Honestly? ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
I don't think I've had a five-star book yet on my list for our blog, but this one blew me away and has shot to the top of my recommendation list for newer books.
The Machine Healed Charlie. Charlie could Heal The Machine.
What an incredible look at healing (and lack thereof) from a worldwide, ancient history of oppression and destruction. I don't know what to say because I'm not the right person to say it. As a white person - someone who has had a privileged experience just purely set by my DNA - this book has nothing to do with me at all - absolutely nothing to do with the fact that I was lucky enough to be born into that privilege - and it has everything to do with the black perspective and every nuance of what can only be conveyed as the black experience in a world (a world without the evil of an outside oppressor breathing down your neck in every moment of your existence) where space can finally be held for what that means. Space for colorism and hate - internal and external, but also space for the love, self-actualization, and vibrant personal and cultural histories that finally have the driver's seat in a country that has a long ugly history of violently harmful treatment of those who were once "the minorities."
I loved the characters. The plot. The reality of the struggles and growth within the black experience. I loved the science-fiction aspect of the new world without white people, and I loved the sorrow and victory in the finale.
"In the dark, they discovered infinite power. Black power. A heritage of and beyond the world."
Please go out of your way to read this wonderfully crafted, incredible novel.
-Much love,
Brieanna
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