Passing by Nella Larsen is a powerful and thought-provoking novel that explores themes of racial identity, class, and the complexities of human relationships in early 20th-century America. Published in 1929, it remains a significant work in literature. So significant, I’ve now read it twice.
The story revolves around the lives of two biracial women, Irene Redfield and Clare Kendry, who have chosen different paths in dealing with their “light” skin tones. Irene lives in Harlem with her husband and children, embracing her identity as a black woman. Clare, on the other hand, has “passed” as white and is married to a very racist white man who knows nothing of her racial background. The novel examines their chance encounter and the ensuing reconnection of their lives.
Continue reading “Passing”
The Problem That Has No Name by Betty Friedan is a groundbreaking feminist work that explores the deep-rooted dissatisfaction and unfulfillment experienced by many American women in the mid-20th century. Published in 1963 as part of Friedan’s iconic book “The Feminine Mystique,” this edition includes only two chapters first chapters. The first chapter delves into the profound but often invisible struggles faced by women in their roles as wives and mothers. The second chapter gives a glorious nod to the first feminist wave and the Suffragette movement which paved the way for Friedan’s generation of what is known as the second wave of feminism.
Continue reading “The Problem That Has No Name”
Disobedience is a novel that explores the complex relationships between family, faith, and sexuality in the Orthodox Jewish community. The story follows the life of Ronit, a young woman who grew up in a strict Jewish community in London but left to pursue a non-religious life in New York. When she returns to London to attend the funeral of her father, a prominent rabbi, Ronit is forced to confront the community and people she left behind.
Continue reading “Disobedience”
This was a great little book with 15 suggestions on how to raise a feminist child. Adichie writes a letter in response to her friend who asked “how can I raise my daughter to be a feminist”.
Continue reading “Dear Ijeawele, or A Feminist Manifesto in Fifteen Suggestions”
تدور أحداث هذه الرواية حول ثلاث نساء من الشرق الأوسط ”البحريات“ ذهبوا إلى وسط الصحراء ليعيشوا في الرياض، لأسباب مختلفة وفي فترات زمنية مختلفة.
أسلوب أميمة الخميس السردي جميل جدا، خاصة في النصف الأول من الرواية. أما في النصف الأخير، فكان هناك تكرار سردي ممل حيث تدهورت القصة نوع ما حتى ضاع المغزى.
Continue reading “البحريات”
In this well-researched and well-structured book, Angela Y. Davis offers the reader detailed contextual backgrounds and historical aspects of the modern prison industrial complex. In its title, Davis poses the question “Are prisons obsolete?” And then begins to dismantle all your preconceived notions of “crime & punishment” that you have taken for granted all your life.
Continue reading “Are Prisons Obsolete?”