Black Love Matters: Real Talk...(Blog Tour)

 

Release Date: February 1, 2022
Publisher: Berkley

Genre: Literary Collection 

Blurb: An incisive, intersectional essay anthology that celebrates and examines romance and romantic media through the lens of Black readers, writers, and cultural commentators, edited by Book Riot columnist and librarian Jessica Pryde.

Romantic love has been one of the most essential elements of storytelling for centuries. But for Black people in the United States and across the diaspora, it hasn’t often been easy to find Black romance joyfully showcased in entertainment media. In this collection, revered authors and sparkling newcomers, librarians and academicians, and avid readers and reviewers consider the mirrors and windows into Black love as it is depicted in the novels, television shows, and films that have shaped their own stories. Whether personal reflection or cultural commentary, these essays delve into Black love now and in the past, including topics from the history of Black romance to social justice and the Black community to the meaning of desire and desirability. 

Exploring the multifaceted ways love is seen—and the ways it isn’t—this diverse array of Black voices collectively shines a light on the power of crafting happy endings for Black lovers. 

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Besties, this collection took romance AND readers to task. So, if you have been avoiding Black Romance this collection in my humble opinion prompts you to consider the why. 

Let me clarify...I think taking readers and the genre to task in the critique is an opportunity to reflect on why you (the reader) gravitates to certain tropes or relationship dynamics. What unconscious bias are lurking? What are your own personal rules to how we get to a romantic HEA? Yeah think about that....

If you're still on the fence, my major takeaway from this anthology and I want to say is a central theme is that Black Romance (BR) is a form of resistance. This subgenre provides a blueprint for a number of counter points that critique BR (i.e. I don't want to read ghetto stories or books that center trauma). Ms. Bev's and Julie's essays specifically point out and acknowledges Black pain/trauma can be both hard and an expression of hope, so let's think critically think about lived experiences and perhaps move away from this dichotomy. But what was the most salient point to me, was that BR centers Black stories NOT from the white gaze. In essence, BR there is no suspension of belief that Black people can/should have a HEA. So, if you struggle with this baseline then BR might not be for you. 

Here are a few of my favorite lines and a link to my GoodReads review. 

Introduction 

"we turn to love stories. Love stories about women with control of their lives and sexuality, who are allowed to be desired and uplifted, and who get the happy ending they deserve. About Black men who don’t have to succumb to the toxic masculinity that society enforces and enables. Stories about people of all backgrounds and identities who might suffer but who don’t have to suffer for the sake of the plot."

Imprint by Allie Parker

when [love is] constant, you don’t know what it feels like to not have it, and when you’ve never had it, you’re not quite sure what you’ve been missing.

I’m Rooting for Everybody Black: Black Solidarity, Black World-Building, and Black Love by Carole V. Bell

One of the many reasons Black romance is a safe space is that aesthetically and culturally, these novels have a commitment to the beauty and culture of people of African descent. Natural hairstyles from afros to locs and braids are all common, styles that are recognized initially as Afrocentric. They find beauty in a Black woman’s body with thick thighs and full hips, in dark skin, in faces with broad features.

Finding Queer Black Women in Romance: Finding Bits and Pieces of Me by Nicole M. Jackson 

And I guess this is where I have been always heading on this strange autobiographical journey that began with avoidance and confusion, and memories of searching for my people as a natural occurrence, something dug deep in my bones. Every time I have looked for queer Black women, I have found them. And once I've found one, she's opened the door to another and then another.

How a Black Author Found Her Romance History by Margo Hendricks

As a Black romance author, I write for Black and other non-white readers. Readers aware that depictions of “historical accuracy” in the romance genre is a subset of white supremacy.

Black Cultural Studies and Black Love by Julie E. Moody-Freeman

Black love matters because it has sustained African and Black diasporic peoples through the relentless physical and emotional assaults on Black humanity and through times when all has seemed hopeless. 

Black Indie Romance by Christina C. Jones 

Black is not a genre...there is very little reward in trying to force others to see your humanity- even less in convincing them that your happily ever afters are heartwarming, sexy, and realistic. 

I highlighted so much more, here's the link to all of my highlights. I really think you should pick up this anthology stat, so we can chat! 

Thank you to Berkley for providing me an e-ARC copy of this anthology and the space to share my thoughts.

Happy Reading!