Luminous Book

I am a big fan of of this short story collection by Alice Tawhai. Even for something that you can sit down and read overnight, it makes you think for long after that. As I was reading, I noticed that a lot of these stories were tied together by rape/sexual abuse of young women and I started to wonder why Tawhai dedicated so many stories to this subject, or its inclusion. And then I remembered how lucky I am to have had the privilege of not experiencing these traumas when so many young women, especially women of color, do. That's the kind of storytelling that sticks with you--the kind that makes you think about your own condition.

My favorite story in the collection is "Scars," from which I will share what may be the most impactful line in the entire collection:
But I knew that men grow up, and they go away to war. And I couldn't wait.