Sheila Williams (2)

This is the life story of Maryam Grace, born Little Bird, in Africa but captured by slavers at the age of ten and brought. This is a brutal story of a strong woman who was influenced by many strong women along the way. Always having an ear for languages, Little Bird was able to save herself numerous times due to her ability to discern words. The Portuguese ship that captured her was itself overtaken by a pirate ship. The pirate leader recognizing that Little Bird was able to understand many show more of the African languages took her underwing and she became valuable to him.

However, once in port, he was not able to protect her from a brutal rape that led to a pregnancy before the girl actually knew what was happening. Thanks to Marie Catherine, a midwife and healer Little Bird, now known as Maryam, survived the birth of a child who died. When Caesar was captured, Maryam was sold into slavery where she honed her midwifery and healing skills and became a valuable asset to the slave owners. Maryam eventually found a man who was kind and loving to her and she had two sons.

The story begins in Africa and ends with Maryam as a very old woman in Ohio. There were a few times that the plot seemed a bit of a stretch, but the writing constantly drew me in and while some of the plot is so hard to read, the reality of life in the late 1700's becomes very clear - the treatment of women (especially girls), the horror of losing loved ones, the violence of slavery, and the deep ties between women helping each other. Loved the book. Would read more by this author. show less

I liked this! It’s so easy to read, and I loved the progress from Juanita always downing herself to allowing herself to grow and discover her own desires.

I didn’t like the movie adaption at first, but, since reading this, I think they did a good job translating the story to screen. However, I loved the backstories (I had no idea the lady in the movie was Junita’s sister, Juanita had a brother, and the story with Eddie is much more impactful here). The love scene is sensual and show more beautiful unlike the movie (sorry, not sorry). I wished they would have included the dancing in the rain bit. That scene was more romantic than the entire movie.

Here, the story’s more about Juanita’s journey as it arguably should be, but I liked how the movie focused more on Nita and Jess and that Juanita decided to leave herself in the movie and didn’t have to be convinced.

[rating from personal enjoyment] show less

I liked this! It’s so easy to read, and I loved the progress from Juanita always downing herself to allowing herself to grow and discover her own desires.

I didn’t like the movie adaption at first, but, since reading this, I think they did a good job translating the story to screen. However, I loved the backstories (I had no idea the lady in the movie was Junita’s sister, Juanita had a brother, and the story with Eddie is much more impactful here). The love scene is sensual and show more beautiful unlike the movie (sorry, not sorry). I wished they would have included the dancing in the rain bit. That scene was more romantic than the entire movie.

Here, the story’s more about Juanita’s journey as it arguably should be, but I liked how the movie focused more on Nita and Jess and that Juanita decided to leave herself in the movie and didn’t have to be convinced.

[rating from personal enjoyment] show less

When I saw that this book was about the 6888th Women's Army Corps, I had to read it. I've read two other books about these amazing women and wanted to learn more. I love when authors continue to find new perspectives about the same event or people. The 6888th were African American women who joined the Army to help the cause and did they help! Their huge task was to fix the logjam of mail and packages in Europe. They found a way to get the mail to the correct addresses through determination, show more perseverance, and hard work. When stationed in Birmingham, England and then in Rouen, France, their battalion of strong women had to make due with less than ideal barracks and working conditions. The women featured in this book each had their own reasons for joining the Army and we follow them as they train at different bases around the United States. We follow them to England and their lives on post. I would have liked a little more detail about their day to day life but maybe then it would have become too dry. Dorothy was my favorite person because she wanted an adventure and she made it happen. She was college educated and finally got to use her French degree when they got to Rouen and visited Paris. She did not let obstacles get in her way.
In this ARC, the author's notes were to come, but I am hoping there will be more details about which women were real or fictionalized in the final printed copy. Major Charity Adams led the women and has her own story. This book focused on the women that wanted more from life and wanted to do their part to help win the war.
If you are looking for another interesting story of the 6888th, I would add this to your TBR list!
Thank you to Amistad and Net Galley for a complimentary copy. All opinions expressed are my own. show less