georgia, who finds out about Underground Railroad, and decides to take a terrifying risk and escape with Caesar, a newly arrived slave from Virginia.
Who’s in it: Thuso Mbedu, Chase W. Dillon, Aaron Pierre, Joel Edgerton
Read The Underground Railroad
Release date: TBA on Amazon Video
Lovecraft Country
About: If you’re into drama horror this is the HBO tv serie created by Jordan Peele, Misha Green, J.J. Abrams and Ben Stephenson promises to be the story you’re craving. In this story, Atticus Black joins his friend Letitia and his Uncle George to embark on a road trip across 1950s Jim Crow America in search of his missing father. This begins a struggle to survive and overcome both the terrors of white America with monsters that could’ve been ripped from an H.P. Lovecraft book.
Who’s in it: Jonathan Majors, Jurnee Smollett-Bell, Wunmi Mosaku, Aunjanue Ellis, Michael K. Williams, and Abbey Lee
Read Lovecraft Country
Release date: TBA from HBO
The Witches
About: This Roald Dahl’s children’s book gets a dark fantasy twist for the big screen. In The Witches a little boy stumbles across a conference of witches while staying with his grandmother at a hotel, and gets transformed into a mouse by the Grand High Witch, played by Anne Hathaway.
Who’s in it: Anne Hathaway, Octavia Spencer, Stanley Tucci, Chris Rock
Read The Witches
Release date: In Theatres October 9th