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slelswick 's review for:
Out of Africa and Shadows on the Grass
by Isak Dinesen
What to say about this book? Yeah, sure, parts of it are great. There are some great one liners. Keen observations or wonderfully written descriptions about the landscape of Kenya. Her tribute to her lover Denys Finch Hatton was beautiful. However. And this a big however worth paying attention to, the book is riddled with racism. Chapter after chapter, Dinesen constantly compares "the Natives" to animals. It's derogatory. It's painful to read. Yeah sure, Dinesen's attitude is one of a very priveledged white woman and western European colonizer--this is certainly reflected in the text over and over again. But why should that be excused as "context for the era"?
It shouldn't. Overall, Dinesen spends very little time sharing her struggles about running a coffee plantation in Kenya and more time objectifying and belittling the Kenyan people, all the while propping herself up as superior. It's painful to read. This book should not be lauded as a masterpiece.
It shouldn't. Overall, Dinesen spends very little time sharing her struggles about running a coffee plantation in Kenya and more time objectifying and belittling the Kenyan people, all the while propping herself up as superior. It's painful to read. This book should not be lauded as a masterpiece.