In Every Mirror She's Black: A Novel

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For the side characters; well introduced and developed I’d give her that. I did feel bad for Ahmed’s end; a sad side story. Guinhild was a balm to my wounds for Muna The writing is beautiful. It pulls you in and it doesn't let you stop reading, i really struggled to find a good place to stop. I guarantee whilst reading this, you will start with one favourite character and end with another!!! Dreamland Burning by Jennifer Latham is a Young Adult novel about the 1921 Tulsa Massacre. Like Mirror, this book is told from different perspectives that ultimately intertwine. Also like Mirror, Dreamland teaches about a weighty and important topic in a manner which is both engaging and enjoyable. To my incredible publishing teams (WM - Asanté, Emily, Beatrice, HoZ - Maddy, Sophie, Ayo) and everyone on Team @notenough.book, thank you for exemplifying what true teamwork should look and feel like 🙏🏾💖🧡💚

With that being said, I disliked Johnny from the beginning. I knew there was something slimy and manipulative about him. He's a creepy stalker who anchored himself in Brittany's life (and she let him *shakes head in abject disappointment*), got her pregnant, lured her to his country to isolate her, and married her, all to feed his disturbing obsession with his dead ex-girlfriend. He convinced Brittany to name (unbeknownst to her) their daughter after her! Wtf! And then ultimately holds their daughter as leverage to keep Brittany from leaving Sweden. An evil mastermind, I tell you! He never fooled me with his innocent act. Muna’s story was powerfully told. I know Lola from the travel blogging and photography world, and so I was familiar with the gorgeous portraits she did of refugees in Sweden, and know that the author drew from her work there to create Muna’s character. Setting and the NovelThe author also intended for these characters to have the space to make mistakes and not be restrained as representatives of their race, ethnicity, and religion. They all certainly made mistakes! I found Muna’s to be the most egregious (although they were generally small and inconsequential outside of affecting her interpersonal relationships), simply because she seemed to have the most to lose. Muna: I appreciated how her storyline touched on loss, grief, and the unique perspective of being a refugee. I wish I had been more arrested by it. More could have been done to flesh out her character and her narrative.

I think she wanted to do something new and different, she was young and had no reason not to. If I had been in her position I would have wanted to do the same thing too. - gaylamath There was a lot of relevant themes that were raised immigration, racism, suicide , sense of community, family, friendship, neuro diversity, obsessions and love This was overall a pleasant reading experience that I looked forward to continuing! I’d give this book a strong 3.5, so I just rounded up to four stars.

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Overall, I liked this. It felt very realistic and authentic, even when I rolled my eyes at their decisions, I thought the author did a great job writing these people. I wish this had narrowed its thematic scope a bit to develop more deeply some of the nuances and tidbits dropped along the way in the plot. I’m glad I read this and highly recommend if you’re looking for a book about race set in what is often idealized Scandinavia, with messy main characters and ALL the drama. Beware that this is potentially a very triggering book so approach with caution. And refugee Muna Saheed, who lost her entire family, finds a job cleaning the toilets at Jonny's office as she works to establish her residency in Sweden and, more importantly, seeks connection and a place she can call home. There's one thing to have a cliffhanger where I know there's going to be a second book, but to just end the story after revealing everything in the last chapter is cruel. I HATE when authors do this. It's disrespectful to the reader IMO. Many years ago, while writing my book LAGOM, I came across a Swedish proverb that says “The deepest well can also be drained,” and it arrested me. That even the strongest, most resilient among us can eventually break too because we are human. Kemi’s relationship with Ragnar is unhealthy almost from the start. What does her final interaction with him show about her own growth and what she’s learned about herself in Sweden?

A chance meeting with Jonny in business class en route to the U.S. propels former model-turned-flight-attendant Brittany-Rae Johnson into a life of wealth, luxury, and privilege—a life she’s not sure she wants—as the object of his unhealthy obsession. That was simply not meant to be ; it was plain hostile and it really pushed the narrative that women generally do not like each other and for me that was a problem. Considering Muna and the other two girls Yasmiin and Kadija were all broken I expected that they’d be some sort of refuge for each other; but no Kemi seems to make a spur-of-the-moment choice to move to Sweden. Why do you think she did this? How did her sister's opinion factor into her decision?As an English teacher for the past 18 years, I often tell my students that reading a wonderful novel is one of the best ways to feel better when times are hard. Well, with Mirror, I ended up taking my own advice. This novel got me through one of the most stressful months of my career by transporting me to another world with its plot and perspectives. Thank you, Lola! Who is This Book Best For? I could not put this down. I was hoping all 3 women would meet but their stories aligned in a way i didn't expect. I'm tempted to be mean and leave a spoiler for those who don't want to waste their time but I RESPECT readers too much to do that. And refugee Muna Saheed finds a job cleaning the toilets at Jonny's office as she works to establish her residency in Sweden and, more importantly, seeks connection and a place she can call home.