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4.03 AVERAGE
4.03 AVERAGE
dark
reflective
sad
tense
Going into this knowing this is somewhat of a parody or a subversion of tropes is interesting. My first expectation was that this was going to tell a story that validates and lionizes the witchiness, the blackness, the womanhood of Tituba. Perhaps a moralistic heroic book, that would show her winning out over her oppressors.
What we get is on one hand a myth more in lines with the odyssey, someone cursed to experience a series of horrible things, getting further from home, before eventually making it back and having to face the music there as well. Her curse is one of systemic oppression, being born at the wrong time in the wrong place.
On the other hand this book is very personal feeling and dives frequently into her personal nuances and experiences trying to figure out what is right or wrong, her struggle with her lack of agency or agency in turn, and trying to determine if people are evil or worth loving.
In both cases these feel like reflections of the reality that Condé was experiencing herself. Seeing the systemic racism in the US and the world and recognizing black folk and women are still being oppressed, while relating her personal experience loving some men and white people, even as they abused her from positions of privilege, arrogance and ignorance.
If you're expecting a feminist witchy text that spits on all the men, ups women, and takes a hard line on moral truths, this is not the book you're looking for.
It's dealing with the struggles. How can I love someone who hurts me or treats me poorly at times? Am I worse for letting my carnal desires take the lead? Can I get by with only care and loving people or is violence warranted? How can I live with my own violent acts of the past? How do I carry over and pass on knowledge, care and purpose while feeling like its hopeless to bring children into the world?
The I in the title "I, Tituba" (originally intended without the black witch of salem), serves to indicate the personal nature of this story and the struggles Tituba experiences, the basic nature of the story being written as a first-person account, and also to reflect the author's own experiences in the world, transferring herself onto the character, and vice versa.
I found the book initially a bit offputting in its simplistic format of personal history that is quite drawn-out and then quite depressing as she faces trial after trial, frequently horrible and horrendous.
In the end though I think it is quite interesting to see such a nuanced perspective. Tituba isn't supposed to be a role model by the author's own admission, but she is still supposed to be seen as a hero and someone worth reading about. A black woman, faults and worries and uncertainty and all, is worth reading about, she's valuable and deserves a history.
I wish the book were a bit easier to like, and a bit easier to get through, but maybe I don't deserve that, considering what other people have to go through.
⭐⭐⭐✨
Trigger warnings: Slavery, Rape, Murder, Sexual Assault, Child Death, Femicide, Burnings, Hangings, specific brutal descriptions.
What we get is on one hand a myth more in lines with the odyssey, someone cursed to experience a series of horrible things, getting further from home, before eventually making it back and having to face the music there as well. Her curse is one of systemic oppression, being born at the wrong time in the wrong place.
On the other hand this book is very personal feeling and dives frequently into her personal nuances and experiences trying to figure out what is right or wrong, her struggle with her lack of agency or agency in turn, and trying to determine if people are evil or worth loving.
In both cases these feel like reflections of the reality that Condé was experiencing herself. Seeing the systemic racism in the US and the world and recognizing black folk and women are still being oppressed, while relating her personal experience loving some men and white people, even as they abused her from positions of privilege, arrogance and ignorance.
If you're expecting a feminist witchy text that spits on all the men, ups women, and takes a hard line on moral truths, this is not the book you're looking for.
It's dealing with the struggles. How can I love someone who hurts me or treats me poorly at times? Am I worse for letting my carnal desires take the lead? Can I get by with only care and loving people or is violence warranted? How can I live with my own violent acts of the past? How do I carry over and pass on knowledge, care and purpose while feeling like its hopeless to bring children into the world?
The I in the title "I, Tituba" (originally intended without the black witch of salem), serves to indicate the personal nature of this story and the struggles Tituba experiences, the basic nature of the story being written as a first-person account, and also to reflect the author's own experiences in the world, transferring herself onto the character, and vice versa.
I found the book initially a bit offputting in its simplistic format of personal history that is quite drawn-out and then quite depressing as she faces trial after trial, frequently horrible and horrendous.
In the end though I think it is quite interesting to see such a nuanced perspective. Tituba isn't supposed to be a role model by the author's own admission, but she is still supposed to be seen as a hero and someone worth reading about. A black woman, faults and worries and uncertainty and all, is worth reading about, she's valuable and deserves a history.
I wish the book were a bit easier to like, and a bit easier to get through, but maybe I don't deserve that, considering what other people have to go through.
⭐⭐⭐✨
Trigger warnings: Slavery, Rape, Murder, Sexual Assault, Child Death, Femicide, Burnings, Hangings, specific brutal descriptions.
challenging
funny
hopeful
inspiring
sad
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I liked it. i’ve freewritten about it twice and have to write a short essay for my thesis so not going to give my extensive thoughts here but it was a good read
Esta historia “parte real, parte ficticia” nos cuenta la vida de Tituba, una de las mujeres acusadas de brujería el año 1692 en los llamados “Juicios de Salem”.
Narrado en primera persona y utilizando un relato íntimo y cercano, esta carismática mujer nos cuenta sus miedos, sus sueños y como enfrentó un mundo lleno de discriminación y violencia, psicológica y sexual, dejando grandes heridas en su interior. La acompañamos desde sus inicios como curandera en su lejana Barbuda y su paso por los famosos e insólitos juicios.
Pero Maryse Condé no solo nos enseña la vida de Tituba. Nos muestra el sentir de una parte de esa sociedad y cómo las mujeres esclavas de fines del siglo XVII, sobrevivían en una localidad religiosa en extremo, ultraconservadora, y al mismo tiempo racista y bastante hipócrita con el prójimo. Un buen relato que por momentos es duro, pero por otros se llena de esperanza, amor y uno que otro elemento un tanto “sobrenatural” (o mágicos por así decirlo) invitando a la reflexión.
Un buen libro, relativamente corto, que habla de una vida de lucha en momentos históricos difíciles de creer. Una agradable sorpresa.
Narrado en primera persona y utilizando un relato íntimo y cercano, esta carismática mujer nos cuenta sus miedos, sus sueños y como enfrentó un mundo lleno de discriminación y violencia, psicológica y sexual, dejando grandes heridas en su interior. La acompañamos desde sus inicios como curandera en su lejana Barbuda y su paso por los famosos e insólitos juicios.
Pero Maryse Condé no solo nos enseña la vida de Tituba. Nos muestra el sentir de una parte de esa sociedad y cómo las mujeres esclavas de fines del siglo XVII, sobrevivían en una localidad religiosa en extremo, ultraconservadora, y al mismo tiempo racista y bastante hipócrita con el prójimo. Un buen relato que por momentos es duro, pero por otros se llena de esperanza, amor y uno que otro elemento un tanto “sobrenatural” (o mágicos por así decirlo) invitando a la reflexión.
Un buen libro, relativamente corto, que habla de una vida de lucha en momentos históricos difíciles de creer. Una agradable sorpresa.
Historias como las de Tituba deben ser contadas. Conocer el pasado de la sociedad para entender el presente. La autora utiliza algo de ficción en la novela pero no dudaría que pudo haber sido de esa manera.
Romanzo storico tratto da un vero processo di streghe avvenuto a Salem nel 1600, La protagonista Tituba è una schiava accusata di stregoneria.
La storia ha qualcosa di molto toccante ed è scritta molto molto bene. Ambientazione storia credibile anche se non super approfondita.
Mi hanno fatto storcere il naso alcune forzature, principalmente inserire la parola “femminismo” in bocca ad una puritana del 1600. Inoltre alcune frasi se pure bellissime non possono essere pronunciate da schiavi spesso tenuti in condizioni di ignoranza più totale. Insomma la pecca più grande secondo me del romanzo è aver modernizzato troppo la storia, forse nel tentativo di dargli una “morale” più spiccata e palese.
La storia ha qualcosa di molto toccante ed è scritta molto molto bene. Ambientazione storia credibile anche se non super approfondita.
Mi hanno fatto storcere il naso alcune forzature, principalmente inserire la parola “femminismo” in bocca ad una puritana del 1600. Inoltre alcune frasi se pure bellissime non possono essere pronunciate da schiavi spesso tenuti in condizioni di ignoranza più totale. Insomma la pecca più grande secondo me del romanzo è aver modernizzato troppo la storia, forse nel tentativo di dargli una “morale” più spiccata e palese.
Writing was good, Conde is a good storyteller. Tituba is an endearing character, you feel for her always wanting to see good and use her powers for good, even in the face of so much tragedy and misfortune. This gets her into trouble on more than one occasion.
3 stars because I’m not sure what this book is meant to be. It’s “historical” in that there was a Tituba, but little is known about her outside of very little mention in historical texts. Conde makes it up and uses it to relate to modern day, even using terms like ‘feminist’ which didn’t exist in the late 17th century. The term comes about as Tituba meets Hester Prynne in a prison outside of Salem, Massachusetts. Huh, you ask? Yes this is the kind of thing that happens in this book, so contributed to my confusion.
Again, writing was fine but odd to use a historical figure to relate it to an agenda. She notes not much has changed from Puritan times, which I’m pretty sure anyone who’s read history would vehemently disagree with. The Salem witch trials make for an interesting topic, just not sure how much this actually relates.
3 stars because I’m not sure what this book is meant to be. It’s “historical” in that there was a Tituba, but little is known about her outside of very little mention in historical texts. Conde makes it up and uses it to relate to modern day, even using terms like ‘feminist’ which didn’t exist in the late 17th century. The term comes about as Tituba meets Hester Prynne in a prison outside of Salem, Massachusetts. Huh, you ask? Yes this is the kind of thing that happens in this book, so contributed to my confusion.
Again, writing was fine but odd to use a historical figure to relate it to an agenda. She notes not much has changed from Puritan times, which I’m pretty sure anyone who’s read history would vehemently disagree with. The Salem witch trials make for an interesting topic, just not sure how much this actually relates.
fast-paced
dark
emotional
reflective
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Astonishing!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Racial slurs, Racism, Sexism, Sexual violence, Violence, Blood, Murder