It’s not every day that one has an opportunity to sit down with one’s favorite author and have a heart-to-heart discussion. A few days ago, I had the privilege of speaking with Lolá Ákínmádé Äkerström, a Nigeria-Swedish writer and journalist whose award-winning book, In Every Mirror She’s Black, recounts the experiences of three Black women: Britanny, Kemi, and Muna as they navigate their lives in Sweden.
Her thought-provoking prose, devoid of any attempt to hide their realities, digs deeply into their personal stories and shows the reader the challenges that Black women face in largely predominantly white societies. Whether it be immigration, being fetishized, or others doubting their abilities, being a Black woman is hard. The book speaks to similar themes I discuss in my Diary of a Black Woman in a White World.
In Every Mirror She’s Black is a deeply moving book. It leaves the reader outraged by the injustices each of these characters face. It is the only book that accurately reflects so many experiences I have had as a Black woman living in Switzerland. The book makes me feel seen and is a must-read for anyone truly seeking to feel seen, to speak up about their experiences, or to understand how it feels to be a Black woman in a white world. It allows the reader to peek into our lives and understand that like everyone, we are deeply vulnerable human beings with our strengths and our weaknesses. The sequel, Everything is Not Enough will be out this month. You can purchase both books online at all major bookstores.
Listen to my discussion with Lolà Akinmade Äkerström and share it widely. Thank you.
More information about my guest:
Lolá Ákínmádé Äkerström is an award-winning visual storyteller, international bestselling author, and travel entrepreneur. She has dispatched from over 80+ countries and her work has been featured in National Geographic, New York Times, The Guardian, BBC, CNN, Travel Channel, Travel + Leisure, Lonely Planet, Forbes, and many more. She has collaborated with commercial brands such as Dove, Mercedes Benz, Intrepid Travel, Electrolux, ASUS, and National Geographic Channel, to name a few.
As a storyteller, Lola was recently named a 2022 Hasselblad Heroine and is the 2018 Bill Muster Travel Photographer of the Year. As a business owner and entrepreneur, she runs the Stockholm-based creative storytelling agency Geotraveler Media and was named one of the 2023 Most Influential Women in Travel by Travel Pulse.
Her book, Due North, received the Lowell Thomas Gold Award for Best Travel Book, and she is also the author of the international bestselling "LAGOM: The Swedish Secret of Living Well" available in 18 foreign language editions. Her internationally-acclaimed novel, "In Every Mirror She's Black", is a Good Morning America (GMA) Buzz Pick, Amazon Editors’ Pick, an Independent UK "Best Thought-provoking Story", was shortlisted for the Bad Form Review Book of the Year, and published as a lead hardcover around the world through 4 publishers (including German, 2023). Film/TV rights are represented by UTA. Her latest novel, Everything is Not Enough, will be published in October 2023 and is already an Amazon Editors’ Pick.
In 2018, she was recognized as one of the Most Influential People of African Descent (MIPAD) in media and as a mentor, she has her own online academy, Geotraveler Media Academy, which runs photography experiences around the world and is dedicated to visual storytelling and helping the next generation of travel storytellers put the heart back into the craft.
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"In Every Mirror She's Black"