Dew Angels by Melanie Schwapp is the first book we will be reading for BookofCinz Book Club. After a resounding YES from my bookish community, I decided to launch a book club that meets online and in person monthly. The first meeting is scheduled for Wednesday January 30th, we will be talking all things Dew Angels. Here are the five reasons why Dew Angels by Melanie Schwapp was selected as the book to kick off BookOfCinz.
Written By a Caribbean Woman Of Color
I wanted to ensure that the first book we read was written by someone from the Caribbean, specifically a woman, a black woman, from Jamaica. I feel like Caribbean authors are underrepresented worldwide, so this is me doing my part to help in keeping Caribbean authors in the forefront. As a Caribbean native, picking up a book and reading about characters who represent me and the people I see daily gives me comfort, helps me relate, and immerses me in the story. I hope it does the same for you, regardless of where you are from.
Explores Themes Relevant To All
Even though this book was published in 2011, the themes covered – specifically, colorism – is relevant to what is happening in our society today. In Dew Angels, we meet the main character Nola who is born into a family who thinks having dark skin is an offense and proceed to treat Nola as such. I love how this theme is explored from a Caribbean perspective, and I look forward to discussing this with those who read along.
The Plot Offers A Lot To Discuss
This coming of age novel shows how our main character navigates a world where the cards seem to be stacked against her. Melanie Schwapp wrote a character that is haunting, resilient, a fighter, and the overall embodiment of a true Jamaican woman. We see friendships being tested, relationships being formed, we experience betrayal, love and in some parts sorrow. In reading Dew Angels as a book club we will able a lot to unpack and I am looking forward to this.
Perfect Length
One of the biggest feedback I got when I decided to launch this book was, “remember normal people don’t read as fast as you so please make sure the book is a reasonable length”. I felt personally attacked by this feedback????. Dew Angels is 384 pages long, so if you start January 1st reading 13 pages daily you will complete the book by January 30th– please do not calculate that, I am terrible at maths.
I Loved It!
Not to toot my own horn, but I think I have exquisite taste in books. If the last four reasons didn’t move you, just know I absolutely loved it and you will too.
There you have it, Dew Angels by Melanie Schwapp, the first book we will be reading for BookOfCinz Book Club in January 2019. If you will be reading along, please contact me at bookofcinz@outlook.com or follow me on Instagram @bookofcinz.
Love,
Caribbean Girl Reading the World
