Stunning! This is the word that comes to mind whenever I think of this novel, The Polished Hoe. Even more pleasing was the laugh that came to me at the end when my understanding of the title blossomed.
I am not sure I've ever read a book written by a man who managed so well to capture the grit of a woman as she repelled the degradation of racism. What astonished me was that he did not follow the taken for granted path that this disease normally takes in novels. Instead, he revealed the diseased minds and actions of those who practiced racism and benefited from it. Unapologetically, he exposed the mental illness routed in perpetrators of the disease.
I found myself applauding. And, this time, I applauded without the guilt that comes with a taste for blood.
Using the voice of this remarkable character, Mary-Mathilda, Austin Clarke takes his words and slashes at any semblance of a benevolent racism. At the same time, he highlights the strength of women that is often ignored.
Immediately, as you enter the novel you are made aware that something unexpected and welcomed has happened and that the something that is hinted at is a natural response to the circumstances. Any other response would have meant psychological death.
If I could, I would make this book required reading for all. Austin Clarke's work is genius. The Polished Hoe is a keeper and it is a novel that I will read again and again.
by Bacchus
Friday, February 11, 2011
Free Food for Millionaires by Min Jin Lee
I picked up this novel at Borders. It was on the sale shelf; I usually browse sale shelves looking for books written by women. I am especially happy when I find books written by women of different countries and cultures.
Min Jin Lee's book Free Food for Millionaires captured my attention because I realized, as I read the back cover, that I had not read any book by someone Korean. Immediately my curiosity was peeked; I wanted to take the trip with Min Jin and the cover of her book promised me a story about women. I wanted to see where our borders crossed. How did our womanhood(s) connect?
I was pleasantly surprised by Min Jin's ability to capture a broad spectrum of personalities in her novel. Lee's writing grabbed me and pulled me in. She created atmospheres with her words; she carved dialogue into me that made the conversations between characters feel as if they were happening in my head; they echoed of prior experiences. Her ability to make multiple characters come alive gave me access to the stories buried in her novel. Into one head I went to find myself and through those eyes the other characters came alive.
In her novel, Free Food for Millionaires, Lee confronts what seems to be a universal barrier for women and that is the perpetual feeling of guilt. The characters in her novel show resilience as they struggle with family expectations, professional dreams, and risks as they confront tradition, break boundaries and create new paths.
Free Food for Millionaires will comfort women and it will give them the strength to make change and design their own individualities.
The only question I had of this author was something that struck me as odd. How does one create a fictional story in Manhattan and other diverse areas of New York and still manage to make various groups of people invisible?
by Bacchus
Min Jin Lee's book Free Food for Millionaires captured my attention because I realized, as I read the back cover, that I had not read any book by someone Korean. Immediately my curiosity was peeked; I wanted to take the trip with Min Jin and the cover of her book promised me a story about women. I wanted to see where our borders crossed. How did our womanhood(s) connect?
I was pleasantly surprised by Min Jin's ability to capture a broad spectrum of personalities in her novel. Lee's writing grabbed me and pulled me in. She created atmospheres with her words; she carved dialogue into me that made the conversations between characters feel as if they were happening in my head; they echoed of prior experiences. Her ability to make multiple characters come alive gave me access to the stories buried in her novel. Into one head I went to find myself and through those eyes the other characters came alive.
In her novel, Free Food for Millionaires, Lee confronts what seems to be a universal barrier for women and that is the perpetual feeling of guilt. The characters in her novel show resilience as they struggle with family expectations, professional dreams, and risks as they confront tradition, break boundaries and create new paths.
Free Food for Millionaires will comfort women and it will give them the strength to make change and design their own individualities.
The only question I had of this author was something that struck me as odd. How does one create a fictional story in Manhattan and other diverse areas of New York and still manage to make various groups of people invisible?
by Bacchus
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)