Day 1 – Strong female character: 
I thought a lot of about this one. It’s not easy to choose since there are so many good ones. In the end, I decided on Dana from Kindred. She really was strong and went through so much, mentally and physically. I know if it were me, I wouldn’t have survived it. In spite of being thrown back into slavery when she is a black modern independent woman from 1976, with a white husband, she manages to survive some pretty horrific things. Not only does she survive but she learns about her family, about slavery, and most of all about herself. Those strong female characters go through all kinds of things and come out changed women and for the better. Those novels with strong female characters make the most interesting reads as well. So, who did you choose for your strong female character from an African-American novel?
This is a great answer. I remember when I read this book by the late great Octavia Butler and I kept saying, “I could never do this.” She really experienced a lot and kept on pushing on. But you know, I say the same thing all the time about slavery in general and I think we would be different if we were back in that time and just might surprise ourselves with our resilience. That was my first experience reading Ms. Butler and I went on to read a few more. Such a gifted author gone too soon. Have a blessed night. I am so thrilled waiting for the Black History Month Booktubing that you are organizing. Thank you.
Thanks Belinda! You might be right. One never knows where strength comes from. This was my first and only Butler for the moment. I hope to pick up Fledgling because it’s the only other Butler I own. I hope to read them all. Thanks for the support! Hope you will participate over on Twitter and/or Instagram. 🙂
Hi – great answer and she was definitely on my shortlist. I don’t tweet or instagram, but I’ll play along in the comments. My pick is: Aminata (Meena) Diallo from The Book of Negroes / Somebody Knows My Name by Lawrence Hill. Her story chronicles the inhumanity of the chattel slave trade and details a heart-breaking 360 degree journey – from her life as young child in an African village, her capture and Middle Passage crossing, enslavement in America, relocation to Nova Scotia, return to Africa (Freetown, Sierra Leone), and partnering with abolitionists in England. She was strong; possessed a resilient spirit and fortitude beyond measure. I can’t wait to see the BET adaptation of this novel and can only hope it is good as the novel.
The Book of Negroes is on my TBR for this year. I’ve heard so many great things about it. She sounds like a damn strong female character for sure. Great that you are participating here on my blog. BET is making the movie. Hmm… Hope they don’t mess it up. They could don that simply with the casting. To be continued….Thanks for participating! Look forward to your suggestion for Day 2 – A Novel about Family.
I just read an excellent review of Roxane Gay’s An Untamed State and her character Mireille Duval Jameson sounds like she might be one of those characters.
And then I went looking for others and discovered it’s a subject that is sometimes discussed in a few academic essays.
I guess I would go for the real woman who wrote her life into books, and remained an inspiration until her very last days, Maya Angelou, how she came around to forgiveness and seeing her mother in a different light by the time she wrote Mom & Me & Mom, which incredibly some criticized her for, but for me that compassion and forgiveness that she had made her so much more of a aspiring role model.
I agree forgiveness is hard to do. If she could forgive her mother, Maya really was a very strong woman. I haven’t yet read An Untamed State but hope to soon. I have to agree she too sounds like a strong female character. I think this would make a good post too, talking about our favorite strong female characters.