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Booksnthreads (19 KP) rated Born a Crime: Stories from a South African Childhood in Books
Jun 14, 2018
As a white, middle class American, most of my education about colonialism and the resulting systemic and institutionalized racism and poverty have come from my own efforts to broaden my understanding. The more I learn, the more I am appalled not only by the realities themselves but also by the huge missing gap in my American education.
Trevor Noah's Born a Crime provides incredible insight into apartheid in South Africa as well as it's lasting effect, even after it "ended." I was already a bit of a fan of Noah's humor and political commentary, and his memoir is not a disappointment. He tackles big issues with a sense of humor that does not in any way minimize those issues.
Trevor Noah's Born a Crime provides incredible insight into apartheid in South Africa as well as it's lasting effect, even after it "ended." I was already a bit of a fan of Noah's humor and political commentary, and his memoir is not a disappointment. He tackles big issues with a sense of humor that does not in any way minimize those issues.
David McK (3233 KP) rated Zootopia (2016) in Movies
Dec 31, 2019
Known as Zootropolis in the UK, this Disney animation is set in a world where talking animals have evolved and live in peace and harmony, with the city of Zootroplis the New York (or London) of that world.
While they may have evolved, most animals still fall into several roles: the police (or security) forces, for instance, are nearly entirely composed of predators, with this film following the ZPD's first Bunny recruit as she attempts to solve a mystery around a missing person (animal) case, and ends up teaming up with a street smart, wise talking fox.
With an underlying theme of racism, the message, in short, is that anyone can be anything they want to be!
While they may have evolved, most animals still fall into several roles: the police (or security) forces, for instance, are nearly entirely composed of predators, with this film following the ZPD's first Bunny recruit as she attempts to solve a mystery around a missing person (animal) case, and ends up teaming up with a street smart, wise talking fox.
With an underlying theme of racism, the message, in short, is that anyone can be anything they want to be!
Sunnysouthpaw (67 KP) rated A Grown-Up Kind of Pretty in Books
Feb 20, 2020
How Lisa was treated after her stroke (1 more)
The use of the ‘n’ word
I could not finish this story
I checked it out from the library on a whim.I hated this, I got to the point where I didn’t want to see if the book redeemed itself.
I’m sure other people will like it, I’m just overly sensitive about such things.
There also was a lot of swearing, almost to the point of being off putting, but I am willing to look past that, just not the racism and the way Lisa’s family treated her after her stroke.. if it wasn’t a library book, I would have turned that book into a junk journal.
I’m sure other people will like it, I’m just overly sensitive about such things.
There also was a lot of swearing, almost to the point of being off putting, but I am willing to look past that, just not the racism and the way Lisa’s family treated her after her stroke.. if it wasn’t a library book, I would have turned that book into a junk journal.
An intriguing retelling.
A modern reimagining of Shakespeare's Othello, this sees a Ghanaian diplomats son, Osei, on his first day at a new school in an American suburb of Washington DC in the 1970's. Dee quickly befriends him, and Ian decides that he doesn't like this. He decides to undermine this friendship and dispose of O. Yes, racism comes in to play here. Both the learnt racism of the children (from their parents), and that of the teachers.
This is all squeezed in to a very Shakespearian time frame of a day: we all know that in a Shakespearian play, people fall in and out of love, get marries and murder one another within 24 hours. For this reason, I can forgive the more mature behaviour and plotting of the 11 year old children. It seems unlikely to me as a mother of an 11 year old, that real 11 year olds would necessarily behave in this way; but this is literature and an author can bend their story and their characters to however they want them to behave. The changeability of the children's affections ARE more realistic, however.
I think this would probably be a great book for students to read at school before they access the original Othello. It would have made a great 'compare and contrast' exercise for me when I studied Othello (many years ago!).
Overall, I really enjoyed this book, and the ending is a real 'heart in mouth' moment!
Many thanks to NetGalley and Hogarth for my copy of this book.
This is all squeezed in to a very Shakespearian time frame of a day: we all know that in a Shakespearian play, people fall in and out of love, get marries and murder one another within 24 hours. For this reason, I can forgive the more mature behaviour and plotting of the 11 year old children. It seems unlikely to me as a mother of an 11 year old, that real 11 year olds would necessarily behave in this way; but this is literature and an author can bend their story and their characters to however they want them to behave. The changeability of the children's affections ARE more realistic, however.
I think this would probably be a great book for students to read at school before they access the original Othello. It would have made a great 'compare and contrast' exercise for me when I studied Othello (many years ago!).
Overall, I really enjoyed this book, and the ending is a real 'heart in mouth' moment!
Many thanks to NetGalley and Hogarth for my copy of this book.
Sonofdel (6265 KP) rated Who am I, again? in Books
Jul 24, 2020
I have seen Lenny Henry in many things over the years and I don't know why but i always assumed he walked straight into television, boy was i wrong. Here is an in-depth look at life growing up in 70's England and the prejudices and racism that was so prevalent in our society (and still is unfortunately). From 3 minute stints at impressions to being Trevor Mcdonut on TISWAS. Its a wonderful read and a real eye opener on what society and the entertainment industry was like. Lenny paints a picture of a time when being 'black' was a joke in itself and his frank account of incidents is a revelation (sometimes a disturbing one). Definitely a great read :)
Jason Dohring recommended Crash (1996) in Movies (curated)
PhoebeLV (147 KP) rated Noughts and Crosses: Book 1 in Books
Aug 8, 2020
The Story (1 more)
The Characters
Favourite Book Series
Noughts and Crosses is a modern take on Romeo and Juliet; two people want to be together, however, it is seen as wrong as one of them is black (Cross) and the other person is white (Nought). Noughts and Crosses explores a range of serious happenings, including terrorism and racism.
Malorie Blackman writes very well; she has to be one of my favourite authors. I showed a whole range of emotions whilst reading this series.
This book has also been made into a BBC show. It is not exactly the same (which is good), but it is pretty much the same.
Overall, I would recommend this book, if this is the sort of thing you are interested in.
Malorie Blackman writes very well; she has to be one of my favourite authors. I showed a whole range of emotions whilst reading this series.
This book has also been made into a BBC show. It is not exactly the same (which is good), but it is pretty much the same.
Overall, I would recommend this book, if this is the sort of thing you are interested in.
Rachel King (13 KP) rated The Help in Books
Feb 11, 2019
Despite the length of this book, I raced through it with ease. I watched the movie before I read the book, and in this case, it made the book much more enjoyable, as I had a few ideas of what to expect. As for book versus movie, I think both are worth the effort, and the movie does a decent job of keeping to the book's overall plot.
The book is told in three voices: Miss Skeeter, Aibileen, and Minny. All three are very unique and specific to each personality, and all come through as strong and confident voices. Truly, I cannot say which voice is the strongest, as they all are essential to the narration of the book, nor can I really pick a favorite.
I grew up in Louisiana, and I can remember some of the stories my dad told me of my grandma's having "help" part-time. This book "struck home" for me because I can remember very clearly my grandma's racism, and how even my own dad still harbored some of that racism. The book does a very thorough job of illustrating how racism can infiltrate every mode of thought and speech, from hygiene and bodily functions, to dress and etiquette. Miss Hilly is the epitome of this racism, wearing her ignorance like a badge of honor, but there are varying degrees in many of the other characters. It is easy to see that in many of these situations, the people involved are simply victims of the times and can hardly be blamed for their perspective, as they were never taught to think differently. For that reason alone, I wish that this book had been based on a true story, for the good such a plot could have done in real life.
Miss Skeeter gives the unique perspective of the white women and how they come to fit this mold of hiring and lording over the help, even as she reevaluates her own issues of racism. With her, the reader is able to see into the minds of other prominent women in the story, such as Miss Hilly and Miss Leefolt, and how they reason and justify their treatment of the colored people they hire. Miss Hilly has the unique role of pursuing a greater separation between the two groups, whereas the other white women just go along with whatever they are told. While Hilly does pay the consequences for her behavior, it is unlikely her type ever really learns from their mistakes.
Aibileen seems to represent the voices of the older generation of colored help, mourning her losses of the past while attempting to adjust to the volatile climate of the present war on segregation. She plays the voice of reason for the other two women more often than not, always knowing how they should proceed with their secret project. Her personal focus seems to always be on the children, the ones she has raised that belonged to white women, as well as the loss of her own son. I particularly loved the effort she went through to teach Mae Mobley both self-confidence and an appreciation for humanity that ignores skin color, so much so that I use some of her same tactics with my own daughters.
Minny represents the voice of the younger, more emotional generation of colored help, with her snarky speech and blunt honesty. She kept me laughing from cover to cover, and it's her cooking I would love to try, even despite the pie trick. Her character also brings to light the poverty and abuse that many suffered through as a result of segregation laws. What I found ironic is that both her and Aibileen, in their struggles to survive, showed a strength and maturity that seems to only arise under extreme circumstances of hardship.
While those segregation laws have been abolished, I know that many of those same mental biases still exist - and not just in the southern U.S. This wonderful book is only a small part of the education required to erase the ignorance from the hearts and minds of all people. If there is one book you read this year, The Help needs to be it.
The book is told in three voices: Miss Skeeter, Aibileen, and Minny. All three are very unique and specific to each personality, and all come through as strong and confident voices. Truly, I cannot say which voice is the strongest, as they all are essential to the narration of the book, nor can I really pick a favorite.
I grew up in Louisiana, and I can remember some of the stories my dad told me of my grandma's having "help" part-time. This book "struck home" for me because I can remember very clearly my grandma's racism, and how even my own dad still harbored some of that racism. The book does a very thorough job of illustrating how racism can infiltrate every mode of thought and speech, from hygiene and bodily functions, to dress and etiquette. Miss Hilly is the epitome of this racism, wearing her ignorance like a badge of honor, but there are varying degrees in many of the other characters. It is easy to see that in many of these situations, the people involved are simply victims of the times and can hardly be blamed for their perspective, as they were never taught to think differently. For that reason alone, I wish that this book had been based on a true story, for the good such a plot could have done in real life.
Miss Skeeter gives the unique perspective of the white women and how they come to fit this mold of hiring and lording over the help, even as she reevaluates her own issues of racism. With her, the reader is able to see into the minds of other prominent women in the story, such as Miss Hilly and Miss Leefolt, and how they reason and justify their treatment of the colored people they hire. Miss Hilly has the unique role of pursuing a greater separation between the two groups, whereas the other white women just go along with whatever they are told. While Hilly does pay the consequences for her behavior, it is unlikely her type ever really learns from their mistakes.
Aibileen seems to represent the voices of the older generation of colored help, mourning her losses of the past while attempting to adjust to the volatile climate of the present war on segregation. She plays the voice of reason for the other two women more often than not, always knowing how they should proceed with their secret project. Her personal focus seems to always be on the children, the ones she has raised that belonged to white women, as well as the loss of her own son. I particularly loved the effort she went through to teach Mae Mobley both self-confidence and an appreciation for humanity that ignores skin color, so much so that I use some of her same tactics with my own daughters.
Minny represents the voice of the younger, more emotional generation of colored help, with her snarky speech and blunt honesty. She kept me laughing from cover to cover, and it's her cooking I would love to try, even despite the pie trick. Her character also brings to light the poverty and abuse that many suffered through as a result of segregation laws. What I found ironic is that both her and Aibileen, in their struggles to survive, showed a strength and maturity that seems to only arise under extreme circumstances of hardship.
While those segregation laws have been abolished, I know that many of those same mental biases still exist - and not just in the southern U.S. This wonderful book is only a small part of the education required to erase the ignorance from the hearts and minds of all people. If there is one book you read this year, The Help needs to be it.
Bill Nighy recommended Mississippi Burning (1988) in Movies (curated)
BobbiesDustyPages (1259 KP) rated Tales From the Hood (1995) in Movies
Aug 28, 2017
Tales From The Hood is a horror anthology made up of four short stories as well as a into and ending sequence.
The stories are:
Welcome to My Mortuary
Rogue Cop Revelation
Boys Do Get Bruised
KKK Comeuppance
Hard-Core Convert
Welcome to My Mortuary (ending)
I grew up watching this movie and even as a kid I always enjoyed it but as the older I got I really grew to understand that it is not just a horror movie in the sense that is deals with zombies, monsters, living dolls, and ghost but that it is a horror movie in the sense that it deals with real life horrors such as police brutality, abuse, racism, and gang violence all of which still hold extreme relevant 22 years after the movie was released.
The stories are:
Welcome to My Mortuary
Rogue Cop Revelation
Boys Do Get Bruised
KKK Comeuppance
Hard-Core Convert
Welcome to My Mortuary (ending)
I grew up watching this movie and even as a kid I always enjoyed it but as the older I got I really grew to understand that it is not just a horror movie in the sense that is deals with zombies, monsters, living dolls, and ghost but that it is a horror movie in the sense that it deals with real life horrors such as police brutality, abuse, racism, and gang violence all of which still hold extreme relevant 22 years after the movie was released.