Petina Gappah’s The Book of Memory is a remarkable and taut exploration of prejudice, history, and of course, memory. The book’s narrator and namesake, Memory, is an albino woman on death row in a Zimbabwean prison who is encouraged by her new lawyer to write her story for an American journalist who may be able to help win her freedom. Memory writes of the stark everyday life in prison and of the circumstances that have brought her there. But to fully explain, she must begin […]
“Sleep that knits the ravell’d sleeve of care…” sustains memories and enhances learning.
“Sleep that knits the ravell’d sleeve of care…” as well as sustains memories and enhances learning. Perhaps you will make or have made resolutions for the new year. May I propose that you make a “continuing resolution? That is one that you can maintain for the rest of your life. Here it is: I will get seven to eight hours of sleep each night. Impossible? Not necessarily. Reading Matthew Walker’s book Why We Sleep: Unlocking the Power of Sleep and Dreams, will help you […]
Myth, history and culture collide
Ho Lin’s short story anthology was an interesting read. Each tale aimed to shed light on random moments from varying points of view. He pulls in the reader with unexpected juxtapositions of settings and tone. The collection exudes emotion as if the stories were collective memories meshed together. He rarely delves deep into any specific narratives. The stories bounced between Asia and American even within the same story. We meet an American ex-Pat in China, then a host of characters in San Francisco, while another […]
GRRM Light
I stumbled upon this book after reading an interview with George RR Martin. Apparently Tad Williams was one of GRRM’s favorite writers, and Williams’ “Memory, Sorrow and Thorn” trilogy was one of GRRM’s biggest inspirations for writing his own giant epic…that I’d like to point out we’re still all waiting for him to finish. *side eye* I loved all of GRMM’s books and thought it would be neat to read the original material, and it did not disappoint. Like GRRM, Williams’ book encompasses a vast […]
Trauma, memory, and action
The play Blood Sky is ending its run at T. Schreiber Studio. I read the play in preparation for seeing it, but then a cross-country move prevented me from seeing it performed. This was a major loss, because I believe, like many plays, that Blood Sky would really come to life on stage. This is the story of Joley, a 30-year-old woman who is recounting her experiences at 14 and 18. She is played by three different women of different ages; at times, 30-year-old Joley talks directly to the […]