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melanie_reads 's review for:
White Tears
by Hari Kunzru
I'm giving this book 4.25 stars with the caveat that it isn't for everyone, but I loved it and know that it will stay with me for awhile.
What is the relationship between the musician and the listener? Does it matter who is alive and who is dead? What is the relationship between the prison industrial-complex of today and blues music of the 1920s & 30s? I read another reviewer say this book is not what you think it's about and I agree. This book is not what you think it's about at all. It is about so much more.
If you are a music lover who has ever tried to explain what it means to experience music to someone who doesn't get it, this book is for you. If you struggle with the the cultural appropriation of blues music and the lack of both monetary and in-person respect for the African-American artists who created it, this book is for you.
Kunzru's writing style may be difficult for some - there's a lot of craziness near the end and I admit I was confused at times. My interpretation of this craziness is that Kunzru was using it as a literary device to illustrate the compression of time and the relationship between recent history and today.
Our narrator Seth leaves something to be desired - weak, whiny and lost in the world. But he serves his purpose here.
This is both a re-freshing take on white privilege and a tale as old as America.
What is the relationship between the musician and the listener? Does it matter who is alive and who is dead? What is the relationship between the prison industrial-complex of today and blues music of the 1920s & 30s? I read another reviewer say this book is not what you think it's about and I agree. This book is not what you think it's about at all. It is about so much more.
If you are a music lover who has ever tried to explain what it means to experience music to someone who doesn't get it, this book is for you. If you struggle with the the cultural appropriation of blues music and the lack of both monetary and in-person respect for the African-American artists who created it, this book is for you.
Kunzru's writing style may be difficult for some - there's a lot of craziness near the end and I admit I was confused at times. My interpretation of this craziness is that Kunzru was using it as a literary device to illustrate the compression of time and the relationship between recent history and today.
Our narrator Seth leaves something to be desired - weak, whiny and lost in the world. But he serves his purpose here.
This is both a re-freshing take on white privilege and a tale as old as America.