Wed Reading Meme
Aug. 2nd, 2017 06:45 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
shadowkat1. What you just finished reading?
Didn't exactly finish it, so much as put it aside. Made it halfway through Americanah when I just had to stop. It's well written. Beautiful passages here and there. And it makes a few interesting and rather profound comments on how our society handles immigration, race and the other. (ie. not very well). But if any of that is a trigger for you, not a good book to read. Particularly if you are struggling with depression and/or anxiety.
Talked to sci-fan co-worker today, who said he'd given up on the series Will because it was just too disturbing, violent and painful. He'd been watching it for the same reason I had been, the process of creating plays, but alas the writers were more interested in the Protestant Inquisition storyline. He'd said he was not reading or watching anything that upset him or irritated him, and after the election had stopped reading the paper or watching the news except for the sports section.
(I'd sort of done the same thing, I do read the NY Times on my phone, but just blurbs, and watch NY1 mainly for weather, rail/road report and Broadway/movie reviews.)
To understand half of this, you'd have to spend time doing what I do for a living and in my workplace, which is...challenging. I do think what we can or can't read or watch has a lot to do with what is happening internally and externally around us. This makes it really difficult to recommend books, tv shows or movies to folks. It also makes it hard to understand why others like what they do.
Americanha is an angry book. And the lead character is difficult to relate to -- because she's somewhat self-absorbed (aren't we all?) but in a way that's a bit unlikeable. She flits from man to man, letting them take care of her, and sort of lives off of them, while complaining about them in her head and being disappointed in them. She cheats on all of them, and teases her first love in Nigeria, whose heart she broke, albeit for understandable reasons. She'd done something that she was ashamed of and had traumatized her and this made it difficult for her to stay in contact with him.
In between the plot of flitting from ill-fated romance to romance, one with a wealthy white guy who takes her exotic places in first class and finds her a job, one with a wealthy black Yale professor, and the guy in Nigeria. Meanwhile she's paid to blog about race relations. (The whole paid to blog thing has always bewildered me. Why pay someone to blog when so many do it for free? Seems silly somehow. It's not like the professional bloggers are all that better than the non-professional ones. I actually prefer the non-professional bloggers, more honest and less polished. I like raw blogging, obviously or I wouldn't be on dreamwidth. Hmmm...hopefully this didn't offend anyone? If so, apologies.) And we get snippets from that blog interspersed within the text. It's a bit jarring in places, and I'm not sure it's needed. If anything...it adds a layer to the already angry and somewhat preachy nature of the text.
Does she say anything new about race and immigration relations in the US and Britain? Not really. At least I already was aware of it. Both countries to varying degrees have the taint of past horrific dealings with race, especially in regards to their deep involvement with and use of the slave trade. If you ever read the book Hamilton or see the musical, in the background is the slavery debate. That was actually a big sticking point between the colonists. And as my mother put it, after reading the book, it comes as no surprise that the US erupted in a Civil War several years later. Heck, the song, Amazing Grace was written by a former slave trader, that was the origin of the song. And it was during Victoria's reign that slavery was abolished in Britain. They'd been participating and promoting and using it in their colonies and elsewhere up to that point. (Hmmm, not sure I'm right about that...going to google it...I am, it was in 1833 with the Slavery Abolition Act. Now, the slave trade from all historical reports was twice as bad as the Holocaust. For one thing it went on longer. Another, they did pretty much all the same things..except they weren't as advanced so no gas chambers, but hey burning people alive and poking their eyes out with pokers was doable. The reason Alexander Hamiliton hated slavery was he saw the horrors of it in Haiti. Some of which are detailed in the book Hamilton.
(OR as far as I made it in that book.)
You'd think after participating in something so horrible, both countries would work their little asses off to make amends. But no. And god, how both treat immigrants...is...well, I already knew about it. Because I went to law school and have interacted with immigration attorneys. Heck Lando told me all about it most of last year and this year. I also know all the reasons why. Part of my job is providing work to immigrants, minorities, women owned businesses, etc. So first hand knowledge of all of this. I see the struggling immigrants daily. I'm immersed in it. So nothing in the book is news to me. I can't do anything about it, at least nothing more than I currently am, which was vote against programs that hurt immigrants, vote against candidates that discriminate against immigrants and minorities, provide work to them (which is harder than you might think and at times crazy inducing), and try to be kind.
So the book began to irritate me and it also made me feel very small, old, and isolated. Alone and friendless. Unloved and unwanted. In a word, depressed. Not a good place to be. So, I decided frak this, I'd read...a book that I recently purchased on sale about super-powered women fighting for a Skuld, one of the Norse Gods. It's not as well written as Americanah, but it is witty, fun, somewhat cathartic...and as far from my life as you can get.
As co-worker stated, read the fun books. I'm sure you're all terribly relieved. No more rants about tribalism and racism and immigration discrimination, and the evil British Empire and evil US government. At least for the time being. Honestly? It's just exhausting. And after reading various negative reviews on Amazon regarding Americanah, I don't think this book changed minds. Anger really doesn't. Nor does ranting. All it does is alienate people, make you feel small and vulnerable and as if you are drowning in your own impotent rage. I kept trying to explain this to people at church in a social justice group I was participating within, but they couldn't hear me.
2. What I'm reading now?
The Unleashing (Call of Crows #1) by Shelly Laurenston
Dying isn't fun, but dying and coming back as a member of a crew of homocidal bitches is really tricky. Kera is grateful for her second chance at life but the conditions that come with it... not so sure. She is too uptight and moral for the group of crazy ladies, otherwise known as the Crows, warrior women that literally bring death everywhere they go and they love it.
The one positive thing about her new life? Her savior who turns out isn't damaged. Vig the Viking is one hot and reliable guy to have around and his helping Kera get used to her new life(among other things) makes things a bit easier for her.
Although so far it's not much of a romance, more a sisterhood. Kera, an ex-US Marine, wakes up with her pit-bull in a house, stark naked. And ends up fighting off a bunch of people with mystical hammers (they work for the God Thor). Bit by bit, her memories return as she's fighting them with her faithful pit-bull at her side, that a) she's dead, b) the Norse God Skuld, one of the Fates has granted her eternal life, along with her dog, in exchange for working for her as one of her Crows, a group of Valkries, c)that some jerk stabbed her to death.
There's lots of snarky banter. Witty fight scenes. No one so far is really killed. And tough as nails women who take no prisoners.
I'm finding it cathartic, as promised by Sarah on SmartBitches...who highly rec'd it on that site.
Is it well written? Eh, probably not. Don't care. It's easy to read on the subway. Doesn't require much concentration. On the Kindle - so bigger print, no headaches. Reading Americanah in printed paperback was a big mistake, plus more expensive than it would have been on the Kindle (I didn't buy it from Amazon but from a regular book store), was giving me headaches with the tiny print. My aging eyes couldn't take it. Here, no issues. Also, subway reading and train reading, actually commute reading in general these days, requires books that don't require too much concentration. Today, for example, I had a conversation between a man and his kid about Moana on one side of me, and loud teens on the other - in Bengali. I hear people talking in Russian and Bengali every day on my commute.
Didn't exactly finish it, so much as put it aside. Made it halfway through Americanah when I just had to stop. It's well written. Beautiful passages here and there. And it makes a few interesting and rather profound comments on how our society handles immigration, race and the other. (ie. not very well). But if any of that is a trigger for you, not a good book to read. Particularly if you are struggling with depression and/or anxiety.
Talked to sci-fan co-worker today, who said he'd given up on the series Will because it was just too disturbing, violent and painful. He'd been watching it for the same reason I had been, the process of creating plays, but alas the writers were more interested in the Protestant Inquisition storyline. He'd said he was not reading or watching anything that upset him or irritated him, and after the election had stopped reading the paper or watching the news except for the sports section.
(I'd sort of done the same thing, I do read the NY Times on my phone, but just blurbs, and watch NY1 mainly for weather, rail/road report and Broadway/movie reviews.)
To understand half of this, you'd have to spend time doing what I do for a living and in my workplace, which is...challenging. I do think what we can or can't read or watch has a lot to do with what is happening internally and externally around us. This makes it really difficult to recommend books, tv shows or movies to folks. It also makes it hard to understand why others like what they do.
Americanha is an angry book. And the lead character is difficult to relate to -- because she's somewhat self-absorbed (aren't we all?) but in a way that's a bit unlikeable. She flits from man to man, letting them take care of her, and sort of lives off of them, while complaining about them in her head and being disappointed in them. She cheats on all of them, and teases her first love in Nigeria, whose heart she broke, albeit for understandable reasons. She'd done something that she was ashamed of and had traumatized her and this made it difficult for her to stay in contact with him.
In between the plot of flitting from ill-fated romance to romance, one with a wealthy white guy who takes her exotic places in first class and finds her a job, one with a wealthy black Yale professor, and the guy in Nigeria. Meanwhile she's paid to blog about race relations. (The whole paid to blog thing has always bewildered me. Why pay someone to blog when so many do it for free? Seems silly somehow. It's not like the professional bloggers are all that better than the non-professional ones. I actually prefer the non-professional bloggers, more honest and less polished. I like raw blogging, obviously or I wouldn't be on dreamwidth. Hmmm...hopefully this didn't offend anyone? If so, apologies.) And we get snippets from that blog interspersed within the text. It's a bit jarring in places, and I'm not sure it's needed. If anything...it adds a layer to the already angry and somewhat preachy nature of the text.
Does she say anything new about race and immigration relations in the US and Britain? Not really. At least I already was aware of it. Both countries to varying degrees have the taint of past horrific dealings with race, especially in regards to their deep involvement with and use of the slave trade. If you ever read the book Hamilton or see the musical, in the background is the slavery debate. That was actually a big sticking point between the colonists. And as my mother put it, after reading the book, it comes as no surprise that the US erupted in a Civil War several years later. Heck, the song, Amazing Grace was written by a former slave trader, that was the origin of the song. And it was during Victoria's reign that slavery was abolished in Britain. They'd been participating and promoting and using it in their colonies and elsewhere up to that point. (Hmmm, not sure I'm right about that...going to google it...I am, it was in 1833 with the Slavery Abolition Act. Now, the slave trade from all historical reports was twice as bad as the Holocaust. For one thing it went on longer. Another, they did pretty much all the same things..except they weren't as advanced so no gas chambers, but hey burning people alive and poking their eyes out with pokers was doable. The reason Alexander Hamiliton hated slavery was he saw the horrors of it in Haiti. Some of which are detailed in the book Hamilton.
(OR as far as I made it in that book.)
You'd think after participating in something so horrible, both countries would work their little asses off to make amends. But no. And god, how both treat immigrants...is...well, I already knew about it. Because I went to law school and have interacted with immigration attorneys. Heck Lando told me all about it most of last year and this year. I also know all the reasons why. Part of my job is providing work to immigrants, minorities, women owned businesses, etc. So first hand knowledge of all of this. I see the struggling immigrants daily. I'm immersed in it. So nothing in the book is news to me. I can't do anything about it, at least nothing more than I currently am, which was vote against programs that hurt immigrants, vote against candidates that discriminate against immigrants and minorities, provide work to them (which is harder than you might think and at times crazy inducing), and try to be kind.
So the book began to irritate me and it also made me feel very small, old, and isolated. Alone and friendless. Unloved and unwanted. In a word, depressed. Not a good place to be. So, I decided frak this, I'd read...a book that I recently purchased on sale about super-powered women fighting for a Skuld, one of the Norse Gods. It's not as well written as Americanah, but it is witty, fun, somewhat cathartic...and as far from my life as you can get.
As co-worker stated, read the fun books. I'm sure you're all terribly relieved. No more rants about tribalism and racism and immigration discrimination, and the evil British Empire and evil US government. At least for the time being. Honestly? It's just exhausting. And after reading various negative reviews on Amazon regarding Americanah, I don't think this book changed minds. Anger really doesn't. Nor does ranting. All it does is alienate people, make you feel small and vulnerable and as if you are drowning in your own impotent rage. I kept trying to explain this to people at church in a social justice group I was participating within, but they couldn't hear me.
2. What I'm reading now?
The Unleashing (Call of Crows #1) by Shelly Laurenston
Dying isn't fun, but dying and coming back as a member of a crew of homocidal bitches is really tricky. Kera is grateful for her second chance at life but the conditions that come with it... not so sure. She is too uptight and moral for the group of crazy ladies, otherwise known as the Crows, warrior women that literally bring death everywhere they go and they love it.
The one positive thing about her new life? Her savior who turns out isn't damaged. Vig the Viking is one hot and reliable guy to have around and his helping Kera get used to her new life(among other things) makes things a bit easier for her.
Although so far it's not much of a romance, more a sisterhood. Kera, an ex-US Marine, wakes up with her pit-bull in a house, stark naked. And ends up fighting off a bunch of people with mystical hammers (they work for the God Thor). Bit by bit, her memories return as she's fighting them with her faithful pit-bull at her side, that a) she's dead, b) the Norse God Skuld, one of the Fates has granted her eternal life, along with her dog, in exchange for working for her as one of her Crows, a group of Valkries, c)that some jerk stabbed her to death.
There's lots of snarky banter. Witty fight scenes. No one so far is really killed. And tough as nails women who take no prisoners.
I'm finding it cathartic, as promised by Sarah on SmartBitches...who highly rec'd it on that site.
Is it well written? Eh, probably not. Don't care. It's easy to read on the subway. Doesn't require much concentration. On the Kindle - so bigger print, no headaches. Reading Americanah in printed paperback was a big mistake, plus more expensive than it would have been on the Kindle (I didn't buy it from Amazon but from a regular book store), was giving me headaches with the tiny print. My aging eyes couldn't take it. Here, no issues. Also, subway reading and train reading, actually commute reading in general these days, requires books that don't require too much concentration. Today, for example, I had a conversation between a man and his kid about Moana on one side of me, and loud teens on the other - in Bengali. I hear people talking in Russian and Bengali every day on my commute.
no subject
Date: 2017-08-03 05:11 pm (UTC)My suggestion would be to go to get your vision tested. At the very least, it's good to have a baseline for any potential vision problems since there are really high odds of developing one as we age. And at best it will turn out that you do need a different prescription and your headaches will go away.