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A review by passionyoungwrites
The Blueprint by Rae Giana Rashad
adventurous
challenging
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
“Remember. Nothing is just.” - Henriette
.
History has a way of repeating itself with systems of oppression, no matter the year. Pent down, held back, hushed, ruled, and manipulated is the Black girl. From the Big House to the Penthouse, from the Planters to the Politicians - the Blueprint remained the same - “Hold her”.
.
Solenne in the year 2030 in a dystopian world where choice isn’t afforded to her and an algorithm determined everything about her life. And while writing the biography of her ancestor, Henriette, from 1800’s, she sees a resemblance in circumstances - oppression by a white man to herself - a concubine. She also sees strength she hadn’t seen before.
.
As she grew older Solenne allowed herself to acknowledge that she was experiencing what every oppressed woman experienced - in some capacity or another. And then it all made sense.
.
The Blueprint for me was a clear acknowledgment that change is within you. Yes, systems are in place, people with power are in charge, but on an individual level you must figure out how to free yourself from your shackles in order to truly be free.
.
Freedom for one doesn’t look the same for others. Solenne wanted out of her situation so bad and then she was hit with the reality that the system was still in place causing her to free herself in another form. Same with her ancestor Henriette, she kept going too.
It’s just so crazy to look back to the 1800’s and think we’ve come so far from slavery just to read this book and see that we’re really only a step or two away from bondage in many different forms.
.
Also the way this book is structured, makes it so much easier to see the “why’s” and connect the dots to understand the characters. All of which are relevant and move the story forward. All facing their own personal troubles.
.
History has a way of repeating itself with systems of oppression, no matter the year. Pent down, held back, hushed, ruled, and manipulated is the Black girl. From the Big House to the Penthouse, from the Planters to the Politicians - the Blueprint remained the same - “Hold her”.
.
Solenne in the year 2030 in a dystopian world where choice isn’t afforded to her and an algorithm determined everything about her life. And while writing the biography of her ancestor, Henriette, from 1800’s, she sees a resemblance in circumstances - oppression by a white man to herself - a concubine. She also sees strength she hadn’t seen before.
.
As she grew older Solenne allowed herself to acknowledge that she was experiencing what every oppressed woman experienced - in some capacity or another. And then it all made sense.
.
The Blueprint for me was a clear acknowledgment that change is within you. Yes, systems are in place, people with power are in charge, but on an individual level you must figure out how to free yourself from your shackles in order to truly be free.
.
Freedom for one doesn’t look the same for others. Solenne wanted out of her situation so bad and then she was hit with the reality that the system was still in place causing her to free herself in another form. Same with her ancestor Henriette, she kept going too.
It’s just so crazy to look back to the 1800’s and think we’ve come so far from slavery just to read this book and see that we’re really only a step or two away from bondage in many different forms.
.
Also the way this book is structured, makes it so much easier to see the “why’s” and connect the dots to understand the characters. All of which are relevant and move the story forward. All facing their own personal troubles.