CITIZEN: AN AMERICAN LYRIC by CLAUDIA RANKINE

“I feel most colored when I am thrown against a sharp white background.”

This book is categorised as a collection of poems but to me it transcends genre. It is a collection of observations; some in the form of actual works of art, photographs, and digital prints. Some is in the form of facts. And some is in the form of language manipulation; poetry.

Within these pages is exasperation and disappointment at the treatment received by this narrator - who is black - and by other black people, some in the public eye by choice, like Serena Williams, and some in the public eye because of police brutality. What Rankine documents here are heartbreaking accounts of her daily life. How people will move away from her, second guess her ability and intelligence and generally say offensive and stupid shit.

At the beginning of this collection, I was horrified to read of this treatment in more plain terms, and as the book progresses, it becomes more and more abstract, but no less painful or infuriating to read.

The messages are weighty and pack a punch, but the narrator seems quiet and unassuming, perhaps to add to the themes of the book.

Comments

LIKE A LOVE STORY by ABDI NAZEMIAN

LIKE A LOVE STORY by ABDI NAZEMIAN This novel follows the points of view of three teenagers in the late 1980s in New York during the AIDS crisis. One is openly gay, the other is also gay and is from Iran and is struggling with his sexuality and the other is a young and beautiful girl with a gay uncle who has AIDS. The story is centred around activism and protests and fighting against the homophobic system and disgusting pharmaceutical companies that sell medicines for people with AIDS at impossible prices. The president, Reagan, didn’t even speak the word AIDS out loud even though it was killing one person every twelve seconds. Throughout this heartbreaking story, I could feel the author’s hope. There were strong themes of love and friendship that stitched my broken heart together again. There is still a lot to be done and the final chapter and the author’s note at the end prove that we must continue to educate ourselves and continue to fight for the rights of LGBTQ+ people. Be m...

HOMECOMING by LUAN GOLDIE

HOMECOMING by LUAN GOLDIE What I loved about this book: - it spanned 20 years so you get a good feel for all the characters. - Kenya. I don’t think I’ve read about Kenya before so it was nice to have some new descriptions. - mystery. This is not something I always enjoy in a novel because I’m very impatient, but I found it kept me hooked. - the writer. I enjoyed Nightingale Point so I was looking forward to something else from Goldie. What I didn’t like about this book: - Yvonne - Emma - Lewis - all the extra characters For me it’s very important to connect with the characters. I normally find it intriguing if I don’t like a character, but in this case I didn’t care about the characters. I’m sorry to say that this was not a great reading experience for me but I did get some enjoyment out of it, so no regrets and I would still be willing to read other world by Goldie. What did you think of this?

The Great Godden by Meg Rosoff

The Great Godden by Meg Rosoff Well, I guess you could say I’m a little bit excited! I’ve been on Bookstagram for a year now and I’ve just been accepted on to my first ever @tandemcollectiveuk readalong. I’ve been sent a book by @bloomsburypublishing and goodies from @cartwright_butler These biscuits are seriously divine! Meg Rosoff is an auto-buy author for me. She’s been one of my favourites since I was a teenager and that is why I cannot wait to read this book. It has also been compared to Bonjour Tristesse which is a book that I adore. *EDIT on 19/7* I’ve now finished the book and I am torn. I think this book is clever in many ways - especially its portrayal of gender and family relationships and mystery. However, there were some elements that I felt could have been drawn out further. I think I would have adored this book had it been longer. I wanted more! As it stands, I enjoyed reading the book and the process of stopping and answering the promp...

Libby's Bookshelf

Search This Blog