pick
An impactful and emotionally raw depiction of institutional indifference, readers prone to misinterpreting their contributions to reactive rage, and others doubtful of the impact of racism on personal identity will not find an embedded social justice message in this work.
Recently started the tagged book. I like it so far.
#currentlyreading
pick#JuneSpecials Day 2: This book features the village of Tos, in the remote hills of the Cameroons. In the introduction of the author, she described it as “isolated, with no paved roads closer to it than a full eight hours away. None but the most adventurous visitor would dare risk the steep and bumpy, rocky clay paths leading to the thatch-roofed village that clings to the side of an almost extinct volcano.” My review: https://wp.me/pDlzr-Ut
pickThe story follows a Cameroonian immigrant family—Jende Jonga, his wife Neni, and their son—in ‘07-‘08 NYC. Against the backdrop of the economic crisis and Obama‘s election, we see Jende working for better opportunities for himself and his family, as his future becomes more and more entangled with the family for whom he works as a chauffeur. It‘s a fascinating, nuanced take on the American Dream, with the Jonga family‘s struggles set against ⤵️
pick3/5
Written in 1956, it's a novel about the life of a houseboy under colonialism.
From the first pages we learn the tragic end of the houseboy, then we get to read his diary: how he came to be a houseboy, his daily life, etc.
Segregation, hypocrisy, racism, black/white relationships are the main themes.
It's a level B1 read in French, some words/phrases may be difficult for a non-native.
panA very slow read which felt like a slog. Not sure why I finished it as I never quite got invested in the characters as none were likable.
pickThanks to an incredible Audible sale, I recently purchased all of Neil Peart‘s nonfiction books. In this one, Neil joined a group through African villages for one month on his bicycle. The ride itself was physically and mentally challenging, and Neil shares the struggles of bike repairs, long rides up steep hills and treacherous terrain, and searches for food and drink.
Full review at https://abookandadog.com
We enter the library and it's quiet, in that lovely way I remember from the past, when Miriam and I went on Saturdays with Mum, and eventually on my own. First the reading desks and magazine racks, then the rows and rows of books. Children's books, thrillers, archaeology, translated books, English. I don't even know which titles I want to pick up.
