Two Mrs. Gibsons by Toyomi Igus

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Two Mrs. Gibsons was written by Toyomi Igus. She has had a rich and varied writing and communications career. Born Toyomi Lynn Gibson in Iowa City, Iowa, the first child of four from her African American father and Japanese mother, she grew up in Buffalo, New York, and went on to college at Barnard College, Columbia University.[1]   

Summary

The author wrote this book based on her own life experiences. She was tender and touching tribute to the two most important women in her life, her Japanese mother and her African-American grandmother. In it, Toyomi celebrates the richness of growing up biracial. From her grandmother’s big bear hugs to her mother’s light caresses, from playing with her grandmother’s fancy Sunday-meetin’ hats to trying on her mother’s kimono, the author conveys the warmth of these special relationships.[2]

Pros

A veriefied reader under the username of BeatleBangs1964 gave five stars to this book. The reason this book deserved five stars is because the author wrote about the two most important and influential Mesdames Gibsons in her life. One was her mother who was Japanese and the other was her paternal grandmother who was black. She drew beautiful contrasts and cultural bonds between the two women, for example, she describes the Japanese dinners her mother made and the soul southern cooking she enjoyed when she eats with her grandmother. Her mother was delicate and petite, her grandmother was husky and stout. Her mother was known for her quiet anger whereas her grandmother has a booming voice that she also used for singing in church. Both women encouraged the young Toyomi to explore her rich ancestry, her mother has kimonos tied with obi sashes for her to play dress up in and her grandmother had a wide collection of hats she wears to church. Although the two women looked nothing alike and had contrasting expressions, they both loved Toyomi and her father. This book also features a child who is biracial and her two grandmothers who love her very much. [3]

References