The Other Americans|
Laila Lalami writes a unique book of many perspectives that is as much about the inciting incident;the murder of an immigrant business owner in a hit and run, as it is about otherness, belonging, and what finding one's place really means.
March was a trying month, but books came to the rescue, as always.
Here are the 5 titles that helped me spark joy :
- Purple Hibiscus by @chimamanda_adichie
(This might be my 9th, 10th read? I've lost count. I just really, really like this book. I have since I first read it at 15. Fingers crossed we see a show made from it someday.
P. S Currently reading "Dream Count". Slowly. I hate rushing good things.)
- The Anatomy of flying things Edited by All well Uwazuruike, Confidence Uwazuruike, Munachim Amah
(I really, really enjoyed this book. More than I thought I would (yes, I did that weird thing of judging a book by its cover, shame on me, lol) But this was delightful. Every story was distinct and haunting in its own brilliant way. I recommend.)
- The Unworthy by @agustinabazterrica
(Ohhhh, she's brilliant. Her books are fantastically unsettling, mostly set in dystopian futures but I love them. You should read "Tender is the flesh".)
- Sugar by @bernicelmcfadden
(Lovely read. If you're a fan of Afro-American literature like I am, you'll love this. Reminds me a little of Sula by Toni Morrison)
- News from Home by Sefi Atta
(Sefi Atta is a joy, as always. And so unexpectedly funny! Loved the humor in her writing and the depth of her characters. A brilliance.)
Book Title : Pandora's Jar : Women in the Greek Myths
Format : Audio book
Blurb : The tellers of Greek myths—historically men—have routinely sidelined the female characters. When they do take a larger role, women are often portrayed as monstrous, vengeful or just plain evil—like Pandora, the woman of eternal scorn and damnation whose curiosity is tasked with causing all the world’s suffering and wickedness when she opened that forbidden box.
In Pandora’s Jar, the broadcaster, writer, stand-up comedian, and passionate classicist turns the tables, putting the women of the Greek myths on an equal footing with the men. With wit, humor, and savvy, Haynes revolutionizes our understanding of epic poems, stories, and plays, resurrecting them from a woman’s perspective and tracing the origins of their mythic female characters. She looks at women such as Jocasta, Oedipus’ mother-turned-lover-and-wife (turned Freudian sticking point), at once the cleverest person in the story and yet often unnoticed. She considers Helen of Troy, whose marriage to Paris “caused” the Trojan war—a somewhat uneven response to her decision to leave her husband for another man. She demonstrates how the vilified Medea was like an ancient Beyonce—getting her revenge on the man who hurt and betrayed her, if by extreme measures. And she turns her eye to Medusa, the original monstered woman, whose stare turned men to stone, but who wasn’t always a monster, and had her hair turned to snakes as punishment for being raped... - Amazon Books
My thoughts : What if we've been judging Pandora rather unfairly? What if Eurydice did not want to be return from the underworld? What if Helen of Troy was just an unwitting pun in a terrible game played by selfish gods? Pandora's Jar was delightful to listen to. The book takes a multi- faceted, feminist look at certain women in Greek Mythology, asks questions and encourages us to consider a different perspective to their stories from the ones we're familiar with. You will never look at the women (and the men) of Greek Mythology the same way again.
Book Title : Season of Crimson Blossoms
Book Blurb : An illicit affair between a middle aged widow and a much younger weed dealer and political thug provide the comfort that they both desperately need, but raises more than a few eyebrows in a conservative Muslim community when they are discovered.
My thoughts : I've read this book about three times now, and I think what strikes me the most everytime is how tragedy unfolded because people could not let others simply be.
Stay with me by Ayobami Adebayo
Blurb : Yejide is looking for a miracle, for a child. It is all her husband wants, all her mother-in-law wants, and she has tried everything- ardous pilgrimages, medical consultations, dances with prophets, appeals to God. But when her in-laws insist upon a new wife, it is too much for Yejide to bear. It will lead to jealousy, betrayal and despair.
My thoughts : Stay with me is a beautiful, moving story. The tale is familiar; a story of a woman seeking desperately for a child in a society that considers childlessness the exclusive fault of a woman.
Ayobami weaves the story in an unexpected direction of a choice that will shock many, but can also be understood. I liked that for once the protagonist shows that a woman does not have to remain long suffering, but has a choice no matter how unpalatable or strange that choice might seem. In this story, Human beings are fluid; a mother runs out of love, a good husband is a liar and a deciever and love is not enough. There is betrayal, love, loss, lust and hope, all mixed into a deliciously, unforgettable tale. In the words of writer Jennifer Makumbi " Ayobami Adebayo is an astounding storyteller..."
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