Girl, Woman, Other by Bernardine Evaristo

How I Found:  Seeking a perspective beyond my limited life experiences, I came across this book that pulled me in with its title and colorful cover.  Little did I know that I would go on a journey through twelve black, British women's lives who became interconnected in striking and unexpected ways.  More importantly, though, was the moment that reality shifted, and I realized how much my perspective differed from these women.  For me, that was when Winsome lists her favorite authors, "Olive Senior from Jamaica, Rosa Guy from Trinidad, Pauly Marshal from Barbados, Jamaica Kincaid from Antigua, and Maryse Condé from Guadalupe; her favorite poetry book is called I is a Long Memoried Woman by a Guyanese lady called Grace Nichols We the Women Whose Praises Go Unsung Whose Voices Go Unheard."  Of these authors, I had only read from one and heard of none of the others.  Winsome then goes on to list several white authors, all of whom I had heard of and read from. 
Why You Might Read:  To see how this book might broaden your perspective and shift your reality.  With twelve characters to follow, it almost certainly will.  Winsome goes on to explain that, "She and the reading group had a big argument, no it wasn't no argument, it was a debate the other day about whether a poem was good because they related to it or whether it was good in and of itself."  As an avid reader, I've come to the understanding that it isn't about whether or not you see yourself in the book, but whose eyes you can learn to see through.  The characters of books are as wild and varied as the humans in the world; without reading we just get the one life, with it we can seek to understand and live as many lives as books we care to open, and this one lead me to author's I look forward to getting acquainted with and twelve new friends I'll never forget. 

Tell Me:  Have you read this book?  What did you think?