Happy Black History Month!! <3

After finishing Girl, Woman, Other by Bernadine Evaristo I think the best way that I can phrase my reaction is that this book had some very intense scenes and lines that really poke at you. Some chapters made me angry, others were conflicting. Certain lines struck me with so much familiarity that I felt things on the behalf of these characters, especially because a majority of the chapters were from the perspective of colored women. Being Black or really having any kind of color to your skin immediately paints a target on your back. People hate you, or they envy you, and that message was all over this book.

Another strong theme was the power struggle between genders. Every man was a problem, which considering the title and tone of this book was not surprising, but rather increasingly frustrating. The women in this book were treated differently based on the shade of brown that they were–some favored over others because they looked more white than Black–and if it was not racism or colorism it was misogyny. The power the men constantly exercised over women for their own benefit was an abuse of privilege. 

I saw a reel on Instagram recently that was a brief portion of a longer podcast, and the woman being interviewed, Jameela Jamil, said “Boys aren’t raised to be men, they’re just raised not to be girls,” which can instantly be connected to pretty much every female character in Girl, Woman, Other who is on the opposite side of that statement, specifically Carole, LaTisha, Shirley, Grace, and Morgan. All individuals were raised under the expectation that they should be amiable, soft, gentle, passive, and pliable. Silent. Regardless of the time period, if men were any of those things, it was wrong because they are given a claim to a particular authority simply because they were born male. So no wonder women push against that idea, shifting uncomfortably under the restrictions of society–it’s more than natural. Women should be angry. Black women should continue to fight against those stereotypes. If for no one else, then we must fight for ourselves.

– Jazzy <3

Instagram Reel -> =https://www.instagram.com/reel/DUV7pA-EU7k/?igsh=MTFmNjhpcHl4Zm5ncA==