Review of Mixed Blessings
Posted: 07 Sep 2021, 01:51
[Following is a volunteer review of "Mixed Blessings" by J.M. Muse.]
Mixed Blessings by J. M Muse is a coming-of-age novel. The prevailing theme of the book is racism in America. The novel is built upon two primary characters, Kimberly, a biracial young woman, and the mighty church leader Kublai Khan. Muse introduces Kimberly Solberg at the beginning of the book. She flies from Los Angeles to Mexico to meet her Mexican father and hopefully find her roots. This trip is prompted by her identity crisis, being ostracized and made fun of by her peers for being different. All she craves is to love and be loved for who she is. Will she find what she's looking for?
Kublai Khan, a minister of the house of Jeremiah, takes the lead in the book. His congregation consisted mainly of African Americans and Black people. He teams up with leaders of minority groups to enforce a plan that would shake the demographics of America's population. He plans to form a new race through arranged marriages between Black men and Asian women, which would bring forth Black offsprings. His plan is mainly a power play. Power for the underdogs who are prejudiced and oppressed. Another relevant character is Pastor Dalton Tucker. His congregation is purely for the Whites, and he is a spiteful racist. As you can tell, trouble brews between Khan and Dalton as both of these religious men fight for their beliefs. The book also includes other minor characters facing bigotry in different ways. Star is one of them. Another biracial woman. When she enters a Japanese beauty pageant, she encounters jealous competitors as well as racist judges. One judge, in particular, gives her lower ratings. His justification being that Star isn't Japanese enough, especially because of her hair texture.
I have to state that this book did not meet my expectations. What I read in the blurb is not exactly what the book portrayed. Kimberly's story is unsatisfactory. Her opening scene is interesting and promising, but the rest of her story is marred by Ahmed Reynolds her husband who seems to take center stage. If anything, Star's story is narrated better. Many of the characters are not convincing and captivating.
The relationship between religion and race in American history is a complex and varied one. Muse illustrates how religion can be used to propagate racial wars. Pastor Dalton uses his members as soldiers of war against the new black community that Kublai Khan had started. Likewise, he exemplifies how it can also unite people through a common goal of equality. Pastor Harper jumped at the chance to fight for justice for a young black boy who was racially profiled, wrongfully arrested, and allegedly murdered by the police. Religion is a powerful tool that can be used for good or bad intentions. At the end of the book, one is left to wonder. Can racism end?
I commend the author for addressing the issue of race in very few chapters. The different cultures, traditions, and religions made the book all the more enjoyable. The author doesn't shy away from the truth or gloss over any details. Every story in the book is spectacularly written, conveying the cruelty racism results in.
However, there are elements I disliked. The author over describes many actions and situations in the book. I get that this could be necessary to get the clear picture, but he could have used the words to better the storyline of some characters. The solutions the author provides for racism are very unreal. Khan forming a black community of his own was merely a play for power rather than equality. Consequently, I rate this book 3 out of 4 stars. I encountered minor typographical errors while reading, and some actions of characters like Kublai Khan didn't sit well with me.
Readers who enjoy societal themes such as race will appreciate this book. However, I wouldn't recommend this book to children as it contains sexual and violent scenes as well as profanity.
******
Mixed Blessings
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
Mixed Blessings by J. M Muse is a coming-of-age novel. The prevailing theme of the book is racism in America. The novel is built upon two primary characters, Kimberly, a biracial young woman, and the mighty church leader Kublai Khan. Muse introduces Kimberly Solberg at the beginning of the book. She flies from Los Angeles to Mexico to meet her Mexican father and hopefully find her roots. This trip is prompted by her identity crisis, being ostracized and made fun of by her peers for being different. All she craves is to love and be loved for who she is. Will she find what she's looking for?
Kublai Khan, a minister of the house of Jeremiah, takes the lead in the book. His congregation consisted mainly of African Americans and Black people. He teams up with leaders of minority groups to enforce a plan that would shake the demographics of America's population. He plans to form a new race through arranged marriages between Black men and Asian women, which would bring forth Black offsprings. His plan is mainly a power play. Power for the underdogs who are prejudiced and oppressed. Another relevant character is Pastor Dalton Tucker. His congregation is purely for the Whites, and he is a spiteful racist. As you can tell, trouble brews between Khan and Dalton as both of these religious men fight for their beliefs. The book also includes other minor characters facing bigotry in different ways. Star is one of them. Another biracial woman. When she enters a Japanese beauty pageant, she encounters jealous competitors as well as racist judges. One judge, in particular, gives her lower ratings. His justification being that Star isn't Japanese enough, especially because of her hair texture.
I have to state that this book did not meet my expectations. What I read in the blurb is not exactly what the book portrayed. Kimberly's story is unsatisfactory. Her opening scene is interesting and promising, but the rest of her story is marred by Ahmed Reynolds her husband who seems to take center stage. If anything, Star's story is narrated better. Many of the characters are not convincing and captivating.
The relationship between religion and race in American history is a complex and varied one. Muse illustrates how religion can be used to propagate racial wars. Pastor Dalton uses his members as soldiers of war against the new black community that Kublai Khan had started. Likewise, he exemplifies how it can also unite people through a common goal of equality. Pastor Harper jumped at the chance to fight for justice for a young black boy who was racially profiled, wrongfully arrested, and allegedly murdered by the police. Religion is a powerful tool that can be used for good or bad intentions. At the end of the book, one is left to wonder. Can racism end?
I commend the author for addressing the issue of race in very few chapters. The different cultures, traditions, and religions made the book all the more enjoyable. The author doesn't shy away from the truth or gloss over any details. Every story in the book is spectacularly written, conveying the cruelty racism results in.
However, there are elements I disliked. The author over describes many actions and situations in the book. I get that this could be necessary to get the clear picture, but he could have used the words to better the storyline of some characters. The solutions the author provides for racism are very unreal. Khan forming a black community of his own was merely a play for power rather than equality. Consequently, I rate this book 3 out of 4 stars. I encountered minor typographical errors while reading, and some actions of characters like Kublai Khan didn't sit well with me.
Readers who enjoy societal themes such as race will appreciate this book. However, I wouldn't recommend this book to children as it contains sexual and violent scenes as well as profanity.
******
Mixed Blessings
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon