In Every Mirror She’s Black

A Novel

By: Lolá Ákínmádé Åkerström

Narrated by: Rosemarie Akwafo, Sara Powell

Length: 12 hrs and 12 mins

Publisher's summary

A Go On Girl! Book Club Pick

Three Black women are linked in unexpected ways to the same influential white man in Stockholm as they build their new lives in the most open society run by the most private people.

Successful marketing executive Kemi Adeyemi is lured from the US to Sweden by Jonny von Lundin, CEO of the nation's largest marketing firm, to help fix a PR fiasco involving a racially tone-deaf campaign. A killer at work but a failure in love, Kemi's move is a last-ditch effort to reclaim her social life.

A chance meeting with Jonny in business class en route to the US propels former model-turned-flight-attendant Brittany-Rae Johnson into a life of wealth, luxury, and privilege as the object of his unhealthy obsession.

And refugee Muna Saheed finds a job cleaning the toilets at Jonny's office as she works to establish her residency in Sweden and, more importantly, seeks connection and a place she can call home.

Told through the perspectives of each of the three women, In Every Mirror She's Black is a fast-paced, richly nuanced novel that touches on important social issues of racism, classism, fetishization, and tokenism, and what it means to be a Black woman navigating a white-dominated society.

©2021 Lola Akinmade Akerstrom (P)2022 Tantor

Not sure of where the author was going with this

Maybe I began listening to this story in the wrong frame of mind. I was expecting to hear a story about 3 black women with no connection being tied together by the mysterious Jonny Von Lunden. Instead I heard the story of 3 black women who were insecure, guarded, lonely and looking for love in Sweden. Albeit, each woman had a inner strength and resilience within them that helped to propel them forward to make decisions necessary to take the risks to find happiness but in the end they were left empty and worse off than they began. Kemi, a nigerian born American citizen was the top in her field of marketing. Feeling the pressure of the glass ceiling pressing on her head she realizes that she can go no further in her current role at her company. Coupled by the insidious and increasing sexual advances of her boss she knows she needs to leave but is undecided until she is out of the blue approached by the Von Lunden company for a new position. This position is everything that she could want and the opportunity for advancement that she knows that she will never have with her company. So Kemi packs up and makes her move to Sweden. Brittany is a former model turned flight attendant. Because of trauma she endured during her modeling carrier Brittany is left guarded and insecure. Brittany encounters Jonny on a flight as he is coming to make a job offer to Kemi. Upon seeing her Jonny is struck and ruthlessly pursues her regardless of the fact that she has been in a long term relationship of 4 years. Muna is a young Somali girl who was escaping the horror of losing her family as they escape from Mogadishu. She is alone and grieving her losses and loneliness. When she is finally transferred from the safe place that she and the other refugees are staying she finds out that the mysterious benefactor for the monastery that she was staying was none other than Jonny Von Luden. Each woman's story was interesting and I felt for them at the way their black skin was seen and treated in Sweden. In a place that you would expect more acceptance and tolerance they all find the same racist behaviors and tropes that black women have endured for years. I can not say anymore unless I start spilling spoilers but this book left me depressed and confused. These woman were objectified, fetishized, and unseen. So I was not sure what the author was trying to relay with this story. For all that these women risked and endured what they were left with in the end signified that there is no hope for black women so we should just give in and give up. There was an allusion to mental illness but it was not specified or developed. I did enjoy the narrators, they were pretty spot on with giving me a feel for the individual characters. So, yeah I am still trying to process what I listened to.

Captivating

Lives are interwoven in such delicate ways. Experiences are giving such empathy and compassion in describing each one. The mystery of each character slowly unfolds and leaves you feeling understanding and acceptance of each one.

In Every Mirror She’s Black

Such a beautiful story! The ending shocked me though. Yet, I know all stories don’t have happy endings, I was holding out hold for all to be happy.

deep book with lots of twists; narration not good

The story was intriguing. It moved slowly at first but came together well. The narration was difficult though. The American and Swedish accents were terrible and distracting. A southern Black woman from Atlanta does not sound like that at all. It would have been better with three different narrators for each point of view.

whoa!

Really great book. I would love a sequel. I want to know if the black women ever connect. I want to know more. I wished I could read on and on!

Amazing Characters

I need several more hours with these people, and q few more years of their lives.

the complexity of the characters

I liked the details and backgrounds into the main characters. This made them come to life.

Meh

I read this book as part of my book club. The book was decent, but the different narrators made it difficult to follow at times. While the storylines are very realistic, they felt like just that…storylines. I didn’t find myself attached to or rooting for most of the characters. I wish the author would have linked the black women together into some type of friendship.

Great Book.

Loved all the women in this book. It reflects the reality of seismic, privilege, racism and differences. In every mirror she IS black.

Such a wonderful book

I truly loved reading this book and hearing the stories of these 3 women and how they were connected. I only hate how rushed the ending felt. I wished it was a little longer and more conclusive.