![]() ![]() ![]() The Souls of Black Folk was extraordinary when published and remains a key document of American literature today. Indeed, in 1903, the year he published the book, and the three previous years, an average of 95 African Americans were violently tortured and killed throughout the South, often in a festival-like atmosphere.īorn in 1868 in Great Barrington in far western Massachusetts, of Dutch, African and English ancestry, Du Bois was living in the Deep South, teaching at Atlanta University, when his book was published. It was courageous of Du Bois to address head-on “the problem of the color line” in America at the dawn of the 20 th century - audacious, even dangerous. Actually, “chutzpah” is too light-hearted a word. Du Bois in putting together this collection of essays and sketches. Rereading The Souls of Black Folks, I am struck by the sheer chutzpah of W.E.B. ![]()
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![]() ![]() ![]() Outside the doors of the Muriel household, Madrid is caught up in the wild years of La Movida, the period after Franco’s death when Spain’s ossified social conservatism began to dissolve in a hedonistic wave of creativity and experiment. He appears to be punishing Beatriz for some past transgression, though what it is, the young man does not know. Juan does not understand what lies behind Muriel’s behaviour. The novel takes place in 1980, shortly before divorce was legalised in Spain, and Beatriz appears to be stuck in a relationship that offers her no escape from her misery. Juan becomes an eavesdropper on scenes of discord and abjection, as Muriel torments his wife, Beatriz, verbally abusing her and refusing the slightest hint of affection. Juan (who has the un-Spanish surname De Vere, with its telling linguistic echo of verity, truth) is 23 years old and working as Muriel’s assistant, in which capacity he spends a lot of time at his employer’s home and has a ringside seat at a dreadfully unhappy marriage. The grubbiness in question is the taint of decades of rule by the fascist victors of the civil war, the franquistas who have revenged themselves upon their Republican colleagues and neighbours, leaving many of those not dead or in prison unable to pursue careers or support their families. “This is a grubby c ountry.” So says Eduardo Muriel, a producer of B-movies, to Juan, the narrator of Thus Bad Begins, the latest novel by the revered Spanish writer Javier Marías. ![]() ![]() ![]() She suggests that Rhoda get over her broken heart by dating her first cousin, who is an excellent catch because he owns a tractor. Her eccentric mother is an especially wonderful element here, as she is un-endingly optimistic and a good sport when Rhoda teases her (hilariously). It's clear that writing the memoir helped her to heal, as did the return home. I know, this story sounds really depressing, but Janzen has a wonderful sense of humor woven throughout her book. ![]() In need of some serious comfort and love, she returned home to her parents' house in her hometown and her Mennonite roots. Her bipolar husband left her for a man named Bob he met on Gay.com (seriously), and she was in a terrible accident that left her with severe injuries. ![]() Shortly after turning forty, however, her world fell apart. The author grew up in a Mennonite community in California and was still close to her parents and siblings but left for a secular life in academia years ago. It was worth the wait, and I thoroughly enjoyed this warm, funny memoir. One of the nonfiction books I was excited to get to was Mennonite in a Little Black Dress: A Memoir of Going Home by Rhoda Janzen, a book I bought for myself at least five years ago (maybe longer) that has been patiently waiting on my shelf. I never found time to officially sign up for the Nonfiction November reading challenge, but I did participate in my own way and read almost entirely nonfiction last month (a rarity for me!). ![]() ![]() ![]() Her brother Skeetah is sneaking scraps for his prized pitbull's new litter, dying one by one in the dirt. ![]() Lately, Esch can't keep down what food she gets she's fourteen and pregnant. Esch and her three brothers are stocking food, but there isn't much to save. A hard drinker, largely absent, he doesn't show concern for much else. Jesmyn Ward, two-time National Book Award winner and author of Sing, Unburied, Sing, delivers a gritty but tender novel about family and poverty in the days leading up to Hurricane Katrina.Ī hurricane is building over the Gulf of Mexico, threatening the coastal town of Bois Sauvage, Mississippi, and Esch's father is growing concerned. ![]() |