Reviews with TLC

Mother Country by Etaf Rum pulled me in quickly and held on. Rum creates a short story filled with characters that are at once relatable and unique proving once again that people have more in common than not. The clash between expectations and the desire for something different that threads throughout Mother Country transcends the exploration of cultural differences landing in the heart of anyone who has ever wanted a future different than the one they grew up expected to live. Rum tells the story in a way that feels like sitting down with a friend to hear what's happening in their life.  Mother Country explores not only motherhood but daughterhood and the desire to escape not only tradition but generational trauma while also exploring what it takes to find understanding and compassion in the journey to embrace the truth of who one is. Currently Reading: How We Win the Civil War: Securing a Multiracial Democracy and Ending White Supremacy for Good  by Steve Phillips Braidin...

The Bookstore Wedding: A Short Story by Alice Hoffman continues the story of two sisters who had been estranged and are rebuilding their relationship while also honoring their parents and the bookstore they inherited. While one sister is planning her wedding to her rekindled love yet again, the other sister gets sick causing the wedding to be postponed once again. The Bookstore Wedding is filled with familial love and the kind of supportive community many crave these days. As some things came together and other things fell apart, I often found it difficult to understand the decisions the sisters or the community made but somehow that only added to the appealability. Hoffman provides characters that are at once complex and simple in a way that makes them more approachable. The Bookstore Wedding is a sweet story of endurance and connection. Currently Reading: How We Win the Civil War: Securing a Multiracial Democracy and Ending White Supremacy for Good  by Steve Phillips Mother Co...

They Called Me a Lioness: A Palestinian Girl's Fight for Freedom by Ahed Tamimi and Dena Takruri demonstrates the resilience of not only Ahed Tamimi but her family, her community, and the Palestinian community as a whole. Her story resonates on a deep level demonstrating how the political is personal in an approachable and engaging way. Written in first person, They Called Me a Lioness often brought me fully into the moment and left me feeling voyeuristic all at once. Tamimi and Takruri plant Tamimi's struggle in middle of the larger struggle with a seamlessness that reminds the reader that her story is both unique and all too common. The overarching story is one that brings to light the way humans are programmed to condemn or praise an action depending on who we are taught is worthy and who is unworthy. They Called Me a Lioness is a heartbreaking and heartwarming story of resilience as well as a call to action to the world. Currently Reading: How We Win the Civil War: Secur...

A Night at the Tropicana: A Short Story by Chanel Cleeton is a beautiful story of love lost to fulfill family expectations that leaves a mark on those who feel it. Family expectations and ambition get in the way of a love that feels magical in its beginning but gets sidelined by a parent's interference before it even has a chance to really begin. Years later a recreation of the event at a different place brings back the memories of that first taste of love. The romance of the evening paired with the romance of young love juxtaposed against a fundraiser capitalizing on the idea of that evening felt apropos to the world we live in yet the nostalgia threading through the memories also managed to impart an unexpected hopefulness. A Night at the Tropicana pulled me in and had me hoping for a magical ending... Currently Reading: How We Win the Civil War: Securing a Multiracial Democracy and Ending White Supremacy for Good  by Steve Phillips They Called Me a Lioness: A Palestinian Girl...