Beams of bright light gleamed through the open window into the dimmed room, emphasizing the silhouette of a fast working man. The colors danced, careless of the temporary changes made to the dark brown canvas, to the beat of random clicks and taps. The man lightly rubbed the tips of his fingers over the thick black hairs along his jaw while his eyes studied the collection of words and pictures on the digital plane. He readjusted himself and relaxed his hands on the keyboard before moving his right hand to scroll through the pages on his monitor. Soon, a soft, high-pitched sound warned him of a change in his environment, and instinctively he turned to witness what was coming. A woman entered gracefully, balancing a cup by the handle. She hesitated for a moment before she pushed the door with her elbow to make more space between her rounded abdomen and the doorknob. “Duke, you’re going to ruin your eyes acting like this!” she said as her elbow was tasked again; this time, gently brushing against the wall. A brightened light revealed the hidden beauty in the decorated room. “Hey gorgeous,” Duke said softly, dragging the pronunciation of “Hey”. He pressed the thicker portion of his palm to soothe his irritated left eye and leaned back in his office chair. The young black woman walked next to him and placed a light blue cup with escaping steam in front of him. At first she faked repulsiveness when he tightened his eyelids and poked out his lips, but then she smiled and leaned in to kiss him. Jawanza Wilson 2 “Mm,” he said, licking his lips friskily. “How are we holding up?” he asked as he pulled her closer to him by her waist. “We’re fine,” she replied as she placed her hand on her hip and studied the monitor. “I thought you were finished with this?” she asked, giving him the side eye. Duke laughed as he tapped her on the butt before leaning closer to the monitor. “You laughing, yet you do this shit all the time,” she said as she placed her index finger on the monitor and scrolled through Duke’s documents. “No, I don’t,” Duke replied, and dazed off for a second before bringing the ceramic cup to his lips. “You see my face?” she said, staring down at Duke with a raised eyebrow, but Duke smiled and stared at the screen with the cup balanced on his bottom lip. She then bent down with the same expression until Duke gave in and glanced at her face. “Mmm-hmm, that’s what I thought,” she said, carefully pushing the side of his head. “Whatever,” Duke replied as he placed the cup down. “I’m done. I just wanted to go over things.” “Okay, but who’s replacing you? That should have been priority one.” “You’re right, but I have an idea of who I want. Got info on them and everything, but most of them are within the company. So, I just How the Universe Danced With the Sun and Moon 3 have to... step back,” Duke replied, scrolling down to a page full of profile pictures. “Ooooh, it’s gonna be okay,” she said, teasing him. “My big baby gonna miss bossing people around.” Duke shook his head. “Just make sure I don’t have two,” she said, kissing Duke on the forehead before making her way to the exit. Duke glanced over his shoulder to gain a perspective of the woman as she walked carelessly to the door. “I’ll be there in a minute” “Uh... huh,” she replied, not pausing in her departure. Duke faced the screen again and scrolled down until his eyes fell upon a script. He took a deep inhale through his nose as he dragged his phone closer to him and placed it securely in his palm. A few moments later, he stared into the frontal camera, constantly adjusting and clearing his throat. Then, he spoke. “Good morning, “As some of you may have heard. I will be taking an extended break from the company for personal reasons. A little backstory: Yes, our want has manifested, and I am having a baby. I would like to take a moment to thank everyone for their support and positive advice for my family. I’m aware I was secretive about this situation. But the best way I can explain it is... I was shocked... emotional. My first thought wasn’t to tell the world. I felt like I just had to get things Jawanza Wilson 4 perfect, and... although I can see a future, I will never be as prepared as I want to be. “That being said, I will take advantage of what time I have now and heavily invest in how I can make my family’s foundation strong enough to face the fears that I and others have. These are based on my own assumptions, but nevertheless, I believe I should step down from my position. I understand that to those invested in the company, my absence can affect the productivity and efficiency of the company. In response to that, the various departments will be supervised by trusted employees whom you all will get to know on a business level, and I will advise things from a distance. “I am also looking to invest in representatives for the consistent events and programs my wife and I have been involved in. A detailed description of how the business will operate was typed and emailed to current partners and investors, as well as documents and contact information to handle any wanted changes affecting your financial and/or political stake. The public who have signed up to receive newsletters and promotions will receive a less detailed video outlining the changes to come. As always, I look forward to advancing the future for all descendants of African gods and goddesses. Thank you for your time.” *
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Fantastic concept for a book. A story of Black community and philanthropy is one we should all read and embrace.
A powerful story of black philanthropy and community.
Desperate for heirs to his company and searching for his replacements, Duke Amir selects two young black men to act as liaisons to slowly take over his powerful business empire. These two men are Mayruhk and Josiah, intelligent young employees with a wealth of untapped potential.
Eager to show them the ropes and further his work as a philanthropist for the black community, Duke Amir assigns them to help Etana Jacobs on an event which promotes black businesses and ratifies their history.
But when the pair discover a plot against Etana which threatens to unravel the entire event, Mayruhk and Josiah begin unearthing the history behind Duke Amir and his lifetime of philanthropy, immersing themselves in his version of the American lifestyle and his vision for the future of their community…
I received an Advance Reader Copy of How the Universe Danced with the Sun and Moon by Jawanza Wilson. I selected it because the synopsis sounded incredible and I love the author's mission to create more stories about Black philanthropy and community - something that's so lacking in much of modern literature.
Wilson has the making of a truly fantastic story here and one that, when executed a bit better, will make for compelling reading.
I found the version of the book I read to be disjointed and a bit chaotic, at times hard to follow. A few sentences cut off mid-way through (or, at least, they seemed to), it felt like there were some missing scenes to tie the story together, and I'm unsure of the purpose of some of the scenes and characters.
The in-depth martial arts scene with Mayruhk was, in my opinion, a bit too technical for a reader without any kind of martial arts training. I was also curious if James would have a larger role in the book - but that was the last we saw him.
I'd also love if there were more scenes dedicated to creating and setting the larger, more impactful scenes. For example, when Mayruhk and Josiah arrive at their job interviews - how did they get there? It seems like they were just... all of a sudden there. Also, who is Jamal? It seemed like he was in the story for no reason.
When Wilson was writing at his clearest, How the Universe Danced with the Sun and Moon was beautiful, thought-provoking, and powerful. I don't doubt that with further edits, the story will be one to read and recommend to everyone.
The overall purpose of the book is around Black community and philanthropy which was evident in later chapters (though getting there was a journey). Wilson sets out with this goal and though he does achieve it, I feel this story could go through a few edits and additional content. (Also, the version provided still contained editing notes from the editor at the last pages - all of which I agree with!)
I'd love to re-read and re-review if and when this happens! There is genuinely such a good story here, I would love to see it fully developed.
Reviewed by
Freelance writer who's an avid YA/Fantasy reader slowly working on my first novel. I used to read exclusively mystery books & still love them, too! I'm a Twitch streamer, podcast host, & tarot reader who explores Tamriel & Northern Ireland, crochet any & everything, & cooks epic vegan meals.
A powerful story of black philanthropy and community.
Desperate for heirs to his company and searching for his replacements, Duke Amir selects two young black men to act as liaisons to slowly take over his powerful business empire. These two men are Mayruhk and Josiah, intelligent young employees with a wealth of untapped potential.
Eager to show them the ropes and further his work as a philanthropist for the black community, Duke Amir assigns them to help Etana Jacobs on an event which promotes black businesses and ratifies their history.
But when the pair discover a plot against Etana which threatens to unravel the entire event, Mayruhk and Josiah begin unearthing the history behind Duke Amir and his lifetime of philanthropy, immersing themselves in his version of the American lifestyle and his vision for the future of their community…
About the author
Jawanza Wilson is a newly established author with a goal to create influential characters of African descent and unique storylines intertwined with African American culture. A New York City native and later raised on Long Island; he aspires to use his skills to enhance the African community. view profile
Published on September 23, 2020
20000 words
Contains mild explicit content ⚠️
Genre: Action & Adventure
Reviewed by
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