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perfect_leaves's reviews
452 reviews
Une tempête by Aimé Césaire
5.0
I absolutely love this play in both languages. It's a compelling colonial commentary that questions the root of power and asks who the real slaves are.
Jasmine Falling by Shereen Malherbe
5.0
The gist of my review: I would recommend Jasmine Falling.
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Jasmine Falling certainly put me through the wringer. Within pages I would find myself going from pitying Jasmine to being downright angry with her (she makes a number of decisions I don't agree with). In the end I was overwhelmingly happy for her, because she "found what her heart wanted" (I promise that isn't too much of a spoiler). I had a hard time figuring Josh out; I think I dismissed him for a while, but in the end I think he's probably a good guy.
When I took a step back from the book, I realized I was getting way more involved with the characters than I normally do. I was quoting the book and narrating Jasmine's life to those around me (mostly my mother, ha) which speaks volumes (pun intended) about how well-written the novel is. It's peppered with references to Islam, but the book does it feel "Islamic," nor do the references get in the way of the story. In fact, the references propel the story as Jasmine goes down the path of growth and self-understanding.
This book may be particularly poignant for people who grew up outside of their parents' culture, or who have parents from two different cultures but only lived in one. It certainly made me realize how important it is to acknowledge and celebrate all of the cultures of those who reared me, lest I feel incomplete.
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Jasmine Falling certainly put me through the wringer. Within pages I would find myself going from pitying Jasmine to being downright angry with her (she makes a number of decisions I don't agree with). In the end I was overwhelmingly happy for her, because she "found what her heart wanted" (I promise that isn't too much of a spoiler). I had a hard time figuring Josh out; I think I dismissed him for a while, but in the end I think he's probably a good guy.
When I took a step back from the book, I realized I was getting way more involved with the characters than I normally do. I was quoting the book and narrating Jasmine's life to those around me (mostly my mother, ha) which speaks volumes (pun intended) about how well-written the novel is. It's peppered with references to Islam, but the book does it feel "Islamic," nor do the references get in the way of the story. In fact, the references propel the story as Jasmine goes down the path of growth and self-understanding.
This book may be particularly poignant for people who grew up outside of their parents' culture, or who have parents from two different cultures but only lived in one. It certainly made me realize how important it is to acknowledge and celebrate all of the cultures of those who reared me, lest I feel incomplete.
The Namesake by Jhumpa Lahiri
5.0
The Namesake is a powerful and beautifully written historical fiction novel. Lahiri’s narrative style is easy to read, yet generously (and delicately) decorated. Lahiri provides just the right amount of detail and manages to alter time in such a way that you neither feel rushed nor retarded, despite the obvious quickening and slowing of events in her characters’ lives. Lahiri gracefully switches focus between characters when the situation calls for it, though she mainly writes about Gogol (Nikhil) Ganguli. Gogol eventually changes his “public name” to Nikhil, but Lahiri continues to refer to him as Gogol in the narration, which lends to a sense of familiarity and camaraderie that draws us further into his story.
Some people—particularly those who are the first in their families to start a life in a new country— will find familiarity in Ashoke and Ashima’s story. I, however, found Gogol’s story so relatable it literally hurt.
Here’s the thing: despite the simplicity and straight-forwardness of the plot (Lahiri possesses excellent powers of foreshadowing), The Namesake is an incredibly complicated novel. I can’t recommend it enough.
Even if you don’t identify with the characters or the events in their lives, you get to enjoy a heartwarming coming of age story. You get to read an Own Voices novel that doesn’t have much of an agenda. As she has stated in many an interview, Lahiri writes largely as a means to work out some aspect of her own identity. She describes being “culturally displaced… [growing] up in two worlds simultaneously.” While putting this exploration on public display could be interpreted as political action, the politics don’t seem to be at the forefront of her mind.
I’d be lying if I said The Namesake will not play with your emotions, but at least it doesn’t leave the reader raw as some stories are wont to do. I felt the ending was a little abrupt, but that’s probably because I really wanted to see Gogol grow further. Nevertheless, the ending satisfied me, and I’m content with this brief but thorough glimpse into his life.
Some people—particularly those who are the first in their families to start a life in a new country— will find familiarity in Ashoke and Ashima’s story. I, however, found Gogol’s story so relatable it literally hurt.
Here’s the thing: despite the simplicity and straight-forwardness of the plot (Lahiri possesses excellent powers of foreshadowing), The Namesake is an incredibly complicated novel. I can’t recommend it enough.
Even if you don’t identify with the characters or the events in their lives, you get to enjoy a heartwarming coming of age story. You get to read an Own Voices novel that doesn’t have much of an agenda. As she has stated in many an interview, Lahiri writes largely as a means to work out some aspect of her own identity. She describes being “culturally displaced… [growing] up in two worlds simultaneously.” While putting this exploration on public display could be interpreted as political action, the politics don’t seem to be at the forefront of her mind.
I’d be lying if I said The Namesake will not play with your emotions, but at least it doesn’t leave the reader raw as some stories are wont to do. I felt the ending was a little abrupt, but that’s probably because I really wanted to see Gogol grow further. Nevertheless, the ending satisfied me, and I’m content with this brief but thorough glimpse into his life.
The Romance Diet by Destiny Allison
5.0
Gist: Would recommend
First Reaction: The title includes the word "diet" but this book is about so much more than that. It's about the many layers of personhood.
Second Reaction: THIS BOOK NEEDS A BIG FAT FLAMING TRIGGER WARNING STICKER FOR ANYONE WHO HAS SUFFERED SEXUAL VIOLENCE.
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I received a copy for review from Destiny Allison herself, and I am so incredible grateful.
Around 60% mark (I read the kindle version of the book), I decided I wanted to give the book 4 stars, but I read this book in a day, which is highly unusual for me, even for a short novel. I found myself entranced by the story, recognizing the sentiment. No, I'm not married. No, a medical issue didn't force me to leave a successful welding career. No, I did not start a business. I have, however, lived my twenty years on this Earth as a female-bodied person, and the themes in Allison's novel seem central to our personhood. Too often we are reduced to objects; our worth depends on our looks and our utility to male-bodied people. We begin to see ourselves in this fashion, even as we real against the unfairness. We learn to quiet our opinions, to make small adjustments to ourselves to accommodate the male personalities on our lives. This is, obviously, a gross generalization, but I've lived it long enough and seen it in enough of my friends to know there's some weight to it. Speaking of weight-- emotional baggage aside, the weight loss method in this book is pretty solid. It's not a how-to, which is what makes the advice so good. You lose weight by living a more active and emotionally healthy live.
A note on the sexual violence- I almost didn't finish the novel. The chapters near the end had me quivering. I've been reading a lot of female narratives lately, and every single one of them has included sexual violence in some form. At what point does the violence stop being novel and start being a problem? The book's I've been reading date back to the 1960s, yet female-bodied people are still going through the same things today. We scream, we fight, we go ignored. I, for one, plan on redoubling my efforts to prevent more women from falling victim.
This book is most likely something I'm going to keep in my library. It's not super uplifting, but it's empowering, and comes with the message that we can overcome even our worst nightmares (cliche, I know, but true).
First Reaction: The title includes the word "diet" but this book is about so much more than that. It's about the many layers of personhood.
Second Reaction: THIS BOOK NEEDS A BIG FAT FLAMING TRIGGER WARNING STICKER FOR ANYONE WHO HAS SUFFERED SEXUAL VIOLENCE.
---
I received a copy for review from Destiny Allison herself, and I am so incredible grateful.
Around 60% mark (I read the kindle version of the book), I decided I wanted to give the book 4 stars, but I read this book in a day, which is highly unusual for me, even for a short novel. I found myself entranced by the story, recognizing the sentiment. No, I'm not married. No, a medical issue didn't force me to leave a successful welding career. No, I did not start a business. I have, however, lived my twenty years on this Earth as a female-bodied person, and the themes in Allison's novel seem central to our personhood. Too often we are reduced to objects; our worth depends on our looks and our utility to male-bodied people. We begin to see ourselves in this fashion, even as we real against the unfairness. We learn to quiet our opinions, to make small adjustments to ourselves to accommodate the male personalities on our lives. This is, obviously, a gross generalization, but I've lived it long enough and seen it in enough of my friends to know there's some weight to it. Speaking of weight-- emotional baggage aside, the weight loss method in this book is pretty solid. It's not a how-to, which is what makes the advice so good. You lose weight by living a more active and emotionally healthy live.
A note on the sexual violence- I almost didn't finish the novel. The chapters near the end had me quivering. I've been reading a lot of female narratives lately, and every single one of them has included sexual violence in some form. At what point does the violence stop being novel and start being a problem? The book's I've been reading date back to the 1960s, yet female-bodied people are still going through the same things today. We scream, we fight, we go ignored. I, for one, plan on redoubling my efforts to prevent more women from falling victim.
This book is most likely something I'm going to keep in my library. It's not super uplifting, but it's empowering, and comes with the message that we can overcome even our worst nightmares (cliche, I know, but true).
Mastering Adulthood: Go Beyond Adulting to Become an Emotional Grown-Up by Lara E. Fielding
5.0
I was actually surprised by the content and quality of this book. I've spent a lot of time in the past year trying to establish patterns of behavior that will help me achieve my goals. As a 23-year-old, I know my goals will inevitably change, but the ones I have now will hopefully put me on the right track (for my own personal growth). This book does a handful of things. It helps readers identify their emotions, helps readers figure out *why* they feel the way they do about the situation, and helps readers determine whether the emotion is warranted and suggests helpful strategies for communication and/or creating more helpful habits. In short, this book aims at increasing the emotional intelligence of the reader.
Mastering adulthood aimed at people between the ages of about 22 (college grad) and 30 (young professional, not quite starting a family yet), though it could be helpful for anyone who finds that their current behaviors and methods of communication are unproductive. It's easy to read and very thorough. I also appreciate that the author is fairly successful at mimicking the vernacular of young adult readers. When most older authors do this, it comes off as stiff and awkward. For the most part, that's not so with Mastering Adulthood. I haven't completed all of the exercises yet, but I've read all of the explanations and looked through the materials. The book comes with QR codes and links to the website, so readers can watch videos and follow along. The Fielding truly knows her demographic. I'm grateful to NetGalley for providing this ARC.
Mastering adulthood aimed at people between the ages of about 22 (college grad) and 30 (young professional, not quite starting a family yet), though it could be helpful for anyone who finds that their current behaviors and methods of communication are unproductive. It's easy to read and very thorough. I also appreciate that the author is fairly successful at mimicking the vernacular of young adult readers. When most older authors do this, it comes off as stiff and awkward. For the most part, that's not so with Mastering Adulthood. I haven't completed all of the exercises yet, but I've read all of the explanations and looked through the materials. The book comes with QR codes and links to the website, so readers can watch videos and follow along. The Fielding truly knows her demographic. I'm grateful to NetGalley for providing this ARC.