coolfoolmoon's reviews
313 reviews

Freshwater by Akwaeke Emezi

Go to review page

challenging dark informative mysterious reflective tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

Akwaeke Emezi, I will find you one day. One day, I will find you. I will drop to my knees. And I will ask for your hand in marriage.

They peeled my scalp back, cracked my skull open, and wrote exactly what's going on in my brain. What the heck Akwaeke Emezi my future spouse. How dare you. I love you. I guess I'm an ogbanje? Is it appropriative of me to say that even though I know my ancestry comes from Nigeria I'm just not sure which people group? Anyway anyway. I am her and they is me and I am we. Amazing. I'm so glad I chose to pock this up this month. THIS IS Black history NOW !!!

Expand filter menu Content Warnings
Bless the Daughter Raised by a Voice in Her Head by Warsan Shire

Go to review page

challenging dark emotional sad tense slow-paced

2.25

I like poems that rhyme so this one just wasn't for me :/ There's a few good moments but it didn't really feel artistic. That doesn't take away from the art though, it just feels more like she had all these heavy things on her mind weighing her down that she just had to get out there and maybe she'd feel lighter after. FIVE stars for the art FIVE stars for the title.

Expand filter menu Content Warnings
God Help the Child by Toni Morrison

Go to review page

challenging dark mysterious reflective tense fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

So it's come down to this huh. My last Toni Morrison fiction. This is heartbreaking. I liked the book; it's heartbreaking I have no more novels! But it does mean I can reread them for the first time now!

It's not her best work, but it's not her worst either. A breeze to read as usual. It hooked me more towards the end, or more than halfway through the book, which isn't good while reading but the parts before that were pleasant enough I didn't look at the book negatively. I'm sure it wasn't her intention but it is a little sad she didn't go out with a bang. This book is fine. I love Black love, and that was her primary love through all her books in all its different forms. All her books are about love! 🫢🏾

Expand filter menu Content Warnings
Giovanni's Room by James Baldwin

Go to review page

emotional reflective fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

Automatic negative points for being pro-Paris / pro-France and using the French language. AUTOMATIC !!!!!! I can't help my dislike, nay I say hatred of those baguettes!

Negative points also for the main characters, all characters being white. I understand that the story couldn't be told without them being white. It's just hard for me to relate to white stories. I don't understand them. Usually when I read them I think "Okay but you don't have real problems. Why are you complaining?" Which is only halfway a joke. 55% a jape.

I did relate to the main character however. For future me reading this, you just broke up with your first girlfriend. You only related in some, a few ways, not completely, but it was noticeable.

Despite my criticisms the writing was lovely. It feels like thee queer/gay book that mothered or grandmothered queer books. I loved the brief analysis into gender and heteronorms. It came out of nowhere but it really stood out. Every thing you feel for the first time has already been felt by the rest of humanity a billion times over. I also love when classics can still be relatable.

Expand filter menu Content Warnings
After a Thousand Tears: Poems by Jimmy Worthy II

Go to review page

emotional hopeful inspiring lighthearted reflective relaxing slow-paced

4.5

I keep saying it. Georgia Douglas Johnson would've loved Mitski!

What a blessing that these poems were still available! She's my favorite poet and it's amazing that someone found more of her work! Wow!!!!!

My one complaint (that didn't affect my rating) is that the book should've been broken up with the text in the introduction giving more context after you read the poem. It was over 50 pages! I guess books aren't traditionally written like that but it'd be cool if they were. I came for the poems but here's someone who found her works and chose to provide context, it's fine if we break the mold a lil.

Expand filter menu Content Warnings
A Raisin in the Sun by Lorraine Hansberry

Go to review page

emotional funny tense fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

For once, sort of, the experience of the Youngers is not relevant to today. They bought a house for $4k. Somebody had to die for them to afford it. Meanwhile in this present day when most people family die they can't even afford to bury them. Everything else is pretty much the same though. Just called by different names now.

Lorraine Hansberry was definitely ahead of her time. 

This may have a higher rating if I actually saw it on stage instead of read / listened to it. I read it in pretty much one sitting to stay true to the theater experience – you can't pause a play, you have to sit through it – and it was still very moving and hooked my attention. But reading and listening to the play I'm sure doesn't compare to actually seeing and living it in the theater.

Expand filter menu Content Warnings
A Raisin in the Sun by Lorraine Hansberry

Go to review page

emotional funny tense fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

Read with book, reviewed separately.

I kept thinking "I know these voices! Why they sound so familiar!"
The Tragedy of Pudd'nhead Wilson by Mark Twain

Go to review page

challenging funny fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

Listened to this audio version while reading the book so I'm not gonna repost my review here. 

In the beginning he says Mark Twain's style of writing revolutionized modern American writing and it's very clear how which is really cool but I think books like this should mark the beginning of modern English. Like it's still obviously a classic, still a little uppity, but it at least feels / sounds normal. 

Also I looked up when modern English began, 1450 !? That's so wrong. It's been 600 years we definitely in a new era. I say anything before the 1950s should at least be called Old Modern English and the current era be Modern Modern English, but only bc it would be confusing and funny.
Pudd'nhead Wilson by Mark Twain

Go to review page

challenging funny medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

The moral of the story is that being white makes you instantly evil. Roxy and Tom blamed the 1/16th and 1/32nd Blackness in them for their bad actions but let's take in account the other 15/16ths and 31/32nds mayhaps?

I read this in high school for AP English. I hated the characters then and I hated them now, but I can't deny how good the writing and the story is. However I'll never forgive my high yellow teacher for having a handful of Black and a majority Latinx students popcorn read this book and have the Latinx student be so uncomfortable saying n****r so much. Then one of the girls, MELISSA, said it with her whole chest when we weren't reading, I'll never forget it! 

Expand filter menu Content Warnings
Evil Eye by Etaf Rum

Go to review page

emotional hopeful informative inspiring reflective sad tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

No, I am not Palestinian. No, I am not from New York nor have I ever been. No, I am not a mother. No, I am not married. No, I have never been a teacher. No, I am not the eldest daughter, nor do I have siblings. 

BUT SHE JUST LIKE ME FR !!!!!! I LOVE HER SHE IS ME. ETAF RUM YOU WILL ALWAYS BE FAMOUS. Perfect writing. Perfect exploration of culture and family. I don't have the words to express how moved I was. Am! She just like me fr !!!!!

Expand filter menu Content Warnings