The African American Female Writer....

It seems as if The African American female writer is taking the world by storm.....

The Toni Morrison, winner of the Nobel Prize for Literature, is releasing a new novel in April titled God Help the Child. Based on the number of articles that I have read about this novel, I don't think that I am the only person who is excited about this news.

Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie

Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie is definitely setting the world on fire....

Her novels, Half of a Yellow Sun, Purple Hibiscus, Americanah, and The Thing Around Your Neck, are referenced a lot in the literary world. Her TED talk is absolutely thought-provoking. And, when I am with people who love books, Adichie's name is sure to be mentioned.

Cynthia Bond

Natalie Baszile

Cynthia Bond and Natalie Baszile have both been touched by The Oprah Winfrey.

Cynthia Bond's novel, Ruby, is Oprah's latest book club selection, and you should hear Oprah go on and on about this novel; I definitely put it on my list.

Natalie Baszil's book, Queen Sugar, is being made into a drama series for the OWN network, and I can't wait to read this book as well.

We all know what can happen to a writer's career after she is touched by Oprah. 

Morowa Yejide

I am currently reading Morowa Yeide's novel titled Time of the Locust. Yejida was a finalist for the national PEN/Bellwether Prize and is a 2015 NAACP Image Award Nominee for Outstanding Literary Work.

Other African American Female Writers who are buzzing are Attica Locke, Lauren-Francis Sharma, Tayari Jones, Octavia Butler, Edwidge Danticat, Delores Philip, Tananarive Due, Dolen Perkins-Valdez, Ayana Mathis, and there are soooo many more out there!

When historians write about this time period, they sho' better include the African American Female Writer!

This Is The Day...Let's Rejoice and Be Glad.

Wild Seed by Octavia Butler

Have you ever read a book and the entire time that you were reading the book, you were wondering "what was on the the mind of the author as she/he were writing that book?" Well, I thought about Octavia Butler from the first to last page of this book and after I finished the novel. I really want to get inside of the brilliant mind of Octavia Butler..

Well, it is not even possible to talk to the late, great Octavia Butler, because she died at the tender age of 58 in 2006. But, I would do almost anything to be able to meet and get to know this incredible writer. I want to know how she came up with a story like Wild Seed!

Wild Seed has a female protagonist named Anyanwu who was born in West African, and she has lived for thousands of years. She is not immortal, but she can heal herself; therefore, she is sort of in control of when and if she dies.

The other protagonist in this story is Doro, and Doro is a spirit. The only way that Doro can manifest himself is through the body of someone whom he kills. So, Doro has to kill people in order to live.

Anyanwu is found by Doro, and he convinces her to travel to America with him where he is gathering people who are 'strange like them," and he is breeding them in order to make more people who will live forever. However, this task seems to be impossible.

This story goes from the years 1690 to 1840, and it mimics the life of someone who leaves African for America and shows the difficulties of trying to take on a new culture.

However, there is another story line that is running that has to do with loneliness and love...

Doro and Anyanwu were both lonely; they have watched all of the people that they care about die and this would go on forever for them; humans eventually die. However, Anyanwu did not like many of the ways of Doro, and she began to resent him and knew exactly what to do so that he could not reach her for long periods of time, but he eventually was always able to reach her.

Anyanwu realized that the only to rid herself of Doro and the things about him that she did not like, was to commit suicide, and Anyanwu was willing to do that. She was willing to die for what she believed in. Doro suddenly realized that "Because of her, he was no longer alone. Because of her, life was suddenly better than it had been for him in centuries, in millenia." So, "There had to be changes. Anyanwu could not have all she wanted, and Doro could no longer have all that he considered his by right."

AND, they lived happily ever-after!

Of course this book made me think about slavery, and love, and loneliness, and I came to two conclusion: humans can adapt and get use to just about anything, and sometimes we must be willing to stand firmly on what we believe and we may be surprised to find out that things just may turn out in our favor.

Very Intriguing book that I highly recommend.

Read and Expand....

The late, great Octavia Butler... Gone to soon!!!

My next read is Americanah by one of my favorite writers: Chimamanda Ngozi...Join Me!