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On the surface, this is a novel about the confident and beautiful Black woman Nefertiti LaReine who navigates a journalism career amid complex relationships. Underneath, it is a compounded story of identity, misogyny, deep-rooted racism, and political activism.
From the start, Nefertiti considers who she is as she ponders her ancestry and the generations that came before her. Born on the tropical island of Guadeloupe in the French West Indies, she prefers Nef, embarrassed by her full name, chosen in her parents' misguided attempt to "create a fable of royal Egyptian heritage." Though her sepia-toned features, sharp nose, and long neck give her a beauty resembling the eighteenth-century Egyptian dynasty queen, Nef's light-skinned complexion remains a source of discomfort. Through herself, Nef is mindful of the cruelties committed against her ancestors, the human violations that have diluted her color, nearly eliminating any original traces of her African heritage.
Black identity is a recurring theme throughout the novel in conjunction with the continual fight against oppression and racism in a "white-controlled world." These issues create tension between Nef's parents, Marie Loumière and Léopold, whose opposing views of white oppression serve as a contentious strife in their marriage. After their deaths, Nef leans toward her papa's worldview, believing that her skin color will determine the life she leads more than anything else. And as she graduates from New York's Barnard College at age twenty-two, she is eager to pursue a journalism career amid racial divisions unfolding in the southern United States.
In her early days of activism, Nef meets Abe, a white Columbia University law student, and reluctantly develops a romantic relationship with him. Nef is always straddling between the varying viewpoints of a Black and white society. With her relationship to Abe, she pivots toward her mother's worldview, that integration is a way forward for humanity, and where "women could waltz through life like race didn't matter." Abe and Nef eventually marry, but similarly to her parents' marriage, the years prove arduous, and her relationship with Abe turns rocky as their differing political and social ideologies interfere. Not even the suggestion of children can save them, and they agree to divorce. The author mirrors the disintegration of her marriage with that of her rising journalism career at the Harlem Herald, subtly remarking on the societal pressures thrust upon Nef to balance being a Black working woman and a wife.
Even as a journalist, Nef has to fight to prove herself every step of the way. In the second half of the book, a thrilled Nef embarks on her first major assignment—an investigative journalism case involving the death of a prison guard in California. At this point, the author layers the story with new themes and characters as Nef embroils herself with key members of the Black Panther Party. The author delves into the convoluted, militant power movement of the Black Panther Party, which contrasts with the former nonviolent approach of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., and probes systemic issues within the United States' carceral system. Nef wrestles further with her own beliefs and principles as she comes to admire the Black Panther Party, becoming involved in this obscure world that is equally as complicated as everything else happening in America. Yet, no matter where Nef is or who she engages with, she aims to hold true to herself, all while confronting love, heartbreak, failure, and success in a male-dominated society.
For those unfamiliar with its usage, the spelling of "Amerika" evokes a criticism of the country as repressive and racist. This is especially prudent considering the volatile period of the 1960s and ‘70s, in which the novel is set. The author captures how these external political and social tensions influence and shape each of the characters during the course of the novel. Though a fictionalized account based on real events and people, the book's protagonist, Nef, was "inspired by numerous Panther women" and is perhaps the most intriguing character, aside from Huey P. Newton, the founder of the Black Panther Party. Their push-pull relationship parallels the contradictory approaches and goals for the black power movement, which lends much of the dramatic arc of the story. Readers should keep in mind, though, that while the author has taken liberties and embellished certain details, it is nevertheless a timely book that recalls significant figures and pivotal moments in American history.
The author's novel also tends to read more like a memoir than historical fiction and is incredibly detailed, which occasionally slows the narrative's pacing. Additionally, the author's note may leave some readers conflicted with its final revelation. However, it is a unique novel that explores pressing themes and issues set against the backdrop of the civil rights era. Likewise, it is a critical commentary that should prompt reflection and discourse on our long, bloody, and difficult past, which continues to impact America's present and future.