“The Bluest Eye” By Toni Morrison

By: Saint Twenty
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A multi-narrative story about the Breedloves, with Pecola Breedlove as the main protagonist. A family characterized for lacking pulchritude, violence and being poverty stricken. Matters are made dire when little Pecola is raped and impregnated, by her drunkard father Cholly. Desperate for an ounce of respite in her miserable life, the abused girl wishes for a pair of blue eyes. Slavery is over, but systemic racism remains alive and well through Jim Crow laws and more. Ensuring African Americans maintain an inferior, low quality life, while whites are put on pedestals of beauty and wealth through unfair advantages. Of course she believes being white adjacent will make her life better, at the time it would. A belief cemented by her mother Pauline, a maid for a well to do family.

Beautifully written, engaging and thought provoking, Toni Morrison deserves all the praise. Themes of incest, rape, racism, violence, pedophilia, religion and addiction keeps this on the banned books list. A satirized depiction pertaining to the generational effects of slavery, on the black diaspora in America. More importantly how vitriolic whites want their victims to live, dehumanizing us to justify their savagery and laziness. A must read, apt during pedophile and racist rapist Donald Trump’s Israeli led administration. Solidifying beauty is power through Pecola’s desire and the treatment of Maureen Peal in contrast (read AI Architects Want Pretty People Privilege). This book is timeless, giving me a clarity that’s left my soul detoxed, wrung out to dry, cleansed. Via: Target

“The Reformatory” By Tananarive Due

By: Saint Twenty
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Smack dab in the Jim Crow South, Robert Stephens Jr. overcome by emotion, kicks a white boy in the knee. Defending his sister from Lyle McCormacks advances. Noting how unfair it is for white men to fornicate with black women, while black men were murdered for being perceived to covet white women. Unfortunately for Robert Jr., father Red McCormack witnessed his insolence towards the star athlete. A staunch bigot, from a line of slave owners, he boxes the 12 year olds ear and has him arrested.

Robert Jr. is sentenced to 6 months at the towns Reformatory for juvenile boys. Doesn’t matter that Lyle pushed him first, that the advances towards his sister Gloria were unwanted, or that they were parentless children. Their mother died of cancer. Their father Robert Stephens Sr. fled Florida, after being wrongfully accused of raping a white woman and attempting to unionize black workers. His junior is to be an example of, used as bait to lure his father back. Burning their house wasn’t enough, the klan wants him lynched. Despite knowing for a fact the accuser is lying.

Robert Jr.’s biggest fear heading to The Reformatory are the rumors of haints. And boys never returning home. Will the ghost drive him crazy too?

This book isn’t scary, but this little boy goes through it. Robert Jr. is put in conundrum after conundrum, in rapid succession upon entering the prison/school. I mean, he can’t catch a break from the living or the dead. Dark, dark secrets to do with the headmaster, who takes a special interest in him, start to unravel. Leaving his chances of survival slim to none as he plays chess with his life. Unforgettable plot twists, this book deals with the supernatural, race, gender, injustice, abuse and morality. Will Robert Jr. make it out alive? An anxiety inducing page turner. Via: Simon & Schuster

Feels From Zion Hill

By: Saint Twenty
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“We must believe in our souls that we are somebody, that we are significant, that we are worthful, and we must walk the streets of life every day with this sense of dignity and this sense of somebody-ness.

Dr. King gave that code shape, articulation, and meaning. There are big forces that want to keep the Negro down, like Jim Crow, and there are small forces that want to keep you down, like other people, and in the face of all those things, the big ones and the smaller ones, you have to stand up straight and maintain your sense of who you are…There are people who trick you and deliver emptiness with a smile, while others rob you of your self-respect. You need to remember who you are.”

Artist: Kvvadwo Obeng