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3.76 AVERAGE
3.76 AVERAGE
reflective
slow-paced
informative
reflective
slow-paced
It’s an incredible thing to see yourself represented, and I genuinely hope for that for all of you. Seeing an Indian-American dark-skinned professor who is a travel writer and activist felt like a dream to me. It felt like a miracle to see a book written about the exact thoughts that spin around my mind daily. Anu Taranath’s story is my story, and in a few decades, she is who I hope to be. I felt seen when Taranath talked about her Indian “homecoming,” or traveling while being dark skinned.
I picked this book up for answers. I am often consumed by the guilt of having so much more than so many people around the world, and this year, it has made me seriously question if I want to continue traveling. But this guilt helps no one. We must breathe into our discomfort and stay present in the moment instead of floating away, ashamed by our place in this world. Instead of turning away from them, we must open our eyes and ears to people’s stories around the world, and thus give them the respect they deserve.
We have to take what we learn abroad about inequalities, and apply it into our everyday lives back home, Taranath argued. We have to be just as aware of and engaged in the injustices in our own community. There cannot be a disconnect – common oppressors control the globe.
I do believe this is a very valuable book, I would recommend it for example to study abroad organizers. There are introspective questions added generously throughout that everyone, and especially those who are traveling to the Global South, would benefit from. However, it was quite repetitive, and I think Taranath should have cut down. There was no need to go so far to drive her points home. Additionally, at times the book felt like it was written for someone who thinks about race much less than me – some points seemed obvious.
I picked this book up for answers. I am often consumed by the guilt of having so much more than so many people around the world, and this year, it has made me seriously question if I want to continue traveling. But this guilt helps no one. We must breathe into our discomfort and stay present in the moment instead of floating away, ashamed by our place in this world. Instead of turning away from them, we must open our eyes and ears to people’s stories around the world, and thus give them the respect they deserve.
We have to take what we learn abroad about inequalities, and apply it into our everyday lives back home, Taranath argued. We have to be just as aware of and engaged in the injustices in our own community. There cannot be a disconnect – common oppressors control the globe.
I do believe this is a very valuable book, I would recommend it for example to study abroad organizers. There are introspective questions added generously throughout that everyone, and especially those who are traveling to the Global South, would benefit from. However, it was quite repetitive, and I think Taranath should have cut down. There was no need to go so far to drive her points home. Additionally, at times the book felt like it was written for someone who thinks about race much less than me – some points seemed obvious.
adventurous
challenging
hopeful
informative
reflective
medium-paced
informative
inspiring
reflective
fast-paced
challenging
hopeful
informative
reflective
medium-paced
“I would say that it is not our tongues that need to be tamed: rather, it is our ears that need to be tuned.” 👌
My office read this book together earlier this year and I am humble enough to admit that nothing I will write here even comes close to the thoughtfulness exhibited in an hour of conversation with my colleagues. However!!! I am still going to post here in an effort to move the conversation into this space!!
BEYOND GUILT TRIPS is a book that explores the ways university students are left unprepared to navigate moments abroad when they are confronted by the weight of power and history and their role in it all.
I deeply appreciate that the scenarios Anu Taranath shares in this book are ones that she herself struggled with as they are situations that resist easy answers. (Ex. the agarbatti spinner/carcinogen story. 🥺) However, it is a *little* discouraging to witness the author, who is so thoughtful in thinking about race, development, and global imperialism, often get paralyzed by a moment. But hey, it is those paralyzing conversations we need to talk about, not just easy scenarios.
I have been putting off the final three chapters of this book for a month now which is a shame as they contained beautiful reflections on finding joy to balance against criticality. 🥺💖 Highly recommend for those in the international ed field.
This book gave me a lot to reflect on regarding my experiences abroad and how I handled certain cultural differences (some well, some less well). Although I think reading it on my own was worthwhile, I think this would be more effective in a discussion setting. People who travel abroad, particularly those who go for school or service work, would do well to engage in these ideas.
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
fast-paced