Book of the Month ~ January

One of my goals for the year was to buy a book once a month and support my local bookstore. I love the place and most of my bookstagram pictures were taken there. I haven’t been borrowing my brother’s camera lately, hence the lack of photos, but I promise I’ll get back on it next month.

My pick for January is:

Color Me In by Natasha Diaz

Goodreads Synopsis: Who is Nevaeh Levitz?

Growing up in an affluent suburb of New York City, sixteen-year-old Nevaeh Levitz never thought much about her biracial roots. When her Black mom and Jewish dad split up, she relocates to her mom’s family home in Harlem and is forced to confront her identity for the first time.

Nevaeh wants to get to know her extended family, but one of her cousins can’t stand that Nevaeh, who inadvertently passes as white, is too privileged, pampered, and selfish to relate to the injustices they face on a daily basis as African Americans. In the midst of attempting to blend their families, Nevaeh’s dad decides that she should have a belated bat mitzvah instead of a sweet sixteen, which guarantees social humiliation at her posh private school. Even with the push and pull of her two cultures, Nevaeh does what she’s always done when life gets complicated: she stays silent.

It’s only when Nevaeh stumbles upon a secret from her mom’s past, finds herself falling in love, and sees firsthand the prejudice her family faces that she begins to realize she has a voice. And she has choices. Will she continue to let circumstances dictate her path? Or will she find power in herself and decide once and for all who and where she is meant to be?

I’ve been wanting to read this for quite a while and every time I see it at the book store I hear it calling out to me. It definitely sounds like something I’ll enjoy. I’m hoping to start it soon, but worst case scenario, I’ll read it over Spring Break in March.

Did you buy any books this month?

What are planning to read in February?

How was your January?

Let me know in the comments below, let’s chat!

Author: Rachelle Saint Louis

Rachelle Saint Louis is a Haitian-American writer, born and raised in South Florida. She received a 2018 Silver Medal in the Scholastic Art and Writing Competition for her poem “Red Blood Cell.” She is currently a Psychology and English double major at Florida Atlantic University. Her poetry has been published in Rigorous Magazine. Rachelle has been writing poetry since the 7th grade and you can often find her performing Spoken Word at local open mics. View all posts by Rachelle Saint Louis

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