Something Like Beautiful: One Single Mother's Story

I started out reading this book with a bit of skepticism. I found it hard to understand what would compel an intelligent, well-educated woman to choose marriage to a prisoner, let alone parenthood. I finished it not only understanding more about why Ms. Bandele chose the life she did, and admiring her for managing to be a deeply loving and good parent to her daughter despite the struggles of depression and single parenthood. I very much enjoyed this book, and plan to read her previous book, The Prisoner's Wife.

asha's The Prisoner's Wife rocked me to my core...I carried its emotion, its power, & its grit in my spirit for months after I'd returned it to my bookshelf. It was, at once, familiar & foreign, unfathomable & understandable. Imagine my excitement when I read of Something Like Beautiful's impending release. I am pleased to say that ASHA BANDELE HAS DONE IT AGAIN. She skillfully shares with us the pain, frustration, growth, & joy experienced in her life with/since Rashid with revelatory acknowledgement of the restorative power that was found on her journey to loving & raising their child. This book is a must-read for mothers (particularly single ones), fathers, & anyone who claims to appreciate good writing. Bravissimo, asha !

Ever since I finished reading "The Prisoner's Wife," I have been waiting on the follow-up, so imagine my surprise when I read in ESSENCE that this long-awaited sequel would soon be released. asha bandele did not disappoint. "Something Like Beautiful" is a candid portrait that is unflichingly honest, poignant and poetic -- it's a story for ALL MOTHERS or anyone who has ever known the innocent, unconditional and all-encompassing love for a child. asha lets us into their lives, updating readers on her love affair/marriage with Rashid and the parallel lives she must lead in order to love/care for him as she love/cares for her daughter Nisa. This single mother's story is touching and offers something like beautiful for those of us who are willing to be honest with ourselves and others.

As a male Caucasian non-parent, "Something Like Beautiful" affords me an artful "window" to feelings/emotions that I do not have from a perspective I could not otherwise imagine. Along the way, asha bandele paints a compelling personal picture of the enduring injustice of the American penal "system" and offers the inspiring example of her Existential growth in the face of it by virtue of love for her daughter. As such, it is a useful book and that would be the end of this review. But there is much more... bandele's command of the English language is so dynamic and impressive that this book, in my estimation, stands as a "must read" for teachers and students of writing and literature. There is hardly a lame or ill-phrased sentence to be found in these almost-200 pages. Virtually every paragraph shines with artful word choices and the work moves forward with poetic tempo. "Awesome" is an over-used descriptor, but it's perfectly fitting in this instance. Bravo!

It took me a bit of time to fall into this book, as it's written in, at times, a stream of thought way, with parts that are straight narrative and then parts that are thoughts and ideas and wishes, but in the long run, this format really works for this author. I felt how her circumstances took her into depression, and how she later came out of it. I did at times wish that I could hear the whole story of her life, as a one way tale, but I know that's not what this book was about. Perhaps her earlier books are, I will seek them out. My favorite thing about this book was how it portrayed the joy of motherhood. I have read so many books where a parent seems to view their children as not central in their lives, although they would deny this like crazy. But Nisa is the center of asha's life (she writes her name in lower case). Nisa sounds like an amazing girl, one of those people born high energy and smart and engaged. Her part in helping her mother's depression, just by being herself, was something to read. It made me think as I often do about how children are born with personalities, that we might shape them some, but they are themselves from the start. It's a sign of a good read that you want more. I want to know more about asha's life. If her other books don't answer my question, I hope she writes a full autobiography some day.