Zora-Toni-Maya @zoratonimaya - Tumblr Blog

Zora-Toni-Maya turned 6 today! Happy mini-blog birthday to me.

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Remember when we all laughed at Porsha of ATL Housewives when she insisted the Underground Railroad was an actual train with tracks underground? Colson Whitehead takes that idea on and makes it so in his new novel, and it works! A National Book Award nominee and Oprah's latest book club selection, The Underground Railroad kept me on the edge of my seat, as it followed Cora, a slave on the run from the deplorable Randall plantation in Georgia. This is somewhat of a retelling of history thru a fantasy lens, first because runaways can hop on an actual underground train, and each new state on the way north or west represents a different time in American history. This gripping novel is a testament to Colson's remarkable creativity. He deserves the hype.

#blackliterature #african american literature #goodreads #black writers #slavery #historical fiction #books #reading #book review #reviews

Bailey's Cafe and The Women of Brewster Place and Mama Day. She gave us gifts, ya'll. Beautiful, magical gifts.

Rest in peace, Gloria Naylor.

#Black women #black writers #black novels #good reads #literature #reading #books #black life #black culture #culture

Brewster Place became especially fond of its colored daughters as they milled like determined spirits among its decay, trying to make it home. Nutmeg arms leaned over windowsills, gnarled ebony legs carried groceries up double flights of steps, and saffron hands strung out wet laundry on backyard lines. Their perspiration mingled with the steam from boiling pots of smoked pork greens, and it curled on the edges of the aroma of vinegar douches and Evening in Paris cologne that drifted through the street where they stood together - hands on hips, straight-backed, round-bellied, high-behinded women who threw their heads back when they laughed and exposed strong teeth and dark gums. They cursed, badgered, worshiped, and shared their men. Their love drove them to fling dishcloths in someone else's kitchen to help him make the rent, or to fling hot lye to help him forget that bitch behind the counter at the five-and-dime. They were hard-edged, soft-centered, brutally demanding, and easily pleased, these women of Brewster Place. They came, they went, grew up, and grew old beyond their years. Like an ebony phoenix, each in her own time and with her own season had a story.

Naylor, Gloria. The Women of Brewster Place. (1982)

RIP to one of the greats!

#34 I finished "The Perfect Find" by Tia Williams last night, and I still have pink and purple hearts zooming out of my eyes and ears, floating above my head like a halo. A few years ago, Jenna Jones had an embarrassing public breakup, followed by an emotional meltdown that ruined her reputation as a top notch fashion journalist. Now she's ready to make a comeback, but trying to resurrect her career in her 40s at StyleZine.com is HARD, and her arch-nemesis and new boss, Darcy Vale, consistently makes matters worse. Life sucks for Jenna until she meets Eric, the new videographer assigned to help her develop a StyleZine web-series for fashionistas. Jenna and Eric do not mesh well in the beginning, but eventually they hit it off and become perfect partners. In fact, they hit it off a little too well, putting both of their jobs in jeopardy. Tons of twists and turns and “Oh my”s and clutched pearls and ooohs and ahhhs happen throughout this novel. It’s a dreamy story, but much more than a happily ever after. It’s hilarious, too, with great supportive characters that will keep you entertained. I gotta give this one 4.5 stars.

#black women #goodreads #fiction #romance #humor #chicklit #black love #black writers #black authors #New York

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“…women who refuse to wash their bras regularly need to be sat down and read their bill of personal rights. There are women who admit to only washing their bras once a year. WHO ARE YOU MONSTERS?… This is why

I dusted off my often neglected blog to review this hilarious debut release from the most popular Side Eye Sorceress of the blogosphere, Awesomely Luvvie, Check it out!

#humor #essays #goodreads'#books #fun #awesomelyluvvie #blogs #blogging

"I am but a cinder in the snow. Who could gaze at me long and deny I have not passed through fire?" Greatly enjoyed this read. Joyce Carol Thomas recently passed away, and reading a few tributes to her work made me want to pick up her highly praised YA novel that won the National Book Award in 1983 and the American Book Award in 1982. It also helps that she centered her works in Oklahoma (where my paternal grandparents are from), a setting that I've rarely seen in Black novels. Marked by Fire follows Abyssinia Jackson from birth through adolescence in the 1950s and 60s. You get tornadoes, cotton plantations, Black church and community, girlhood and womanhood, sisters and mothers loving and gossiping over quilt making and prayer circles. It is such a heartwarming, but sometimes tragic, story about growth and healing and love from elders to youth. Loved every poetic line, and really wish I'd had my hands on this as a teen. It is made of everything that I enjoy about Black historical fiction.

Can't wait to read more about Abyssinia Jackson in The House of Light. RATING: ⛤⛤⛤⛤

#26 "Daddy Was a Number Runner" by Louise Meriwether: It's 1934, and Francie Coffin is 12 years old, living in a cramped apt in Harlem with her parents and two older brothers. This fast paced, gritty novel follows her as she collects “the numbers” for her father (an old school gambling game among Black folks, similar to the lottery), fist fights with the neighborhood girls who are also her best friends, puts up with her brothers, and battles sexual harassment from the men on her block. Most times funny but many times sad, this book is a classic. Loved every bit of it. Though I got this from the library, I’ll definitely be adding it my personal collection.

#black girls #Louise Meriwether #goodbooks #blackwomen #blacklit #black books #books #fiction #novels #classics #goodreads

Not many black female police officers worked in Colorado Springs, and so Colin didn't know how to deal with me. On our first day together ...I took him for coffee and broke it down. "I'm sassy, but not Florence-the-Jeffersons'-maid sassy. Nor am I ultrareligious. I'm sure as hell not an earth mother, so there's that to remember, too. Actually, you'd be better off seeking comfort from that palm tree across the street before coming to me. Also: I hate watermelon but I love chicken. I can say 'nigga' but I will break every bone in your face if I hear you say it." I squinted at him. "And you look like someone who's been around people who say it a lot. So be careful, please." I sipped my Venti drip, then added, "On a lighter note: yes, the myth is true. The blacker the berry and so forth and so on." He had gaped at me ---what's this about berries? It had been a long week.

Howzell Hall, Rachel. Land of Shadows. 2014.

#mystery #detective #blackwomen #blacklit #blackbooks #blacknovels #blackwriters #Rachel Howzell Hall #fiction #books #goodreads #womenwriters

A wonderful friend sent this collection to me for my birthday last week, and I squealed and cradled it like a newborn when I opened it. Love me some James Baldwin. Now it's his turn to shine (though, thanks to his writing, his star will likely never fade. Happy birthday, Mr. Baldwin.

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I spent 11 days with this book. Half of those days, I’ve dealt with some kind of ebola zika bird flu strep throat virus. So it’s just been me, my bed, Kleenex, and these nearly 600 pages on the life of Malcolm X.

#Malcolm X #A Life of Reinvention #Manning Marable #Black History #politics #biography #Black life

Fans of the detective-mystery genre will discover something rare in Trail of Echoes: Detective Elouise Norton is a black female hero.

I don't usually read crime detective novels, but I started this series earlier this year, and loved it. Excited to see Rachel Howzell Hall get well-deserved (and over due) shine for this.

#mystery #crime novel #detective #TheRoot #suspense #Los Angeles #Black writers #Black authors #Black novels #fiction #Black women

I decided to re-read “After the Garden” by DorisJean Austin, six years later, and it's still one of my favorite underrated novels. Time has led to reviewing this with a different perspective, though.

It is the 1930s in New Jersey, and Alzina, raised solely by her stoic, strict, and very religious grandmother, falls in love with Jessie and becomes pregnant before she graduates high school. Her grandmother, Rosalie, is disappointed when the two decide to marry, especially since Alzina was intelligent and ambitious, and marriage and motherhood permanently disrupt her plans to further her education down South.

Not helping the matter is Jessie's pedigree. Though popular and an athletic star at their school, he's a product of the James family: colorful, loud and exuberant, raised by their lively mother, Truselle, and a myriad of fathers. Truselle turns her home into a bid whist and poker spot/juke joint every weekend (everything else you can imagine happens there, as well), and Jesse's brothers are known to father children throughout the community and shirking their responsibilities.

The two families are vastly different and despise each other or many levels. The novel focuses on how those differences drastically affect Alzina's and Jesse's marriage throughout the following decades. Alzina's grandmother drilled into her head that she was "raised in the garden" which set her expectations much higher than Jesse is willing to reach. Jesse, on the other hand, feels that Alzina doesn't support him, and turns to alcohol and other women as a salve. The two love each other and hate each other and leave each other and love each other again, with each new coupling more intense than the last, and resentment and rage and romance and affection and sex all over the pages.

I originally deemed this a love story but it is more a story about family and how upbringing ultimately affects every relationship you have as an adult. It also drives home the point that living in what many consider dysfunction, does not mean you are lacking in love.

The ending is heartbreaking, though. Disturbing and heartbreaking. If you pick this one up, prepare to keep Kleenex on you for the last few chapters.

RATING: 4 stars

#fiction #black women #novels #Black Novels #black fiction #black love #new jersey #black writers #black authors #black books #books #goodreads

“The Formation video is the visual embodiment of beautiful prissy ghetto conscious girl brilliance, confidence, and style, something that I ascribe to as a matter of birth right and home training… In these new images, I saw myself, my interests, and my cultural identity, topped with a middle finger to white supremacy, a tasty glaze drizzled on a thick slice of your grandma’s pound cake…” (more)

#flourishgirl #beyonce #womanhood #formation #blackgirlmagic #lifegoals #lifestyle

I wrote a lil’ somethin on my new site, flourishgirl.com:

“The Formation video is the visual embodiment of beautiful prissy ghetto conscious girl brilliance, confidence, and style, something that I ascribe to as a matter of birth right and home training... In these new images, I saw myself, my interests, and my cultural identity, topped with a middle finger to white supremacy, a tasty glaze drizzled on a thick slice of your grandma's pound cake...” (more)

#Beyonce #lifegoals #formation #womanhood #flourish #blackgirlmagic #lifestyle

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When die-hard romance readers start rattling off the preeminent writers in the genre, one of the names you ought to hear every time is Beverly Jenkins.

Believe it or not, I rarely read romance, especially not historical romance, but this interview with legendary romance author Beverly Jenkins makes me want to add a few to my reading list. Very eye opening.

#black women #Black Women Writers #black romance #black love #historical romance #fiction #history #romance novels

Got "Beasts of No Nation" from the library today because after failing to be voted in as my book club's January Movie Adaptation selection, I still decided to watch the movie last week and it was phenomenal (Aunt Viv was right about Idris, btw 😏). I figure, any movie that good has an even better book behind it. Plus, it's only 142 pages. May finish it tonight. ❤📚

#uzodinma iweala #goodreads #african writers #african literature #african fiction #netflix

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