THE PLOT: American Street by Ibi Zoboi is about sixteen-year-old Fabiola who immigrates from Haiti to the U.S. with her mother. After her mother is stopped at the airport, Fabiola lives with her cousins in Detroit while trying to get … Continue reading Review: American Street
THE PLOT: The Vanishing Half by Brit Bennett is about twins, Desiree and Stella Vignes. They grow up in a small town in 60’s Louisiana but dream of escape. After running away to New Orleans at sixteen years old, the … Continue reading Review: The Vanishing Half
THE PLOT: American Spy by Lauren Wilkinson is about an FBI intelligence officer. Set in 80’s New York, Marie Mitchell is routinely underestimated and sidelined for being a black woman. However, these characteristics make her the perfect person to go … Continue reading Review: American Spy
THE PLOT: A Thousand Ships by Natalie Haynes is about the women of the Trojan War. A retelling of the Odyssey and Iliad from the perspective of the female characters, it’s built on the premise that heroes aren’t only men. … Continue reading Review: A Thousand Ships
THE PLOT: The Winter Crown is the second novel in a trilogy about Eleanor of Aquitaine. It follows Eleanor’s second marriage to Henry II and starts when she is crowned Queen of England in 1154. For most of the novel … Continue reading Review: The Winter Crown
THE PLOT: The Summer Queen is an in-depth novel about the life of Eleanor of Aquitaine. Starting with her betrothal to Prince Louis of France in 1137, it follows her move to the French court and rule as Queen. A … Continue reading Review: The Summer Queen
THE PLOT: Men We Reaped is a memoir by award-winning author Jesmyn Ward. It gives life to the stories of five young black men, including her beloved brother, who died in the space of four years. Interwoven with her life … Continue reading Review: Men We Reaped
THE PLOT: The Pact We Made follows Dahlia, a twenty-nine-year-old woman living in Kuwait. As her thirtieth birthday approaches, her mother pressures her to find a husband. But Dahlia finds life in Kuwait stultifying due to the pressure to bow … Continue reading Review: The Pact We Made
THE PLOT: The Red Lily Crown is about Chiara Nerini – an orphan in Florence in 1574. Living in poverty since her father’s death, and with her grandmother and two younger sisters to feed, she goes to the court of … Continue reading Review: The Red Lily Crown
THE PLOT: Nuri is a successful beekeeper in Aleppo. He runs a large business creating and exporting honey with his cousin Mustapha. When war breaks out Nuri’s wants to leave Syria but his wife, Afra, refuses to go. As the … Continue reading Review: The Beekeeper of Aleppo
Amina's Bookshelf 