Official Review: Mixed Blessings by J.M. Muse
Posted: 04 Mar 2019, 05:32
[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "Mixed Blessings" by J.M. Muse.]
3 out of 4 stars
Share This Review
Racial wars have been a defining feature of the free world for a long time. The differences between the whites and people of color always take the center stage when it comes to the politics of America. The novel, Mixed Blessings, by J.M. Muse gives the reader a new dimension in understanding racism.
When the curtains of Mixed Blessings open, the reader meets Kimberly Solberg, a biracial American. Rachel, Kimberly’s mother, is an American of Jewish descent and her father is Mexican. However, her father, Hector, is married to an American woman (Magdalene) and they live in Mexico with their two children, Juanita and Hermando. Kimberly, being a mixed-race child, faces many challenges, such as identity crisis and being bullied by her schoolmates. However, she is not the main character of the story.
Kublai Khan takes the lead in the novel. His church, House of Jeremiah, comprised mainly of African Americans. During a national conference that sought to review the population models in America, Kublai Khan got inspired to hatch a plan that would shake the demographics of the nation to the core. With the help of leaders of minority groups, Khan rolled out a multibillion-dollar project that sought to challenge the status quo by introducing a new kind of a ‘race’. Hung Suk was one of the leaders who supported Khan’s plan wholeheartedly. He was the leader of The World Energy Church, which was predominantly Korean. Pastor Tucker Dalton (whose church was composed of Whites only) could not stand the guts of the mettlesome Kublai Khan. Could Dalton’s hatred stand the test of time?
I liked that the author chose to use religious entities to show how both whites and people of color have used religion to propagate racial wars. Muse used the characters to demonstrate how religious beliefs can be both useful and harmful, depending on how they are applied. For instance, Hung Suk said that race was not his major concern. He was more concerned about mastering love in any given circumstance. On the other hand, Pastor Tucker Dalton used his religious beliefs to bring together his faithful followers who had experience in using heavy artillery to rage war against the new ‘race’ that was being propagated by Kublai Khan and Hung Suk.
The author did an astounding job in developing the scenes in the book. This made reading the book enjoyable. For instance, Cynthia, a TV host, in her show (Talk of Town) hosted Dalton and Reverend Harper. Dalton represented the Whites while Harper represented the African Americans. Have you ever read a book and wished to be one of the characters? I imagined myself taking the role of Cynthia and watching the two men defend their races with all the energy that they could muster. At one point, Cynthia had to get between the two men before they could tear each other-literally. They let their small-minded attitudes deprive them of the ability to think rationally. Who needs to defend their race? No one chose to be born of a certain race.
The only aspect that I did not like was the characterization of Kimberly. In the beginning, Kimberly went to visit her other family in Mexico. The visit was supposed to last one week. I expected to learn a lot from Hector’s family, especially how they viewed biracial children and her reactions. However, the author only documented the events of the first night when Kimberly arrived in Mexico. Muse did not include a detailed account of the events of the weeklong visit. It could have helped the reader to understand the character of Kimberly better. For that, I give the book 3 out of 4 stars. The book was professionally edited. The few errors that I came across while reading the book did not distract me from enjoying the novel. Therefore, I would not give it a lower rating. I recommend it to everyone who is interested in learning more about racism in the American context.
******
Mixed Blessings
View: on Bookshelves
Like Jgideon's review? Post a comment saying so!
3 out of 4 stars
Share This Review
Racial wars have been a defining feature of the free world for a long time. The differences between the whites and people of color always take the center stage when it comes to the politics of America. The novel, Mixed Blessings, by J.M. Muse gives the reader a new dimension in understanding racism.
When the curtains of Mixed Blessings open, the reader meets Kimberly Solberg, a biracial American. Rachel, Kimberly’s mother, is an American of Jewish descent and her father is Mexican. However, her father, Hector, is married to an American woman (Magdalene) and they live in Mexico with their two children, Juanita and Hermando. Kimberly, being a mixed-race child, faces many challenges, such as identity crisis and being bullied by her schoolmates. However, she is not the main character of the story.
Kublai Khan takes the lead in the novel. His church, House of Jeremiah, comprised mainly of African Americans. During a national conference that sought to review the population models in America, Kublai Khan got inspired to hatch a plan that would shake the demographics of the nation to the core. With the help of leaders of minority groups, Khan rolled out a multibillion-dollar project that sought to challenge the status quo by introducing a new kind of a ‘race’. Hung Suk was one of the leaders who supported Khan’s plan wholeheartedly. He was the leader of The World Energy Church, which was predominantly Korean. Pastor Tucker Dalton (whose church was composed of Whites only) could not stand the guts of the mettlesome Kublai Khan. Could Dalton’s hatred stand the test of time?
I liked that the author chose to use religious entities to show how both whites and people of color have used religion to propagate racial wars. Muse used the characters to demonstrate how religious beliefs can be both useful and harmful, depending on how they are applied. For instance, Hung Suk said that race was not his major concern. He was more concerned about mastering love in any given circumstance. On the other hand, Pastor Tucker Dalton used his religious beliefs to bring together his faithful followers who had experience in using heavy artillery to rage war against the new ‘race’ that was being propagated by Kublai Khan and Hung Suk.
The author did an astounding job in developing the scenes in the book. This made reading the book enjoyable. For instance, Cynthia, a TV host, in her show (Talk of Town) hosted Dalton and Reverend Harper. Dalton represented the Whites while Harper represented the African Americans. Have you ever read a book and wished to be one of the characters? I imagined myself taking the role of Cynthia and watching the two men defend their races with all the energy that they could muster. At one point, Cynthia had to get between the two men before they could tear each other-literally. They let their small-minded attitudes deprive them of the ability to think rationally. Who needs to defend their race? No one chose to be born of a certain race.
The only aspect that I did not like was the characterization of Kimberly. In the beginning, Kimberly went to visit her other family in Mexico. The visit was supposed to last one week. I expected to learn a lot from Hector’s family, especially how they viewed biracial children and her reactions. However, the author only documented the events of the first night when Kimberly arrived in Mexico. Muse did not include a detailed account of the events of the weeklong visit. It could have helped the reader to understand the character of Kimberly better. For that, I give the book 3 out of 4 stars. The book was professionally edited. The few errors that I came across while reading the book did not distract me from enjoying the novel. Therefore, I would not give it a lower rating. I recommend it to everyone who is interested in learning more about racism in the American context.
******
Mixed Blessings
View: on Bookshelves
Like Jgideon's review? Post a comment saying so!