The moment I picked up the book, I simply rolled my eyes and said this is just another coconut trying to justify her privileges, little did I know that I would simply go on an emotional roller coaster ride that has been Rosie Motene’s life.
Reclaiming the Soil by Rosie Motene gives the reader an in-depth look into the life of a black child who is simply struggled with identity but who refused to acknowledge her melanin skin and culture.
As much as her adoptive family loved and cared for her as they did with their own children, there were times that the Rosie would simply see that she is not one of them hence she spent most of her adult life trying to conform or fit into what “ they” especially the “mother figure” thought was right for her.
“ALL MY LIFE I have lived under a one way glass bell that you designed for me. You could see me but I was only allowed to see out when it suited you. When you needed some entertainment you shook the bell, shone a bright light through a small-orchestrated hole, which had the ability to be closed at any point.” Read an extract from The Glass Bell chapter.
The book somehow makes one belief in the power of family and how true a mother’s unconditional love is.
One of the best thing about this book is that it teaches the reader that regardless of where your path/destiny may lead you to, your roots and culture will always haunt in the back of your mind.
As much as this is a great story, there is a lot of redundancy and some chapters look as if the scribe had lost her train of thought.
While I understand that this is a self-published book and it is a debut book for Rosie.
However, a few of the grammatical errors in this book does carry the potential to set a reader off from further reading this interesting storyline.
Reclaiming the soil is certainly an interesting book and would make a good present for Christmas reading list.