I joined a book club this year. It has been years since I have belonged to a book club where we meet on a regular basis to discuss a book. It feels like a novelty to return to now that grad school reading is over. I have to say I love to read and so it is wonderful to be in a group again that appreciates reading and discussing books.

We started off our little club with the book Girl, Woman, Other by Bernardine Evaristo. This is a book that follows the lives of twelve black, British women and their unique stories. It is fiction, but the author covers many angles and stories of holding these intersecting identities in British society.

As one who is always looking at the ways that our unique identities see the world and how we find a place for ourselves, it was marvelous to read a fiction book that explored how twelve women did this for themselves in their lives.

Now, there are a lot of characters in this book and it can be difficult to keep track of them all, especially if listening to this book on audible. Further, it does feel at times like the author goes for more breadth rather than depth with her characters. Someone in our book group pointed out that it felt like the author had to check off the various identities that black, British women can hold and she had to cover them all. Many said they would have been sufficed with just a few characters with deeper stories.

As it is the author is trying to open the reader up to the many ways that black, British woman find their way through society. If you are interested in s vibrant, energetic voice that covers the topic of women embracing their unique intersecting identities and interacting with the other from their particular stance, then this is the book for you.

Excellent!