So Many Beginnings, a Remixed Classic is based on Little Women by Louisa Mae Alcott. When you see the word remix you think I’m not going to read this because its just like the original but the ethnicity is different. Yes, the ethnicity is different but it is also a different story because it was reimagined by a different person. Bethany’s story has given Louisa Mae’s story a sort of face lift for the minority community. This remixed classic tells a story set in the Civil War Era with a Black family living in the Freedmen’s Colony on Roanoke Island. Bethany tells the story like it would have been for Black people in the Civil War Era touching on Black oppression from when blacks were slaves and the continuous violent oppression of Black people from white northerners. But that’s not the focus of this story. No, the focus of this story is on how these four black young women face the realities and the revelations they discover living in this new free black community.
“Don’t pout, it's unbecoming.” Amy asks, “And who have I got to be becoming for?”
“Amy” she said and smiled. “For yourself, of course”.
After being enslaved for so long these women are but now “beginning” a new life outside of how they lived for the first half of their lives. These women are between fourteen to eighteen years old. Amy is the youngest so she wants to live life and experience new things. The older March sisters are trying to figure out what their lives should be besides supporting their family. Bethany kept with the theme of sisterhood and self-discovery like the original but you can see the differences of how the story was told.
This book is such a slow burn that it took me a while to get into the pacing. Once I got use to the flow of the story, I really enjoyed it. I could see the original plot but the creative liberties taken is what really made this book stand out. Beautifully done, well researched and well written. I think high school students or students in AP English classes could really enjoy this book. I would not be surprised if this book makes it into a college Literature course one day. I want to give thanks to the publishers Feiwel and Friends and Bookish First for providing me with an advanced copy of this book. This is my honest opinion on So Many Beginnings, a Remixed Classic. I think anyone who loves the “classics” should read this book. It will be going on my classics remix shelf next to Pride and Prejudice remix.
“Don’t pout, it's unbecoming.” Amy asks, “And who have I got to be becoming for?”
“Amy” she said and smiled. “For yourself, of course”.
After being enslaved for so long these women are but now “beginning” a new life outside of how they lived for the first half of their lives. These women are between fourteen to eighteen years old. Amy is the youngest so she wants to live life and experience new things. The older March sisters are trying to figure out what their lives should be besides supporting their family. Bethany kept with the theme of sisterhood and self-discovery like the original but you can see the differences of how the story was told.
This book is such a slow burn that it took me a while to get into the pacing. Once I got use to the flow of the story, I really enjoyed it. I could see the original plot but the creative liberties taken is what really made this book stand out. Beautifully done, well researched and well written. I think high school students or students in AP English classes could really enjoy this book. I would not be surprised if this book makes it into a college Literature course one day. I want to give thanks to the publishers Feiwel and Friends and Bookish First for providing me with an advanced copy of this book. This is my honest opinion on So Many Beginnings, a Remixed Classic. I think anyone who loves the “classics” should read this book. It will be going on my classics remix shelf next to Pride and Prejudice remix.