What a book!

In my attempt to read for pleasure more, I recently started reading The Emperor’s Babe by Bernardine Evaristo and I am very excited! This book was recommended by a very reliable source, so I have high hopes. Bernardine Evaristo is so so so amazing. I read Sam Selvon’s Lonely Londoners and then I read Evaristo’s Girl, Woman, Other and I was completely blown away. I stayed up all night and read that book, I highly recommend it. 

Also, I just found out that Safiya Sinclair and Bernardine Evaristo are coming to the Strand Book Store in New York in March.  Do I know where this is? Nope. Do I know how to get there? Nope. Am I directionally challenged? Yes. Did I buy tickets that are non-refundable? Absolutely. I never do impulsive things. I am the type of person who researches what they’re going to eat at a restaurant before they go, yet here we are. I wondered how I could not go. I doubt they are ever going to be together in conversation again soon. Also, these women are so powerful! I look up to them and admire their work so much. I think it’ll be worth it, though I am still working out the logistics. (Sorry for being tangential, I had to share because it’s directly related to my first post).

I was very drawn to the cover of the Emperor’s Babe by Bernardine Evaristo. The Emperor’s Babe has a mustard yellow cover, with a sassy looking black woman wearing a toga with a heart tattooed on her arm on the front cover. I think I was drawn to it because it looks so intriguing, I have never seen a depiction of Roman life like this before. It looked interesting as well as crazy and I am ready for it! I also really like how the font used on the cover looks as though it resembles chalk on a whiteboard. 

I have only read around 20 pages, and it is so intriguing. The book is essentially about a black teen/young adult living in Roman times and she is forced to marry a white Roman businessman. However, she craves a life of passion and excitement and is terribly upset about this arrangement, but her parents are forcing her into this predicament. The book is written in a series of poems, which adds to the feel of the book as I read them. I also think to some extent it makes the read more intimidating, but worth the challenge. The more I read the more unravels about her life. I also think it gives a perspective not really shown like the mere plot itself is just crazy! It’s like a combination of watching a soap opera and listening to a cool history lesson. I also see the characters as being human, a flawed messy human, who doesn't fit into the box we tend to put characters in. One of my favorite quotes so far is “He had just made of my greatest gift an exile” (22).  I feel as though that line carries a lot of power and it makes you want to continue reading.