#freshwater by akwaeke emezi

[contracat25]

Alright, some more recommendations for the end of #TransRightsReadathon! Here are some standalones by trans authors I've enjoyed.  These books mostly fall under the sff umbrella except for Confessions of the Fox which is meta-historical fiction.

They are beautiful, heartfelt, creative explorations of humanity, of our drive for connection, self-understanding, love, and survival. So many of these books look at history, personal, and community, aaaand they are filled with complicated, lovable, engaging characters. All of these books gave me something from a soft place to rest to a new way of viewing the world we live in. 

Many of these have trans characters as well, but not all of them. Most of these authors have other books that are also wonderful. Annnd as always there are so many other fabulous books by and about people who are trans.

One Last Stop by Casey McQuistion

An Unkindess of Ghosts by Rivers Solomon

Freshwater by Akwaeke Emezi

Confessions of the Fox by Jordy Rosenberg

All the Birds in the Sky by Charlie Jane Anders

Magic for Liars by Sarah Gailey

Summer Sons by Lee Mandelo

Light from Uncommon Stars by Ryka Aoki

ID: a stack of 8 books on a teal background 

[haveyoureadthisfantasybook]

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[haveyoureadthistransbook]

Freshwater by Akwaeke Emezi

goodreads

An extraordinary debut novel, Freshwater explores the surreal experience of having a fractured self. It centers around a young Nigerian woman, Ada, who develops separate selves within her as a result of being born "with one foot on the other side." Unsettling, heartwrenching, dark, and powerful, Freshwater is a sharp evocation of a rare way of experiencing the world, one that illuminates how we all construct our identities.

Ada begins her life in the south of Nigeria as a troubled baby and a source of deep concern to her family. Her parents, Saul and Saachi, successfully prayed her into existence, but as she grows into a volatile and splintered child, it becomes clear that something went terribly awry. When Ada comes of age and moves to America for college, the group of selves within her grows in power and agency. A traumatic assault leads to a crystallization of her alternate selves: Asụghara and Saint Vincent. As Ada fades into the background of her own mind and these selves--now protective, now hedonistic--move into control, Ada's life spirals in a dark and dangerous direction.

Mod opinion: I haven't read this book due to its heavy content and I'm not sure that I will anytime soon, but it does sound very interesting.

[godzilla-reads]

⭐️ Finished: Freshwater by Akwaeke Emezi

📖 Starting: The Deep by Rivers Solomon

[haveyoureadthisqueerbook]

[haveyoureadthispoll]

Ada begins her life in the south of Nigeria as a troubled baby and a source of deep concern to her family. Her parents, Saul and Saachi, successfully prayed her into existence, but as she grows into a volatile and splintered child, it becomes clear that something went terribly awry. When Ada comes of age and moves to America for college, the group of selves within her grows in power and agency. A traumatic assault leads to a crystallization of her alternate selves: Asụghara and Saint Vincent. As Ada fades into the background of her own mind and these selves--now protective, now hedonistic--move into control, Ada's life spirals in a dark and dangerous direction.

[neige-leblanche]

speaking of books i wanna pick up a new one since i have a bunch checked out & even more public domain ones i wanna try however the last one i read was really good & i mediumkey wanna let it marinate. aaaaaugh

[coolerdracula]

it would be really cool if there was a piece of media where DID wasn’t used for its shock factor

[cupofkinship]

every time I’m in a reading slump the solution is just reading an Akwaeke Emezi book.

every. single. time.

reading their books has always reminded me why I love to read.

[panoply0010]

[bartonsedai]

Love is transformative in that way. Like small gods, it can bring out the prophet in you.

Freshater by Akwaeke Emezi

[gardenofbookworms]

november's monthly: from bee and rose

Freshwater by Akwaeke Emezi

▪︎ fiction novel ▪︎

ada’s, or rather, the ada’s body is not her own. it sounds cliche, but how else are you supposed to say it when ọgbanje have possessed you?

they have always been there, drifting in and out of the womb as they pleased. they’ve been watching the ada as she developed inside her mother. and suddenly, the ada became a bridge, and the ọgbanje were unable to return to their brothersisters. now they’re angry. they want their siblings back, one way or another. and unfortunately (or not—you know how ọgbanje love blood), the easiest way is killing the ada.

but it’s not time for that yet. first is the ada’s childhood: cutting her hair short, being beaten by her brother chima and protecting her sister anũli. her father couldn’t care less about what goes on between the kids, and her mother is constantly away from, planning to send the ada to college. the ada goes, of course, because what other choice is there? but then a boy takes something from her that can’t be given back, and asụghara is born.

asụghara is the definition of a rebel. or at least, that’s what it feels like. it’s her job to protect ada, so she makes this promise: she’ll never have to be awake in bed ever again. because what soren did to her was fucking unfair; she should’ve had the time to prepare and go at her own pace. but asụghara wants what she wants, and the ada’s in no place to oppose her. you can’t escape someone in your own head, let alone tell them when they’ve gone too far.

and then there’s saint vincent, who clogs up the marble with his smoke, makes the ada’s body feel freer. the three of them live in the marble, trapped inside until further notice. no one else could possibly understand having spirits in your head—okay, maybe a few people—so asụghara and saint vincent make it very clear that they are to be hidden. the ada’s free to cover up the real reasons behind “her” actions, as long as the ọgbanje exist only in the marble.

at least, anyway, until they kill her.

▪︎

from bee

i mean this in the best way possible—this was not what i expected since i first read the back cover. all i knew was that there was a mc with split personalities, but i didn’t know those personalities would be spirits. it was definitely worth it, though, the way the book is written is so…lyrical? you can definitely tell what the words are trying to make you feel. and then there’s the ọgbanje themselves, and their pact made to the brothersisters, and their mother ala. for the first part of the book a lot of it’s explained in big paragraphs, but they’re not boring. the way the timeline jumped around based on the boys was a little confusing, i admit, but i got the hang of it about halfway in.

my favorite scene is probably one from asụghara’s perspective, the one where she and ada are drinking in the marble (for context, that’s up in her brain). they reminisce a little, and near the end asụghara talks about how she was born. yeah, okay, she’s done a lot of bad things while she was in ada’s body, and as much as she convinces herself that it’s for her protection, it is at least half true. she’s just so fucking livid over what soren did to ada. and really, what can a human do against a god? it’s her revenge to take.

▪︎

from rose 

i have to agree with bee—when she first showed me this book, i was fully expecting a protagonist with split personalities, but nothing to do with spirits. but even though emezi’s storytelling is a little winding, jumping around in time and space and making it difficult to place every event in a timeline, there’s so much value in that type of plotline, especially when it’s done as well as it is in this book. everything keeps building and building and building, with little allusions to where it all leads… and then boom, something happens, and all the pieces fall into place.

on another note—asụghara is so protective of ada, so set in the fact that she’s the authority, and yet she admits her mistakes all the time. watching their relationship progress and grow through everything going on in ada’s life is such an interesting experience. they’re both learning about each other, trying to figure out how to keep each other satisfied, but it’s so much harder for them because they can never be completely away from each other. so yes, they both struggle, in one way or another—but in the end, it works.

▪︎

bonus: spotify playlist!

[godzilla-reads]

115-pages in and I have two pages worth of quotes I’ve been underlining, to keep track of. This book is an experience and I’m really enjoying it.

🐍 Freshwater by Akwaeke Emezi

[rawhippie519]

All discographies need a change of pace to keep the whole of the artist realistic in a flowing and ever-changing world, why would music be any different. Predictably may feint security but it isn’t as common as the surprises and switch-ups that make up life. If every day is a new day full of unique opportunities and interactions, then as products of our experiences, we are bound to change. Right?!? If that is not the case, then delusion will suffice. However, if it is, then it’s about time we morph and shift and become. Akwaeke Emezi’s Freshwater was a novel I recently finished. It was a masterpiece; it told the story of Ada who tussled with the perplexing aspects of being an ogbanje. While the status of ogbanje can carry negative energy and cause challenges for the host, The Ada comes to her own conclusion and dives deep into her self to create herself from the pieces scattered throughout her souls and experiences. Emezi’s conceptualization of Asughara and her dynamic relationship with Ada as both her end and her protector, gives us a sense of mutualistic yet conflicting goals in which Ada is able to navigate the world thanks to Asughara but is also pushed to the edge of death by her innate desire to return and put aside their physical body. Saint Vincent also serves as a medium through which Ada can break boundaries in her sexuality and gender identity to exist physically in the way The Ada has existed spiritually. It is a powerful read that shapes the way you think about self, duty to oneself and all others, and the endless journey towards self realization. Overall 10/10 read

[makingqueerhistory]

Transgender Books For Your Libraries

I have said this before, but right now requesting and reading queer books from your local library is important. I want to take a second to say there is a direct attack against the transgender community around the globe, and it's worth your time to request and read transgender books. So, here are some transgender books to request:

(Some links are affiliate links and the money goes to Making Queer History's research fund)

People Change, Vivek Shraya

Gender Trouble: Feminism and the Subversion of Identity, Judith Butler

The Salt Grows Heavy, Cassandra Khaw

Transland: Consent, Kink, and Pleasure, MX Sly

Freshwater, Akwaeke Emezi

Amateur: A Reckoning with Gender, Identity, and Masculinity, Thomas Page McBee

The Subtweet, Vivek Shraya

Dark and Deepest Red, A. M. McLemore

A Psalm for the Wild-Built, Becky Chambers

Fierce Femmes and Notorious Liars: A Dangerous Trans Girl's Fantabulous Memoir, Kai Cheng Thom

Dear Senthuran: A Black Spirit Memoir, Akwaeke Emezi

Dead Collections, Isaac Fellman

Disintegrate/Dissociate, Arielle Twist

Tell Me I'm Worthless, Alison Rumfitt

How to Be You: Stop Trying to Be Someone Else and Start Living Your Life, Jeffrey Marsh

A Lady for a Duke, Alexis Hall

Tomorrow Will Be Different: Love, Loss, and the Fight for Trans Equality, Sarah McBride

The Perks of Loving a Wallflower, Erica Ridley

I Hope We Choose Love: A Trans Girl's Notes from the End of the World, Kai Cheng Thom

We See Each Other: A Black, Trans Journey Through TV and Film, Tre'vell Anderson

Beyond the Gender Binary, Alok Vaid-Menon

[queerliblib]

Any recommendations from trans feminine or non-binary authors? My local queer book club for non-male identifying folk is great, but it’s starting to feel a little too consistently cis for comfort. Thanks!

Hell yeah! Not sure what genre or vibe you’re going for but here’s a few from our collection <3

I Hope We Choose Love: a trans girl’s notes from the end of the world, by Kai Cheng Thom

Manywhere, Morgan Thomas

Any Other City, by Hazel Jane Plante

Super Late Bloomer, my early days in transition, by Julia Kaye

Detransition, Baby, by Torrey Peters

Pet or Freshwater by Akwaeke Emezi

Nevada, by Imogen Binnie

Finna or Homesick by Nino Cipri