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The Stars and the Blackness Between Them
The Stars and the Blackness Between Them | Junauda Petrus
25 posts | 18 read | 34 to read
Told in two distinct and irresistible voices, Junauda Petrus's bold and lyrical debut is the story of two black girls from very different backgrounds finding love and happiness in a world that seems determined to deny them both. Trinidad. Sixteen-year-old Audre is despondent, having just found out she's going to be sent to live in America with her father because her strictly religious mother caught her with her secret girlfriend, the pastor's daughter. Audre's grandmother Queenie (a former dancer who drives a white convertible Cadillac and who has a few secrets of her own) tries to reassure her granddaughter that she won't lose her roots, not even in some place called Minneapolis. "America have dey spirits too, believe me," she tells Audre. Minneapolis. Sixteen-year-old Mabel is lying on her bed, staring at the ceiling and trying to figure out why she feels the way she feels--about her ex Terrell, about her girl Jada and that moment they had in the woods, and about the vague feeling of illness that's plagued her all summer. Mabel's reverie is cut short when her father announces that his best friend and his just-arrived-from-Trinidad daughter are coming for dinner. Mabel quickly falls hard for Audre and is determined to take care of her as she tries to navigate an American high school. But their romance takes a turn when test results reveal exactly why Mabel has been feeling low-key sick all summer and suddenly it's Audre who is caring for Mabel as she faces a deeply uncertain future. Junauda Petrus's debut brilliantly captures the distinctly lush and lyrical voices of Mabel and Audre as they conjure a love that is stronger than hatred, prison, and death and as vast as the blackness between the stars.
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Bookdragon217
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"The Blackness between the stars is the melanin in your skin. I read it in a book. I take it to mean that as Black folks we are limitless. That, maybe, our blackness holds our dreams, not just churches and Bibles?"

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Soubhiville
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Pickpick

Wow, this book hit me unexpectedly hard. It‘s a beautiful story of friendship and love between two girls from different parts of the world. The level of support and caring in these girls lives is remarkable. Not to say they don‘t face challenges, and big ones.

I‘m so glad I picked this up and that I pulled it off the shelf this week. Perfect book at the perfect time.

GondorGirl This book was simply beautiful! 3y
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Soubhiville
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Hi #LMPBC #GroupPforPride

Here are some of the LGBTQIA+ books I have on my shelves and haven‘t read yet. The tagged would be my first choice, but please let me know if you have preferences or which ones you might have already read. The top 3 are YA, I‘m not sure about the bottom 3, but I think they are adult. I‘m excited to mark up some books with you all!

See All 12 Comments
WanderingBookaneer I have read and adored Darius the Great and adored it. I would prefer tagged book or Like a Love story, but would be okay with any. 3y
WanderingBookaneer There are all in my TBR. 3y
bibliobard Also already read Darius. I have been eyeing like a love story for awhile, but I am also good with the tagged book 3y
rwmg Darius is the only one I've read. Great book but more with reference to mental illness. It is easy to assume Darius is gay but you don't have to read it that way 3y
phantomx I'm fine with any one of these picks 3y
Soubhiville @phantomx @WanderingBookaneer @bibliobard I‘ll go with Like a Love Story then 😊. 3y
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Kenyazero
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I noticed that Amazon and Google have this book on sale today, so I thought I‘d share about it!

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Caryl
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Pickpick

5: Gabby Rivera‘s blurb for this book is perfect: “The most gorgeous, profound, spiritually uplifting, queer Black Afro-futuristic-magical, ancestral love oracle/book I‘ve ever read in my whole life.”

#12booksof2020 @Andrew65

Andrew65 Love the cover. 3y
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Sharanya
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Pickpick

**TW: a few descriptions of homophobic violence

✨ gorgeous, lyrical prose
✨ beautifully captures themes around spirituality & ancestral connection
✨ the father/daughter relationships were especially wonderful ♥️

— the love story was sweet but felt a wee bit rushed
— the plot was difficult to grasp at times, but I almost didn‘t mind bc the writing was SO good 🤩.

A poetic exploration of the spirit of Black women & girls. ★★★★☆.

Freespirit Lovely review! 4y
Sharanya @Freespirit thank you! 4y
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Sharanya
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Guh 😍✨

sherri *swoon* ❤️ 4y
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Sharanya
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#currentlyreading | excited for some #blackgirlmagic ✨😍

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mhillis
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July wrap up! I finished 15 books this month: 9 cozies and these 6 books. Knocking on Labor‘s Door was my July #bookspin book. Looking forward to reading women in translation in August!

Gissy 15 books!!! Congratulations📚📚📚👏👏👏👏👏👏 4y
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Kenyazero
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For #pridemonth2020, I'm highlighting 30 openly LGBTQ+ authors. Junauda Petrus is a poet, performance artist, filmmaker, and writer. She's also a co-founder of the group Free Black Dirt. #lgbtqauthors #lgbtqvoices #blackauthors #blackvoices #pocvoices

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Meaw_catlady
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Pickpick

Loved this magical and lyrical love story! Black women, LGBTQ, Magic! Full of love , strength, magic and sadness ! There are 12 different poems each with an astrological sign as the name. So I say this checks off at least the name Libra for #readyoursign

Clwojick Oooooh! Sounds good! Stacking 4y
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Johanna414
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Bailedbailed

I was moving right along in this and then it turned into a cancer story - just not in the headspace for that right now. I might come back to it at some point, because I was really feeling the writing style...

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alisonrose
Mehso-so

Will always be here for books about queer girls of color, & the blossoming love b/t Audre & Mabel was magical & beautiful. Also liked how the storyline around Mabel‘s health was handled. But the astrology stuff put me off—I‘ve had too many negative experiences w/ppl because of it. Plus...it‘s bunk. I had no problem w/the dialect being used, but I know some Trinidadian readers took issue with the rep. And the ending was weird & very abrupt. 3/5 ⭐️

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Johanna414
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And this is why I've always got a paper book and a kindle book going... rather than risk dropping a book on this clingy cutie, I'm starting the tagged book on my kindle 🤣🤣🤣
Btw it is entirely too warm in my house to have a child sleeping on me 🤦‍♀️

TheQuietQuill I do the same thing! 🤣🤣 4y
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alisonrose

I remember how me mother was upset when Queenie first started taking yoga with Sarya, because she say Christ ain‘t “believe” in yoga.

[I don‘t know, I kinda feel like Jesus would‘ve totally been into yoga. He was a long-haired peace-loving hippie dude! 🧘🏽‍♂️]

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alisonrose
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This cover is too beautiful for words. I‘m a little hesitant b/c I know this book involves a lot of astrology stuff & I don‘t go in for that at all. (And no, I don‘t want to hear about why you think I‘m wrong. You will not change my mind on issues of science& fact.) And I‘ve heard from Trinidadian readers that the rep on that front is questionable. But otherwise it sounds amazing, it‘s about queer girls of color, it‘s gorgeous...gonna give it a go

InBooksILive That cover is gorgeous! 4y
alisonrose @InBooksILive Right?? It‘s glorious 4y
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PMMREADS
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Pickpick

#qpoc #blacklove #youngadultfiction #heartbreaking This is the type of book I wish was written when I was a teen. The relationship between Mable and Audre was so real. The relationships and family dynamics were real. This story is about friendship, lost, love and family. I highly recommend this book 📚 📖.

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Pearl2
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Just finished this book and I must say the prose was beautiful from start to finish. 😍

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Jasxnicole
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Pickpick

This book was on my TBR for a little while and I expected to enjoy it when I finally read it, but I didn‘t expect how much it would wreck me in terms of connecting to a character trying to figure out their life and identity - in this case a queer identity.

Much like Riot Baby, I‘m still processing my feelings before I let words hit the page, but this is definitely the most connected I‘ve felt to a story so far this year.

LiteraryinLawrence Wow, it sounds like a really powerful book. Thanks for putting it on my radar! 4y
Jasxnicole @LiteraryinLititz No problem! Hope you like it! 4y
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Jasxnicole
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My February TBR so far...

I‘m feeling extremely ambitious at the moment, so hopefully everything will align itself in a way that I can actually get through these this month 🤞🏾

(Side note: I didn‘t even recognize the color coordination until I went to arrange them to take this 🙈)

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One_With_Books
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Pickpick

The culture, the love and the strong power of connection written on the pages of this book were so surreal.
Gives such a great understanding of black history and lesbian love you couldn‘t understand unless you were either.
I caught myself crying of joy and sadness from the power this book brought.
I highly recommend ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

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One_With_Books
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New book and puppy snuggles! 🥰

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CaseyTheCanadianLesbrarian
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I haven't written anything for Book Riot for so long but I'm back with this list of #QueerBooks! #LGBTQBooks #GayYA https://bookriot.com/2019/09/27/fall-2019-bisexual-and-lesbian-ya/

Tonton Great, thanks so very much for the list! 5y
CaseyTheCanadianLesbrarian @Tonton Hope you find a great read on it! 5y
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bookishkai
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First up for a late start to #24b4Monday. I have a feeling this is going to ruin me, but I kind of need that right now. I was unceremoniously fired from my job teaching Sunday school because the pastor “wants to go a different direction”.

Sure. Whatever.

After he essentially recruited me, and then never gave me any of the help I asked for.

DrexEdit I'm so sorry that happened to you! I hope a weekend of reading proves to be restorative! 😊 💜 5y
Eggbeater That sucks. There is no other way to say it. I'm sorry. I hope you find something you like even better soon. 5y
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Kelly
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Tonight‘s read!

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