Miss Major Speaks: Conversations with a Black Trans Revolutionary by Miss Major and Toshio Meronek
Reviewed by Arabella Petts
Miss Major Speaks: Conversations with a Black Trans Revolutionary provides us with an insight into the life of Miss Major, who is a Black, transgender activist who has developed a global legacy from her work over the past fifty years.
Toshio Meronek, an activist and writer whose work focuses on queer homelessness, incarceration and disability, starts the book with an introduction and overview of what we are about to read. Within the first thirty pages, he provides an incredibly written overview of Major’s life, where we hear about her move to New York City, her first job at a morgue, and her work within HIV and AIDS care.
The rest of the book takes the shape of a conversation crafted from thousands of hours of discussion, between both Meronek and Major, as well as some of her closest friends where they share how Major has impacted them. I loved the decision to craft the book as a conversation; I had never read any non-fiction in this style before so this stood out to me, and the way that their conversations flow feels so natural and engaging to read, you can feel their mutual affinity for intersectional politics through the pages. We also learn that Major’s preferred format for all her public talks is a conversation rather than a speech; “A conversation has the potential to cement connections more than a monologue,” which is something we can see represented within the book.
An important and heartwarming read, yet despite her work within the community, few people of the current generation know her name or her impact, so this is a great way to get to know who she is. The book is split into four sections, each addressing a different era of her life. She shares her accounts of the Stonewall riots, the AIDS crisis, her periods of incarceration and political education within the prison complex, as well as personal recollections of her childhood and her experiences of being a mother. There are also parts where Meronek reflects on the advice that he received from Major throughout the course of recording this material, and I enjoyed seeing how the two related their experiences to develop their relationship.
I feel glad to have read this, gaining an insight into all that Miss Major has done throughout her career, and the work that Meronek is doing within the community. I feel a sense of solidarity with them, and I hope that the publication of this book will lead to more young people discovering important parts of history.
The Three of Us by Ore Agbaje-Williams
Reviewed by Jenna Tomlinson
What if the two most important people in your life didn't get along? Not only do they not get along; but have a dislike of each other that resonates with vitriol and disrespect, a relationship penetrated by one-upmanship and an almost obsessive need to prove they are the most significant member of your life, above their counterpart.
That's exactly the premise of The Three of Us, Ore Agbaje-Williams’ debut novel. A wife, her husband and her best friend circle each other's feelings and knowledge of each other over one alcohol-fuelled day; walking a fine line between gentle ribbing and overt undermining at every point. At under 200 pages, it's a short read – but don't let that fool you. Every chapter packs a punch, and the claustrophobic tension builds with every turn of the page.
Agbaje-Williams’ format is almost brilliant in its simplicity. The book is comprised of only three chapters, each one dedicated to the point of view of one of the three main characters. Only one character is named, the best friend, giving an even more guarded feeling to the exchanges we experience. It feels like you're spying on a neighbour; privy to a conversation that you shouldn't be witness to. We see how the characters interact, both within this group of three, and in their respective couples; the married couple, the best friends, and the past, future and shared present of one woman's history.
Each of the characters is of Nigerian heritage and the nuances of their culture and its impact on their decisions and lifestyles are woven seamlessly throughout the book. From the educational and professional aspirations that the parents have for their children, to the food and drinks shared at parties and family gatherings. Also, discreetly present throughout the book are the micro-aggressions and racism faced by the characters. The wife discusses how she and her husband are only the third Black family to move into their gated community and describes her experience at a work event for her husband's company in which a white woman repeatedly grabs at her braids in a way she believes is made acceptable by asking permission whilst doing so.
The chapters have a monologue element, with no punctuation used for speech, but this fits the novel. It feels more like the retelling of gossip; more in line with what we're witnessing. The tension builds quickly to the book's disruptive conclusion, leaving you wondering if any of the three will be the same again. A great short read that I highly recommend.