Reviews with TLC

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&