Review by Gathoni1991 -- Mixed Blessings by J.M. Muse

Gathoni1991 · Post by **Gathoni1991** » 30 Nov 2019, 08:02

[Following is a volunteer review of "Mixed Blessings" by J.M. Muse.]

4 out of 4 stars

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Kimberly Solberg was a bi-racial Valley girl, born to a Mexican father and Jewish mother. Because of her heritage, she did not see colour, only a fellow human. She starts a relationship with Ahmed, a man of colour, who had pledged allegiance to the church, House of Jeremy in Los Angeles. The honourable Minister Kublai Khan of House of Jeremy, was on a mission to alienate racism in L.A, and ultimately the whole of America. He had a bizarre idea and was determined to see it come to fruition. Pastor Dalton a white and racist, thinks he has a calling from God to right the wrong of the current generation,which was producing mixed race children. Khan and Dalton ultimately face off in the worst of confrontations that will shake the entire nation. Will Khan succeed in his mission? What will be the consequences of the confrontation? And will Kimberly and Ahmed survive the peril that threatens to pull their family apart?

J. M Muse writes out an intriguing religious drama novel, that will evoke a myriad of emotions within the reader. The setting is in contemporary L.A, where there are a mixture of people of different "colours". Whites, Yellows, Blacks and Browns are all caught up in the drama that is the book Mixed Blessings. Narrated from the third person's point of view, the plot is articulately rolled out. I loved how the different storylines in the story intertwined to give the book its literary purpose. A sophisticated plot with a theme that takes the centre stage, the book speaks to the reader and provokes their thoughts. Minor storylines were included in the plot to give it depth.

The author shed light on a very contemporary issue - racism. In the story, he demonstrates it through several minor subplots. There is profiling of black young men, misconceptions surrounding black men and the ridiculous "one drop rule". The saddest part was, one of the preachers having a dark and twisted interpretation of the scriptures to justify racism. Because of this, the preacher engaged his congregation in radical teachings in the name of religion. This filth is truly modern day terrorism! Mixed race was the theme that initiated and sustained the plot. Through the different characters in the story, the author was able to bring out the culture, lifestyle and physical features of the people of mixed race.

The story was an easy read - it flowed smoothly. In it, weighty issues were tackled. The author used a simple language to communicate and also injected popular contemporary sayings like, 'black don't crack'. There was also use of street jargon e.g " joint" used by marijuana users. In the story we get a glimpse of Japanese culture, especially the famous tea ceremony. I really loved the story and I give it a perfect score of 4 out of 4 stars.

The book was well thought out and well written. Though some storylines felt like they were hurried through, the book served its literary purpose. It was definitely professionally edited but with a couple of mistakes. I recommend the book to fans of religious drama novels. Also, those who love stories that revolve around racism, will find the book intriguing. There is no aspect of the book I disliked.

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Mixed Blessings
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