I finally had the opportunity to get to the movies and see For Colored Girls. I don't know how to begin to describe how the movie made me feel. I haven't actually been able to decide whether or not I liked it.
I felt like there were far too many intense issues crammed into a tiny movie. Before I had a chance to really live with and think about anything happening that I felt should have been significant, I couldn't because there was something equally heavy happening in another scene.
Don't get me wrong; the actresses were quite brilliant... Then again, that was to be expected. I confess that I have not yet read the play, but if it is anything like the movie, I'm not sure that I need to read it. I'm going to read it anyway, though.
The movie left me feeling uneasy and anxious. And I couldn't help wondering why this was supposed to be for colored girls. Yes, all of these situations are things that happen all of the time. But did they really need to be happening all at once? Probably not.
Not to mention I really was not crazy about the way that the men were portrayed in this movie. Everyone has issues, but again, it was too much.
As I said, I'm not sure whether or not I liked it. I'm leaning towards no, but I'm willing to watch it a second time just to be fair.
It was very difficult to choose a book to pass along, but I read an awesome memoir recently. A Long Way Gone: Memoirs of a Boy Soldier by by Ishmael Beah. From the very first line I am completely invested in the story.
Beah chronicles his life as a child in Sierra Leone and discusses what it was like being a soldier at the age of twelve. I must warn you: there were many instances while reading this book when I had to stop reading because I was overwhelmed. In other words, I cried. A lot. You can read an excerpt by following this link: http://www.alongwaygone.com/media/ALongWayGone_Excerpt.pdf .
I'm going to give this book to one of my co-workers who I've started a miniature book club with. I think she'll read it. And you should too.
Happy reading!
While reading a blog (http://welcomewhitefolks.blogspot.com/), I discovered that December has been designated as “National Buy a Book By a Black Author and Give it to Somebody Not Black Month.” My first thought was, “awesome!” My second thought was “why didn't I come up with that?”
I read about how the idea came about (http://welcomewhitefolks.blogspot.com/2008/11/buy-book-for-somebody-white-this.html) and I must say it is pretty clever. I'm always happy to share a good read with my friends, so I thought that this idea was particularly interesting. After all, how many non-ethnic reads have been passed on to me? It dawned me that I was being a little selfish by not sharing.
Since this idea is super cool, I decided to begin the search for the perfect book to buy for one of my non-black friends. I love the advice given on the blog: “white people already know about Toni Morrison, so please choose something else besides A Mercy.” I'll let you know which book I decide on.
I would encourage you to do the same. Sharing is caring... Happy reading!
I can't believe that this year is practically over already! Didn't it just get here? It's that time of year when the markets are crowded, the temperature is dropping, and retailers are trying to sell you dreams of happiness if only you purchase this product at this amazing deal.
But more importantly, it is the week of Thanksgiving. I tried to think about what exactly that means to me. I came up with a lot of ideas, like a day to eat as if preparing for a famine, or a day to fight some random lady at my local super market because of her evil plot to buy out the entire pie crust section. Or maybe it's just an excuse to have some free time from work and spend time with the family you never have a chance to see. Or maybe, just maybe it actually is about giving thanks for everything that you feel lucky to have.
Everyone has a different take on what exactly this holiday means, if they believe that it means anything at all. For some, it really doesn't matter because Thanksgiving is just another day. Like it or not, it comes every year if you live in the United States. For others, Thanksgiving day is the best day of the year. Others still can take it or leave it.
In the eighth grade there was an ongoing contest where the principal would come up with a topic and students had the opportunity to submit their writing based on the topic. I entered the Thanksgiving week contest; the topic was The First Thanksgiving. I don't exactly remember every detail of the story that I submitted, but I do remember the basic story line: Thanksgiving was a holiday founded in Haiti by my family and it somehow made its way to the United States. Even back then, my Thanksgiving philosophy was that it can be whatever you want it to be. For me, Thanksgiving day will be a day of writing, being happy about being so loved, and purchasing a book that will make me happy (but only if I get it at an amazing price).
Happy Thanksgiving and happy reading!
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