Black Girl in a Big Dress

In the past I've only used this blog to post about books, BUT I HAVE TO DO MY PART AND TELL THE WORLD ABOUT THIS NEW WEB SERIES.

The other day I fell down a YouTube hole and tripped over a web show called Black Girl in a Big Dress. The show was created by Aydrea Walden, it's about an African American girl who who loves to cosplay play as if she's in the Victorian times, poofy blue dress and all. When Adrienne, our cosplayer, tries to bring the simplicity and romance of Victorian times into 2017 (at least I assume it's 2017) the chaos beings.

As black women (and all women of color) continue to demand equality in the job market, over our bodies, over our hair for goodness sake, it's important not to forget about the "little" things such as visual representation on book covers, and nerd culture. I know that as a lover of anime (which is hard enough in a family of sports fans) I've been terrified to go to an event in cosplay. It can be hard enough just walking through life as myself (I've had a coworker stick her hands into my natural hair as she pondered how I got it to look that way, not to mention all the comments on how "well spoken" I am... please stop being impressed by that), I don't need to be gawked at and whispered about in costume as well. Shows like this are empowering. They tell black women and girls that it's okay if you don't listen to Solange or watch Django Unchained. Be 100% true to yourself and everything else will fall into place...

Well, I think that's what the show tells us... We're only eight episodes in.

I'M READY!!!

Looking for more information on the show? Get it here!

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Review: The Girl from Everywhere by Heidi Heilig

Nix has spent her entire life aboard her father’s ship, sailing across the centuries, across the world, across myth and imagination.

As long as her father has a map for it, he can sail to any time, any place, real or imagined: nineteenth-century China, the land from One Thousand and One Nights, a mythic version of Africa. Along the way they have found crewmates and friends, and even a disarming thief who could come to mean much more to Nix.

But the end to it all looms closer every day.

Her father is obsessed with obtaining the one map, 1868 Honolulu, that could take him back to his lost love, Nix’s mother. Even though getting it—and going there—could erase Nix’s very existence.

For the first time, Nix is entering unknown waters.

She could find herself, find her family, find her own fantastical ability, her own epic love.

Or she could disappear. 

LIKED:

• Nix is biracial. That's always going to be a positive on this blog!
• This was an interesting take on a pirate story (although they don't call themselves pirates that's basically what they are).
• Not only can this ship travel through time, it can also travel to places that don't technically exist outside of the mind of the person who dreamed it up and put it in map form. 
• I did the audio book for this one and the voices and accents were on point.
• I like that this book was a mix of fantasy, sci-fi, and historical fiction with a little bit of physics thrown in for good measure. 
• I like how this book ended. I half wish there wasn't a sequel (and there is) but now that I know it exists, I'm read/ listen to it. 

NOT SO MUCH:

• I will always be annoyed when two friends are in love and fight it for no good reason. That's the type of relationship that most of us would die for. STOP IT. IT'S DUMB AND UNNECESSARY. 
• While I don't hate all love triangles, this one seems... also unnecessary. 

IN CONCLUSION:
Read this book. It's good, it's different, there are pirates, and a dash of LGBTQ. Give it some of your time, and I don't think you'll regret it. 

4 STARS

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