I’m Raquel. I read, I write, I overthink sentences, and I once cried over a paragraph in a children’s book. (Trust me, it was that emotional.)
Location:Lisbon, Portugal
415 Books
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4,586 booksWhen you think back on every book you've ever read, what are some of your favorites? These can be from any time of your life – books that resonated with you as a kid, ones that shaped your personal...
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133 booksBooks that should be made into movies and/or shows.
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198 booksTell us how you got into reading, what or who inspired you. Was it a book you read one day, a mentor, teacher? etc...
First off: I love this universe. I devoured the original trilogy, gasped through The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes1, and read Sunrise on the Reaping on my Kobo while my daughter dozed on my chest like a very tiny, peaceful Capitol citizen. So, believe me when I say: this book gave me all the nostalgic fan serotonin I was hoping for. But also? It didn't quite catch fire.
My complete book review here: https://open.substack.com/pub/bingeread/p/book-review-sunrise-on-the-reaping
An introspective narrative that delves into questions of identity and cultural displacement, this story explores the enduring legacy of colonialism and the nuanced experience of immigration—particularly within the Angolan diaspora. At its core is a search for belonging and the elusive notion of “home,” both as a place and a feeling. It dismantles the myth of the promised “paradise” that once lured many African immigrants, revealing instead the harsh reality of peripheral neighborhoods like Paraíso, where Cartola and Aquiles live in unsanitary, precarious conditions. This is not a tale of triumph or upward mobility, but one of survival amid disillusionment.