Mr. McCane
So I picked up this book because I half-read the synopsis and completely misjudged what it was about. I thought it centered on a woman working in the late 90s early 2000s hip-hop magazine industry, and I was expecting tons of references to artists and music from that era. That’s not what I got, but honestly, I’m glad. I got an entire experience instead. If I had fully understood the synopsis, I might have skipped it. That would’ve been a mistake.
This story follows Nikki Rose, who begins her career in a white-dominated fashion magazine industry, where she’s forced to hear things like, “Black girls don’t sell magazines.” From there, she works her way up to become editor-in-chief of an urban, male-dominated hip-hop industry. And that’s where we meet characters like Alonzo Griffin, an unapologetic, sexiest monster.
Nikki finds herself in some incredibly dangerous situations, surrounded by the worst manipulative and predatory people. The story is engaging and difficult to put down. Yes, she makes several frustrating decisions that had me shaking my head, but she’s human, so I gave her a break. Plus, she touched my heart.
I loved how the author kept bringing up the importance of Black women’s hair. The politics, its perception, and the pressure for it to look a certain way in order to be deemed “acceptable.” It made the book seem so realistic. It’s a very important topic that doesn’t receive enough talk. Same with how the industry is full of male-dominated spaces with idiots who hide behind power and influence. This book forced me to sit back and really reflect on how difficult it was, and still is for women, especially Black women. The storytelling was great. I felt as if I worked there.
Shout out to the narrator, Kristolyn Lloyd. She did amazing!
So I picked up this book because I half-read the synopsis and completely misjudged what it was about. I thought it centered on a woman working in the late 90s early 2000s hip-hop magazine industry, and I was expecting tons of references to artists and music from that era. That’s not what I got, but honestly, I’m glad. I got an entire experience instead. If I had fully understood the synopsis, I might have skipped it. That would’ve been a mistake.
This story follows Nikki Rose, who begins her career in a white-dominated fashion magazine industry, where she’s forced to hear things like, “Black girls don’t sell magazines.” From there, she works her way up to become editor-in-chief of an urban, male-dominated hip-hop industry. And that’s where we meet characters like Alonzo Griffin, an unapologetic, sexiest monster.
Nikki finds herself in some incredibly dangerous situations, surrounded by the worst manipulative and predatory people. The story is engaging and difficult to put down. Yes, she makes several frustrating decisions that had me shaking my head, but she’s human, so I gave her a break. Plus, she touched my heart.
I loved how the author kept bringing up the importance of Black women’s hair. The politics, its perception, and the pressure for it to look a certain way in order to be deemed “acceptable.” It made the book seem so realistic. It’s a very important topic that doesn’t receive enough talk. Same with how the industry is full of male-dominated spaces with idiots who hide behind power and influence. This book forced me to sit back and really reflect on how difficult it was, and still is for women, especially Black women. The storytelling was great. I felt as if I worked there.
Shout out to the narrator, Kristolyn Lloyd. She did amazing!