To build a hospital and village out of nothing is an incredible achievement. To sustain it through drought, famine, civil war, paramilitary group attaTo build a hospital and village out of nothing is an incredible achievement. To sustain it through drought, famine, civil war, paramilitary group attacks and more takes a lifetime. I think the 90,000 lives changed estimate is too low, because her daughters continue her work and the domino-like positive impact is impossible to quantify....more
**spoiler alert** Ramatoulaye was a very strong woman. People kept being uncaring to her, but she chose to not pass it along to others. She recognized**spoiler alert** Ramatoulaye was a very strong woman. People kept being uncaring to her, but she chose to not pass it along to others. She recognized that her new co-wife was a child manipulated by her mother and new husband. When her husband dies, Ramatoulaye doesn't marry the man who comes knocking at her door from her past. She doesn't want to pass on the hurt that she experienced when her husband married someone new by coming between him and his family. She does her best with all her children even as they navigate a world very different from the one she grew up in. When her daughter Aissatou becomes pregnant, she doesn't rail at her and berate her. She gives her comfort and helps her figure out a way forward....more
The idea is that a group of people who are starved to the brink and then come into contact with missionaries can easily forget their traditions. I wouThe idea is that a group of people who are starved to the brink and then come into contact with missionaries can easily forget their traditions. I would have preferred the book to end with actual anthropological study instead of a European obsessed with human sacrifice, but I guess the author's point is that part is often left unwritten in reality too. ...more
**spoiler alert** This is a story about a woman coming to respect herself no matter what her in-laws, her husband, her mother, or her friends tell her**spoiler alert** This is a story about a woman coming to respect herself no matter what her in-laws, her husband, her mother, or her friends tell her. Afi will not sacrifice her happiness to uphold a fake-ideal family picture. Her husband cheats so she leaves. Simple as that. She also doesn't blame the woman, Muna. Muna did nothing wrong. She fell in love with Eli and his family hated that she wouldn't dance to their tune, so they tried to replace her with Afi. They called Muna manish because she had a backbone. They called Afi unreasonable because she wanted a marriage and not a lie. ...more
**spoiler alert** This book was hard to read, because there is so much trauma seeping through every page. The best example of it is Aster. I started o**spoiler alert** This book was hard to read, because there is so much trauma seeping through every page. The best example of it is Aster. I started out pitying her because she was a woman who lost her son and so she abused the little girl brought into her home. Then the story reveals her past. She was a child bride raped into a twisted version of womanhood. She cannot stand the little girl Hirut, not only because she came on the anniversary of her son's death, but also because Hirut's a little older than Aster was when she was "married." She's worried, turns out for good reason, that her husband is trying to replace her. Instead of turning her anger on her abuser-husband, Aster directs it at the one in her power and whips Hirut when she steals the wedding necklace Kidane wore on their "wedding" night. The characters are very complex, but I don't know if I can rate this higher than a 3. If it stays with me, I will come back and rate it higher....more
I thought given the number of 19th and early 20th century British novels that I've read for school or otherwise that this witty travelogue novel wouldI thought given the number of 19th and early 20th century British novels that I've read for school or otherwise that this witty travelogue novel would elicit a chuckle. No, it's not my sense of humor. However, I did appreciate the critiques of hypocritical British Imperialism. ...more
The best kind of historical fiction grounded in facts, but with lifelike characters who realistically just happen to witness it all unfolding before tThe best kind of historical fiction grounded in facts, but with lifelike characters who realistically just happen to witness it all unfolding before them. Aboulela told the story of Sunday moving from Ottoman control to Mahdi control to British control. ...more
I don't think I've ever read an art book like this, and now I think I should more often. The centerpiece of this book were the photographs of LaetitiaI don't think I've ever read an art book like this, and now I think I should more often. The centerpiece of this book were the photographs of Laetitia Ky's incredible hair artwork, hence the 5/5. I looked her up on instagram and she also does paintings, which I hope she will include in a future work. Each picture or series of pictures was accompanied by a bit about the work itself or what inspired it. Her work is genuinely thought-provoking, and I'm glad I found her through the Read Around the World Challenge....more
You know when you read something and you begin to realize how much you don't know that you don't know? That's this book. Abstractly, I would have saidYou know when you read something and you begin to realize how much you don't know that you don't know? That's this book. Abstractly, I would have said, yeah, being the first African student with a degenerative disability to be admitted to the University of Oxford sounds challenging. However, obviously, in hindsight, the challenges I could imagine are only the most obvious ones at the tip of the iceberg. It's incredibly important to hear diverse perspectives.
I think this section of the book summarizes it the best, "Three helped put the frustration and discontent I'd been bottling up into perspective. I was beginning to think perhaps I had been the problem. That maybe I'd been asking too much. But in listening to Three vent, it struck me that the problem perhaps lay squarely with an upright system incapable of making room for nonupright success. I was therefore an outlier, forcing my way into recognition with the pioneering nature of my existence. Consequently, the answer wasn't to hold back in terms of voicing my needs, but to demand more institutional support. I mean, how else was I going to carry out a full course load and carve out a meaningful and inspiring graduate experience?" ...more
It was cool to learn how multicultural 1960s Libya was. I wish we would have gotten to hear the grandmother's experiences of life under Mussolini and It was cool to learn how multicultural 1960s Libya was. I wish we would have gotten to hear the grandmother's experiences of life under Mussolini and then during WWII. Nonetheless, this brief glimpse was very cool....more
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