Funny Boy (1994) is a coming-of-age narrative that tells the story of Arjie, a young boy who grapples with his homosexuality and Tamil ethnicity. The story is set on the cusp of the 30-year Sri Lankan Civil War and contains events suggestive of the infamous historical incidents that led to the conflict. The novel’s power lies […]
At a Glance: Funny Boy Read More »
Lawrence Ferlinghetti’s A Coney Island of the Mind is one of my all-time favorite collections of poetry. Firmly situated within the Beat Movement, Ferlinghetti’s writing style is comforting with its melodic prose and Cummings-esque structure. The combination of lyrical lines, originally meant for jazz accompaniment, and cultural references perfectly portray the 1950s and 60s ethos.
At a Glance: A Coney Island of the Mind Read More »
Taiye Selasi’s fictional writing is just as moving as her essays. “They were doers and thinkers and lovers and seekers and givers, but dreamers, most dangerously of all. They were dreamer-women. Very dangerous women. Who looked at the world through their wide dreamer-eyes and saw it not as it was, “brutal, senseless,” etc., but worse,
At a Glance: Ghana Must Go Read More »
“God is a cop with a monkey sidekick, and the monkey sidekick is mankind” (Patricia Lockwood). If taken as a novel, Patricia Lockwood’s Priestdaddy is a great piece, full of fun, farcical prose and fantastical characters. As a memoir, it wasn’t really to my taste, but overall, it was an enjoyable read.
At a Glance: Priestdaddy Read More »
Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie’s short story Zikora delivers a poignant, nuanced narrative about childbirth, love, loss and female relationships. Released yesterday, Zikora tells the story of a high-powered D.C. lawyer of the same name, whose equally successful boyfriend leaves her after she becomes pregnant. With her life turned upside down, she is left alone, save for
Zikora | Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie Read More »
Adichie delivers a poignant, nuanced narrative about childbirth, love, loss and female relationships. Zikora tells the story of a high-powered D.C. lawyer of the same name, whose equally successful boyfriend leaves her after she becomes pregnant. With her life turned upside down, she is left alone, save for her mother, whose rigidity often exacerbates rather than appeases
At a Glance: Zikora Read More »
Written as a letter to his 15-year-old son, Between the World and Me grapples with what it means to be Black in America today. This incredibly potent read distills history, personal anecdotes and reportage to express Coates’ hopes and fears for his son’s future and to appeal to his fellow Americans in general. “How do I live free
At a Glance: Between the World and Me Read More »
Another wonderful collection by Sedaris! I read the second half of Calypso on the train ride to Nuremberg, and luckily, we weren’t in a quiet cabin. I didn’t realize how often I laugh, gasp and sigh over Sedaris’s writing. You truly feel more human after reading him, especially in these socially isolated times.
At a Glance: Calypso Read More »
Min Jin Lee’s Pachinko was by far my favorite read of the summer. I read it in tandem with Masaji Ishikawa’s memoir A River in Darkness: One Man’s Escape from North Korea. Two completely different books, but both grapple with the intersectionality between Korean and Japanese cultures as a consequence of Japanese occupation of Korea. “Living everyday in the presence of
At a Glance: Pachinko Read More »
“Fiction reveals truth that reality obscures.” Ralph Waldo Emerson’s famous assertion has never been more appropriately bestowed upon a novel than on Min Jin Lee’s Pachinko. The book grapples with the intersectionality between Korean and Japanese cultures as a consequence of Japanese occupation of Korea and, shortly afterward, the impact of World War II. The
Pachinko | Min Jin Lee Read More »
