This whole past year, at work, we’ve immersed ourselves in Learning about race, diversity, equity, justice, and inclusion. For a while now, I’ve exclusively read books from people of Color. And while it may appear that my brown skin should automatically question privileges of whiteness, that’s not always the case. There’s enough within the black and brown community that perpetuates colorism and keeps up the caste system that it institutionalizes. So, I am not perfect, just interested in learning more and making an effort.

Luckily, Brit Bennett is a writer who brings nuance, and exceptional storytelling to make these ideas a part of the narrative she weaves. It speaks to me not just as a learner, but as a parent and a human being, who has known what it is like to not belong. Her characters are not perfect, they struggle with all their might, just as reality would dictate. They also bring a refreshing color gradient to the non-linear narrative. There’s a lot that happens in the exacting boundaries of black and white and within all the 50 shades of black. 

It’s a wonderful story with so much substance packed into it, that it made me think about all of my own subconscious biases. I can’t quite articulate the purpose of literature. But assembling worlds that make me question my own reality, makes it a story worth savoring, over and over.