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taliaissmart's review
2.0
I liked some of the content, but other parts struck me as gimmicky (especially all the lists). Abani is a talented writer, but some of the essays veer between multiple topics in a confusing and unfocused way.
anetq's review
4.0
Abani meditates on the idea of the face: the image you present to the world as well as the front-facing part of his own head - Ancestry, beliefs, language family and history rolled into one. It is a beautiful book - and beauty itself is more than looks as one can learn here.
lauren_endnotes's review
5.0
Chris Abani's essay is a meditation on his family history, through the lens of his own face - the face of his father, his grandfather... He briefly speaks of the history of his English mother, tracing back to the Norman Conquest, and shifts to the history of his Nigerian father, and the country of his birth and youth. Abani uses humor, mythology, and linguistics to define beauty in a West African context:"In West African thought, compusure creates beauty. Balance. Equanimity. Serenity. The essential nature of a thing...Beauty lies in recognizing and respecting the uniqueness of all things and all people."
I've read all three of The Face series now, and enjoyed each one. After reading Abani's piece, I am eager to read more of his work, particularly his poetry.
I've read all three of The Face series now, and enjoyed each one. After reading Abani's piece, I am eager to read more of his work, particularly his poetry.
2kerrymehome's review
3.0
I loved the last essay best, and the portion on the Yoruba words for beauty. The landscape of his face and the pain and power of it were beautifully told. And I loved the different framing of it in each chapter.
But how are you go write an entire book about your face- about the pain of being your father's son, about ancient tribal legacies and the jokes of your brother- without talking in depth about your mother?! She made you, and suffered the pain of you to be omitted like that? Is the omission intentional? what of her face? Her whiteness doesn't need its own red carpet, but her face's absence in this book was so obvious, especially since she was only described in comparison to other people.
But how are you go write an entire book about your face- about the pain of being your father's son, about ancient tribal legacies and the jokes of your brother- without talking in depth about your mother?! She made you, and suffered the pain of you to be omitted like that? Is the omission intentional? what of her face? Her whiteness doesn't need its own red carpet, but her face's absence in this book was so obvious, especially since she was only described in comparison to other people.
8little_paws's review against another edition
5.0
A short little book for #1 of the year. This memoir covers Chris's relationship with his father, how he is always misidentified by people, Igbo traditions. He cuts right to the heart of things and doesn't waste a word. I would like to read more by this author.