Perfect Peace by Daniel Black

Perfect Peace by Daniel Black– 341 pages

Book Blurb:

When the seventh child of the Peace family, named Perfect, turns eight, her mother Emma Jean tells her bewildered daughter, “You was born a boy. I made you a girl. But that ain’t what you was supposed to be. So, from now on, you gon’ be a boy. It’ll be a little strange at first, but you’ll get used to it, and this’ll be over after while.” From this point forward, his life becomes a bizarre kaleidoscope of events. Meanwhile, the Peace family is forced to question everything they thought they knew about gender, sexuality, unconditional love, and fulfillment.

My Review: 4.5

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If you’re looking for something different to read with excellent writing and a look into a dysfunctional yet loving family, you must read this! My mom recommended this to me and told me it was her book club’s best discussion to date. I can totally see why. This book covers gender biases, psychological and sociological issues, jealousy, family, religion, acceptance, prejudice, guilt, forgiveness and friendship.

The author did a fine job at developing each flawed character in the family, yet I found them all interesting in their own right, even though they were minor characters. The blind boy seeing the beauty in others and the smart boy being denied education may seem cliché, but they worked perfectly (no pun intended) in this book.

The symbolism and subtle metaphors throughout the book were spot on. I particularly enjoyed the cleansing at the Jordan River, which was heavily wrought with emotion.

Emma Jean and Perfect were without a doubt the most conflicted and challenging characters in the book. However as readers, we learn a lot about acceptance and forgiveness from these two characters alone. I look forward to reading more from this author.

Quotes I liked:

Denial makes people repeat what they aren’t willing to acknowledge.”

“Big don’t mean ugly, and thin sho don’t mean pretty. If a person wants to be pretty, they gotta walk pretty, talk pretty and act pretty. Can’t nobody take pretty from you.”

-“Sometimes you have to grow up before you appreciate how you grew up.”

-“Sometimes, when people think they’re putting obstacles in your path, they’re actually laying your stepping-stones. You just gotta recognize them as one and the same.”

“You have to get clear about the kind of life you can live here. Life can be lived anywhere, but not every life can be lived everywhere.”

“Evidence doesn’t always convince people of the truth, […] especially when the lie is what they prefer.”