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    Porcelain

    Porcelain

    "Moby"

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    There were many reasons Moby was never going to make it as a DJ and musician in the New York club...

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Tyondai Braxton recommended Records by Christian Marclay in Music (curated)

 
Records by Christian Marclay
Records by Christian Marclay
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"Records is a big one for me. When I first moved to New York in 2000, I tried to see him play any time he was playing. Some of my favorite shows I've ever seen were a couple of Marclays performances, solo or with DJ Trio. This record embodies the spirit of those live performances He's another absolute hero of mine – if you haven't seen him perform you should. He played on a Late Night show as this kind of novelty. And this was in 1980. As DJing is, it's just re-contextualising sound, music. But he does it with such a keen ear and there's a point to why he mixes certain things. He destroys the records by putting tape over them. As interesting and as funny as that is but musically, the results he gets from this are really, really exciting. His shows were some of the most exciting shows. I saw him play at a club in New York called Tonic, that closed down years ago, where a lot of new music was played. I saw him play in 2002, when it was him in what was known as DJ Trio which is 3 DJs, playing in the collage-y nature of what he was doing. And it was so mind-blowing. So I was obsessed with him. He was a guy that I had no shame fanboying out with. I'd see him out on the street and I'd go "Hi Christian!" He's a major artist – he did this piece called The Clock, which is toured all over the world. What's that big gallery in London right now? White Cube. He now has installations all over the world for his video art."

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    Blackbird (2019)

    Blackbird (2019)

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    A terminally ill mother (Susan Sarandon) invites her family to their country house for one final...

Lies We Tell Ourselves
Lies We Tell Ourselves
Robin Talley | 2018 | History & Politics
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6.0 (2 Ratings)
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<i>This ARC was provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review</i>

<i>Lies We Tell Ourselves</i> by Robin Talley is a realistic tale about the beginning of the integration of coloured people into white schools in late 1950s America. In Virginia it is 1959 and ten Negros are beginning their first day at Jefferson Highschool. The experience is narrated from one of the ten, Sarah’s, perspective. In other parts of the novel the voice changes to that of Linda, a particularly nasty white girl, who is one of countless students opposed to integration.

Although many young people will have been taught about the black civil right movement it is still shocking to read about the horrible things they had to endure. By writing in the first person, Talley encourages the reader to try to understand how they would feel in a similar situation. Sarah and her friends instantly become the victims of verbal and physical abuse that members of authority turn a blind eye to.

To Sarah, Linda is a nasty spoilt bully who, although does not join in with the taunting and abuse, is as bad as the rest of them. Through reading Linda’s account it becomes clear that her behaviour has a lot to do with her home life, in particularly with her father’s attitude towards her. After being forced to partner Sarah for a French project Linda begins to question why there is so much emphasis on skin colour, however not wanting to be shunned by her own friends she keeps these thoughts to herself.

Sarah is also struggling to come to terms with her sexual preference for girls. It has been drilled into her that these thoughts are a sin. She hides her true feelings from everyone and constantly berates herself mentally for being “unnatural”. But it turns out she may not be the only one with these thoughts.

The lies referred to in the title are not the blatant or harmful lies but rather the lies the characters believe or even want to believe. Each chapter begins with a lie that reflects what is occurring in the novel at that time; for example “There’s no need to be afraid” and “I don’t care what they think of me.” This is an interesting way of telling the story as it emphasizes Sarah’s determination to keep going despite what she is subjected to. It also reveals the mental struggles she faces. On the other hand the lies disclose Linda’s conflicting feelings towards the South’s current situation and segregation laws.

Although not a religious novel, each part begins with the title of a Christian hymn. It was the norm for everyone to go to church and, despite the separate churches, was something black and white people did. Sarah and Linda have faith in God yet they both use the bible’s teachings for opposing arguments. The religious aspect also highlights Sarah’s self-hatred and belief that she has fallen into sin.

Unfortunately in today’s world there are still issues with racism and homophobia however after reading <i>Lies We Tell Ourselves</i> it is evident that these situations have vastly improved, at least in the Western world, since the 1950s. Without children such as Sarah going through these horrible experiences nothing would have changed. There would still be separate schools, slavery and inaccurate opinions about race inequality. America has a lot to thank these brave students who were the first to create mixed race schools.

Overall this is a brilliant book. Well written and realistic, it really draws the reader in to the characters’ stories. Although <i>Lies We Tell Ourselves</i> is a work of fiction, it is historically accurate and can teach a lot about America’s history to young adults today.
  
    Bible KJV

    Bible KJV

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    HOLY BIBLE ( BIBLE KJV ) - FREE Conceived to propagate and make The Christian Bible studies easier...