A dystopian science fiction fantasy novel where the hero is an adult, an actual, middle-aged adult? Yes please. And not only is our hero a parent, she is a woman, a black woman. In fact, almost all of the characters have skin in varying shades of brown. Though to be honest, since much of The Fifth Season is written in second person, I did envision my middle-aged self in the heroine’s place. I finished the book wanting more. It is a great fantasy book with an intriguing dash of science fiction at the end. Looking forward to the second book.

I often read books and think “I would love to hear this book read aloud”. With Brown Girl Dreaming, I read the book and thought “I would love to read this book aloud”. Maybe it is because the words on the page clearly indicate the book is a poem, or a series of poems, or maybe just because the language, the pacing, the rhythm was so perfect. I loved this book, and I really wished I had someone to read it to. It is the story of a brown girl and her dreams. Very simple, but also just about perfect.