Crimson Footprints by Shewanda Pugh
4.5 stars 
Genre: New Adult/ Contemporary RomanceMulti-Cultural
Book Links: Amazon/ Barnes and Noble/ Smashwords
BOOK REVIEW
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Normally when I do a review on a Romance novel I speak mainly of the two main characters, who in this book are Deena (biracial female) and Takumi (Japanese American), but Crimson Footprints is more than their love story. It’s about how Deena deals with the hand she is dealt, being raised by her Black grandmother in Miami’s inner city. For Takumi, it’s about growing up with traditional Japanese parents in a modern day American environment. The story mainly focuses on their story, but it also spends a great deal of time with Deena’s little sister, Lizzie. who is overlooked and in need of support. Let’s start with Deena and Takumi, it’s tragic on how these two meet but it seems to be destined. Deena is one the most talented architect in the county, working double time in school and focusing to get out of the ugly cycle of poverty. Out of all of her family on her father’s side, she is the most educationally accomplished. But, she is constantly greeted with thoughts from her family that she is not true to her culture, that she ‘acts white’ and that pertains to her education and work success or maybe there own insecurities.
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“What’s a shell? It’s just a-a hard, protective outer layer. The same is true with family. They’re an outer layer, a protection from the world. As least that’s what they’re supposed to be.”-Takumi
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My impression of this book is that is it not a light read; I would suggest to be ready to ask yourself questions on what you would do if this was you. Coming from someone who is used to reading fast New Adult reads, this book makes you slow down and think.
*Spoiler Alert*
There was a lot of Deena’s story that I could relate with, being raised in a traditional Baptist home with a grandmother who is a pillar of the church. Grandmother was used to getting what she wanted when she asked for it, demanded respect, and was not afraid to tell you how to treat her. I could tell the author did her homework with Takumi’s traditional Japanese culture, I learned about their customs on family and exceptions of their offspring which I found very interesting. I also thought the whole we-can’t-tell-my-family-after-THREE-YEARS-of-dating was WAY over the top. But fortunately I liked how the story ended although I wish there was a happy ending for her sister, but maybe in the sequel the author will address her story.
You can find more books by Shewanda Pugh wrote at shewandapugh.blogspot.com or post a review of her work on goodreads. Please note that she has discussion questions for book clubs on her site, which focus on your impression of the book and that lead to good discussions regarding the highs and lows of interracial marriage. In Crimson Footprints there are good arguments on both sides and the author leaves it up to you to make that discussion for yourself.
Check out the Sequel:
About the Author:
Follow the author at:
Wesite: http://www.shewandapugh.blogspot.com
Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/4906321.Shewanda_Pugh
Twitter: @ShewandaP
