Hello World,
Uh-oh another Feminist Blog. Even I thought that when I read this book. "Great, should I really write review?"
As soon as I finished reading this book, I knew I had to. Chimamanda Ngozi Adiche, gave speech which ended up inspiring this essay/book. It made me so aware of how ignorant I was towards feminism in other countries. We are fortunate to how we are treated here in England and in America, compared to other countries.
Chimamanda describes how, some woman are completely ignored by business and other men. How they would only assume it is the male that brings in the income and take the lead in all other aspects. Females couldn't enter a bar/pub or even a hotel without a male or being questioned their business and if they was a prostitute.
I've always called myself a feminist because I don't want children and it bothers me how a lot of male and mostly females particularly in my line of work will always tell me, "when you meet that one, you'll change you mind". It's almost as if, that is the only thing they have been taught in life. That we are actually only here to have children. It sometimes bothers me that there are some people I am acquainted with, would change their own persona in front of a man or in front of other people because they are female. Chimamanda describes this in her book as well, saying;
I know an unmarried woman in Nigeria who, when she goes to conferences, wears a wedding ring because she wants her colleagues to - according to her- 'give her respect'
Page 29, We Should All Be Femimist: Chimamanda Ngozi Adiche.
Chimamanda describes that we need to raise our children so much more differently to help with the new generation. To teach boys that is OK to grow and share emotions and that they do not need to masculine and to respect others. To teach females that they are not a princess, but a potential independent person who will respect others and to achieve high dreams. To teach both genders things they will need to learn in life; cooking, sewing, changing a car tyre, how to fix things, tool kit!
I generally would like to see the whole world respecting females and males in the future, where girls can go anywhere and do whatever they please at a more equal position. I would love to see a place where girls are not expected to reproduce and can find stable living without a man involved. The same for a man, where they can express their wishes and their emotions without being told to 'man up' or 'grow some balls'
I strongly recommend this book to read and to own.
Claire
Hello World,
When I brought this book, it was because it was part of the 'books for Syria', you buy the book and some of the proceedings go to those in Syria. After reading the back of the book, I thought this was the book for me.
As a turbulent and change-filled century draws to a close, there has never been a better time to alter your fortune. But for a beautiful young woman of limited means, Eliza's choices appear to lie between the stifling domesticity of marriage or a downwards spiral to the streets- no matter determined she is to forge her own path.
One night at run-down theatre, she meets the charismatic Devil Wix- showman, master of illusion, fickle friend. Drawn into his circle, Eliza becomes the catalyst of change for his colleagues- a dwarf, an eccentric engineer and an artist- as well as devil himself. And as Eliza embarks on a dangerous adventure, she must decide which path to choose, and how far she should go when she holds all their lives in her hands.
So, this book sounded like Eliza is the main character right? The one who will save the day and be the one who will have full control of everything.
No, the back of the book was nothing but false illusion. The book starts of with Devil Wix and ends with him, he seems to be the most important character, but couldn't really call him the master of illusion as it was mainly the dwarf who shone in that department.
Whereas Eliza, she was shown as an independent woman who wanted to escape from the expected society of marriage and children, who sets her own path into working life and creates her own mind. Sadly however, it doesn't end like this. The one who needed saving was her and who saves her, a group of men. In the end, marriage, children and pretty much just plain loyal ship to her husband owner of the theatre.
Overall, I really did struggle to complete this book and I was disappointed in the outcome of this book. The character lacked personal touch and I really couldn't get grips onto them and really it was completely different to what I was expecting from reading the back.
Claire.
Hello World,
One of my most inspiring and enjoyable reads of 2016 is Into The Wild by Jon Krakauer.
Jon Krakauer is a novelist, journalist and an active hiker (I believe my term is right). He was asked to write an article about this man who had died in an abandon bus out in Alaska. During his research Krakauer grew interested about this person and after he wrote the article he dove a little deeper into the man's life. Thus we learn of Chris Mccandless and what drove him into the Wild.
Chris Mccandless was an interesting person to read about. I find it difficult to write about him when you have only a book and a film to go about. Krakauer, when he first wrote about Chris, had received a lot of voices about how stupid and foolish of Chris to enter Alaska with little equipment and food to survive.
From what I have read Chris Mccandless had very strong ideas and opinions about the world he lived in and with help or inspiration from books he adored, it drove him to pack up and get rid of everything that reminded him of life he didn't agree with. He was always known by his families to go on long drives throughout the summer and live in his car, where he would hike or just generally see parts of America without any other people around. Chris sounds very introverted, but he loved to go out and explore the natural world around him.
I suppose what I found inspirational about Chris Mccandless was the confidence he had to escape the comforts of life. He knew that we all have accepted and have grown comfortable to live a life, where we work for a living, buy pretty things that we don't actually need, fall in love with someone, reproduce and then one day we will die.
There is this sense of freedom I feel when I walk around hill tops and countrysides around my home and I always wondered when I read this book that this must have been how Chris had felt when he went his way. I generally felt drawn to reading about this man's and instantly felt connected to what he was saying and why he did what he did. I remember reading Krakauer passage about his readers calling him foolish and I generally struggle to understand why they thought he was foolish. I felt he did something courageous and amazing, that I was blindly looking at how little he packed and how much knowledge I actually lack in knowing how to survive in the wild.
This book helped by reminding me that it is you who are in control with your life and it is you who makes the powerful decisions, sometimes mistakes are made and sometimes they will take time or generally you have to accept the mistakes and live with them.
Claire.
