Henrietha

Author - Joyce M. Johnson

Joyce M. Johnson was born in Jamaica West Indies where she spent her formative years and has lived in Canada for over 50 years.

In this novella Joyce introduces an unlikely pair of friends: Joanna White, a white Canadian journalist struggling to overcome the breakup of her long-term relationship, and Henrietha Browne, a Jamaican woman who has seen her share of troubles. Henrietha relates her history of oppression and abuse as well as her quest to find autonomy in a world beset with racism, sexism and poverty. In the process, Joanna comes to a deeper understanding of her own oppression and how her identity, while playing a role in both her successes and failures, is more of a bridge than a barrier to her communion with women of all races and backgrounds and this is what I like about the story. By becoming aware of Henrietha's problems Joanna too becomes aware of her own problems. Sometimes it takes someone else's problem to become aware of our own. Joyce has done this aptly and while I read this book I became aware of my own situation at work. Being a female I was able to relate to the story more effectively. Kudos to Joyce, a first time author then, for producing such a gem.

HSD Rating - 4/5

Purchase link - https://www.amazon.ca/Henrietha-Joyce-M-Johnson/dp/1770673768/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=henrietha&qid=1639599011&sr=8-1