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4.04 AVERAGE
4.04 AVERAGE
I learned that history, esp. of colonialism/imperialism, stains anything it touches for ever and ever... that the true success of colonization is marked by how much the colonial subjects internalize the gaze of otherness. I also learned that I really like how the words operate in this book to make ugly seem beautiful.
"This was the way she was, persistently seeing and drawing attention to things you would rather not talk about; shredding to bits with her sharp wit the things she thought we could do without, even if everybody else thought they were important. People like me thought she was odd and rather superior in intangible ways. Peripheral adults like her teachers thought she was a genius and encouraged this aspect of her. But her mother and father were worried about her development."
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Racism, Colonisation
Amazing amazing book. If you have any interest in learning why Africa is the way it is, and the struggles that its leaders have gone through to get to where they are now, you will enjoy this.
I loved this character in all her glorious courage and chutzpah. Living the life you are called to live should be an option for everyone. It often is not, depending on when and where you are born and who you are. We should never accept that as the status quo.
challenging
emotional
informative
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
As an American, this was a difficult couple of weeks to be reading this… takes place in the ‘60s-‘70s… written in the late ‘80s… and still so much the same.
Rhodesia (aka Zambia and Zimbabwe)
Rhodesia (aka Zambia and Zimbabwe)
Content Warnings
Graphic: Domestic abuse
Moderate: Eating disorder, Misogyny
Too understated for me, nothing happened!! Was thought-provoking at points and easy enough to read. The passive main character was nowhere near as interesting as her cousin Nyasha, whose voice I would rather have heard instead.
challenging
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Wow, this one was extremely affecting. The forces that oppress these women, be it poverty, patriarchy, family, colonialism etc, are rendered so effectively by Dangarembga that I felt the suffocation in the prose.
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No