Maame by Jessica George on January 31, 2023
Genres: Fiction / African American & Black / Women, Fiction / Coming of Age, Fiction / Women
Pages: 320
Format: Hardcover
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Maame (ma-meh) has many meanings in Twi but in my case, it means woman.
Maddie is a daughter, sister, and coworker whose life isn’t so happy. Her father suffers from advanced Parkinson’s disease and she spends most of her time taking care of him. Her mom, who mostly lives in Ghana, is a helicopter parent and calls and text her all the time. Did I mention she is 25? At work, she is overlooked and is the only black person there. So I started off rooting hard for Maddie in this one.
Maddie has a few close friends, but lives at home and doesn’t socialize much. She thought she was being a good daughter by staying at home with her dad and taking care of him. She says ” The world is filled with two different kinds of people: those who need to be surrounded by others and those who do not. Dad and I are simply the latter, Mom and James the former.”
Then her mother comes back from Ghana and encourages her to move out. She finds a flat with two flatmates and decides it’s time to live a little. She is VERY much into “googling” things she is too nervous to ask people. With the help of Google, she comes up with a list of things she wants to do when she’s on her own which is:
- Drinks alcohol when offered
- Always says yes to social events
- Wears new clothes
- Cooks new food
- Has different experiences (Travel? Brunch?)
- Tries weed or cigarettes at least once (but don’t get addicted!)
- Wears makeup
- Goes on dates
- Is not a virgin
Maddie ends up growing up pretty quickly. She has some experiences, good and bad. She meets some boys, finds out about internet dating, and is able to cross things off her list. Then when she gets her taste of freedom, things go sideways. She finds out she’s stronger than she knew. She has always been the one the family can lean on.
This one did cover some serious themes, like depression and racism, and did so with tender care and humor. It also covers familial duty, female pleasure, love, and friendship. I loved how even though she only had a few close friends, they were such great support for Maddie. Anyone who has ever felt like they don’t quite belong will be able to relate to Maddie. This was such a touching, yet funny story.