On a not so recent trip to Edinbugh I visited my favourite book shop in the whole world. Rare Bird Books, I picked up The Other Black girl initially because I was drawn to the cover and then I read the blub and I was sold. Cosmopolitian descirbes the book as ‘Get Out meets The Devil Wears Prada’ and I have to agree the book has such a fantastic pace that you could easily read through from cover to cover in a few hours. It is easy to see why this was a New York Times bestseller!
I normally struggle with books with these kinds of plot points, the main character Nella is tires and fed up of being the only Black employee in the office when low and behold Hazel enters the picture she seems on the surface level that she would be the type of person that would be not only a friend but colleague that Nella could rely on to help her in an office environment that does not have anyone from ethnic minority backgrounds.
I often find that books that touch on real world topics that affect people of colour around the world tend to fall short on what it means to work in environment where you are stuck with labels such as ‘Bossy’ or ‘Argumentive’ tend to showcase the main character as a constant victim which usually leads me to close the book and then donate it to a charity shop. However Harris has a lovely ability to just when you think the book is going in one direction its takes a turn that takes you by suprise, which lead me to finish this book in just under two weeks.
I have to say Rare Bird Books are amazing for the fact that they champion authors by authors that you might over look in more traditional book stores, so whenever I am in the city this is normally my first stop as I know the walk from the mainline station of the top of my head which is very impressive considering I don’t live in the city.
What I loved most about the book was the real world themes that ran through out and charcters that everyone would be able to relate to with feelings and ambitions that we all las human being have and tend to fall short of our own expectations. What it means to be supportive friend and partner and even though we have been raised with specific values that. does mean that everyone that we come accross in life will be nice. So an important lesson and take away I got from this book is that some times it is important to see the value in splitting your personality in. a work envirionment. It does no mean that you have to dim your light or dull your sparkle, becausew the right people will always be drawn to you!
And they will be there to support your successess and pick you up when you are down. No man or woman is an Island especially in a work environment where collaboration and hard work will always lead to the sucess of your team. Sometimes it does not matter who is right, or wrong but who lifts you up and helps you to be the best version of you in the office. Personally, in my life I have found it a challenege to always find where I fit with colleagues but once you hit a stride and make at least one friend in the work place like Nella was eventually able to do work becomes enjoyable and then you are abkle to build a career and life that you and your family will be proud of!
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