Book 47 - Akwaeke Emezi "Dear Senthuran: A Black spirit memoir"

Akwaeke Emezi "Dear Senthuran: A Black Spirit Memoir" (Faber & Faber)



In this memoir written in letters to friends and family, author Akwaeke Emezi opens up about life and their struggle with depression and suicidal ideation, dysmorphia, and more.

This is a revealing book and a challenging format. Emezi talks openly about their life, and it can be difficult to read. First, the format. It's in letters to people you may or may not recognize (most are mentioned in the acknowledgements, some I was able to figure out in the reading) and topical based on who they're addressing rather than a chronological telling. Second, the content. There are some really difficult things they had to go through. And third, worldview. They have a different way of looking at the world and describing themselves, for example, as not just not gender but nonhuman, an ogbanje and a god, and while some are explained, a lot of it was simply unfamiliar to me, so it took some time to wrap my head around it. I'm not sure I fully did, in fact, but I'm glad I wrestled with it all the same. A fascinating read whether you've read Emezi's fiction or not.