Hi friends,
There are some books you finish and immediately want to put into someone else’s hands. Bsrat Mezghebe’s debut novel, I Hope You Find What You’re Looking For, is one of those books for me.
Released on February 10th via Liveright Publishing, the book is the second novel published as part of the Well-Read Black Girl series. Set in 1991 in Washington, D.C., it follows three women in an Eritrean-American family on the brink of Eritrea’s independence from Ethiopia.
Thirteen-year-old Lydia and her family are grappling with what peace after decades of war might mean for their future, just as they welcome Berekhet, a distant cousin newly arrived from Ethiopia to attend medical school in the States. Meanwhile, her mother Elsa, a former rebel fighter, and family matriarch Mama Zewdi must reckon with regrets long buried in the years their country has been at war. And Lydia, emboldened by Berekhet, becomes committed to uncovering the secrets of her and her mother’s past, including the truth about her father, who was martyred in the war.
I got a chance to speak with Bsrat about her debut, the importance of sharing this story, what being a Well-Read Black Girl means to her, and so much more. Below, you can find a few takeaways from our conversation, and you can watch the full interview here on Substack — also on YouTube, which I’m trying to figure out. Additionally, you can listen to the interview on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube Podcasts or Pocketcasts.
On being a Well-Read Black Girl
Bsrat’s book is part of the Well-Read Black Girl imprint, founded by Glory Edim, and when I asked her what being a Well-Read Black Girl means to her, as well as that community, her answer stayed with me.
“I think it starts with natural curiosity. There’s no coincidence that people who are naturally curious about the world tend to be readers, and the more curious you are, the more empathetic you are. That’s at the core of reading. And what I love about Well-Read Black girls and women specifically is that the art of reading, of being curious about other people’s stories, is about making space for everyone to be centered. That’s not always a privilege granted to us, but I think it’s really lovely that, as Black women readers, we understand we can make space for learning about so many cultures and stories. It’s very natural for us to come from a place of empathy and understanding.”
She also spoke beautifully about Glory Edim’s journey, from building the Well-Read Black Girl community to partnering with Liveright to get more Black women writers published.
“She’s a bridge builder,” Bsrat said. “She builds homes, communities and worlds. She started by wanting a space to celebrate Black women writers, then got into the publishing industry, because that’s really how you get more Black women writers out there. You can’t avoid it—you have to get involved and she did.”
On what made her write this story
Bsrat came to writing during what she describes as a quarter-life crisis in her mid-to-late twenties. She grew up in DC inside a tight-knit Eritrean community, at the tail end of the 30-year war for Eritrean independence from Ethiopia. The stories she heard from her parents and their community were, in her words, “beautiful, hilarious, tragic” and she knew she had to capture some of them.
But there was also urgency behind it. “Part of the urgency came from being an elder millennial. Our parents are getting older, getting sick. We're losing them. Me and my friends have always felt this tick, tick, tick — we have to start capturing these stories before we can't anymore,” she said.
The three women at the heart of the novel came to her almost mysteriously. “I don’t know why these three women chose me—creativity is a mystical thing and I feel like they did. Zewdi especially came to me and stole my heart. This older woman who never married and never had children, turning 50, imagining what the rest of her life will look like. I wanted to see where her story would take me, and I brought everyone along for the ride.”
On the title of the book
The title, I Hope You Find What You’re Looking For, was actually found by Bsrat’s agent, who went back through the manuscript pulling out lines that could work after Bsrat’s original title wasn’t landing with the team. The line comes from a specific moment between Berekhet and Lydia, when she pours her heart out to him about her quest to uncover the truth about her father, and he responds with those words.
“The line applies to everyone,” Bsrat told me. “They’re all on this journey. And what we’re looking for changes depending on where we are in life. At a high level, and at the risk of sounding cheesy, they all find themselves.”
There is so much more in our full conversation, including Bsrat’s thoughts on what it costs to truly be part of a community, the music she wrote the book to, her book recommendations, and a very good story about a Digital Underground lyric that didn’t make the final cut. It’s a conversation I think you’ll really enjoy.
Before you head out, here are a few recommendations for the week:
My friend Maddy Brady started a new newsletter, Mad About It with Maddy that will be a mix of marketing tips, Bravo gems, and everything in between. I’m excited about it because it’s going to be good I know. Be sure to subscribe.
I really like the song “Cha Cha Cha” on Bruno Mars’ new album, The Romantic. It makes me want to go dancing in a red dress for whatever reason.
On Saturday, I finished reading Judy Blume: A Life by Mark Oppenheimer and felt very indifferent about it. While I thought it gave a good amount of detail about Judy and her life, I didn’t walk away with many thoughts. I will say though, this could be because I am still living in the afterglow of Kin by Tayari Jones.
Everette Taylor on what it’s like to lead a company with a four-day work week for the New York Times.
Paradise is finally back on Hulu and I am hooked all the way in.
