With Love from Harlem

🧠 Themes That Stood Out:

Love, legacy, ambition vs. family, community responsibility, identity, and the pressure on women to carry everything with grace. The story explores what it means to want a full life without having to sacrifice yourself in the process. What does it mean ot have it all and can we have it all? 

💬 Favorite Line or Moment:

Hazel’s mother tells her, “Stand in your dirt.” That line was so real, so raw. A reminder that even when the choices we’ve made are messy, there’s still dignity in owning them.

Her mother-in-law “Love my son, yes, but never forget to love yourself more."

I also paused when, “She glanced down at the engagement ring on her fingers. For the first time, it didn’t look like a promise. It looked like surrender.” Deep and relatable. 

🔍 Reflections:

The time it took me to finish this book wasn’t just about reading, it was about sitting with what it stirred up. In the quiet in-between moments, I found myself thinking about Hazel’s position—not just as an artist or activist, but as a wife to a powerful, ambitious man. What does it mean to love someone whose shine could so easily swallow yours? And how often are women (especially women like Hazel) asked to compromise in ways that no one would dare ask of a man?

I’ll be honest: it took me a while to fully like Hazel. As someone who’s married and who takes marriage seriously, infidelity in stories tends to hit a nerve for me. There were moments where I loved them both...and other moments where I was absolutely disgusted by their choices. At times it felt selfish. At times it felt deeply human. And I wrestled with that, how much grace do we give ourselves when our desires clash with our values?

Still, there was a tenderness that grew. I understood her longing. I understood that ache to be seen, to not be eclipsed by the very person you’re tethered to. That balance, of love, ambition, identity, and the desire to not lose yourself, is something I think many women will see themselves in, even if the details are different.

🔚 The Ending:

The pacing picked up beautifully after a slower start. I do wish the book had gone deeper into her later years, especially her motherhood journey and the unraveling of her marriage. Some parts felt like a quick skip when I wanted to linger.

🌟 Final Thoughts:

I highly recommend this to fans of historical fiction, Black history, and stories about unsung heroes. If you love documentaries, Untold Stories, or music and politics from the Harlem era—you’ll be fascinated. Pair it with a good journal, a Nina Simone playlist, and a question to sit with: What does it really mean to choose yourself?