Long Walk to Freedom

Book: Long Walk to Freedom by Nelson Mandela

Country: South Africa

Description: Here Nelson Mandela recounts his life up to the time he voted for the first time (1994). He includes his childhood, time as a lawyer, and his 27 years in prison.

My Thoughts: Long Walk to Freedom was a fascinating read. Mandela was incredibly honest about his regrets, especially that he didn't spend enough time with his family. Of course the perspective is biased, but it is his memoir, after all!

Mandela wrote in a very conversational style which made Long Walk to Freedom easy to read. I'll admit that at first I found it slightly off-putting--he very much tells you what he was feeling at any given time, rather than trying to help you feel what he was feeling--but I suspect that was more of a left-over on my part from reading too many novels. The style worked very well for what he needed to do, which was tell the story of his life.

What I found most powerful was Mandela's descriptions of his childhood and young adulthood. It was during this period that he still thought that whites were superior in every way, and I loved hearing about how he fought against this perception until it was no longer the truth for him that it had once been. It was also something of a shock--I've never thought much about what it would be like to grow up utterly believing that a certain group or race or whatever was so superior. Mandela did a great job describing the process of discovering the lies he'd been told, and I especially liked the little incidents he described that showed this process: the first time he saw a black man stand up to a white man and not be reprimanded, the first time he was humiliated at being sent on an errand by a white man he didn't know (rather than agreeing that he should be sent on errands).

A fascinating book on Mandela's life and the end of apartheid in South Africa.

Anna Karenina

I'm so sorry for the long silence!! I hope to actually get back to regularly posting now.

Book: Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy

Description: Anna Karenina is the complex story of a group of closely-related people in high Russian society (related by blood, by marriage, and simply by acquaintance). Anna, a married woman, is wooed by Vronsky, breaking Kitty's heart. Anna's sister Dolly is heartbroken by her own husband's affairs. Levin is in love with Kitty but almost too shy to admit it. [Full confession: despite the book's name, all of these people are important! And this is a wholly inadequate description, but I'm not sure how much more I can say without giving anything away.]

My Thoughts: I loved it! Tolstoy's writing powerfully created such realistic characters that I truly felt as if they could just walk off the page. Their thoughts and decision-making processes were so realistic! What created this realism for me was Tolstoy's painstaking attention to every detail about the character: their every movement, action, and thought. At times this became tedious (like real life!), but it always expanded my understanding of the character(s). And an interesting note about Tolstoy's style: unlike the oft-quoted writing commandment to "show, don't tell", Tolstoy tells us huge amounts of information about the characters: what they're doing, what they're feeling, the complicated reasons that they're doing and feeling those things--and it worked!!

A huge part of this realism was the fact that a huge portion of the characters ended up making horrible decisions and being miserable. At times it was difficult to read! It was heart-rending to watch characters change from joyful, moral people to miserable, sinful people, often as a result of one single bad decision that they then repeated and compounded over time.

I know that there were huge parts of Anna Karenina that went over my head. It seems very grounded in a specific time and place in Russian history--a time and place that I know little to nothing about. There were references to religious movements, for instance, that ended up being important, but I didn't understand a lot of the specifics about it. This problem was compounded by the fact that I had to give the beautifully annotated version back to the library and finish with an e-book!

Ultimately, a hugely poignant but also joyful examination of human sinfulness and human strivings for more. I thoroughly enjoyed Anna Karenina, and cannot recommend it enough.


A note on the cover: unfortunately the gorgeous cover above is not the one from the version I read. It's perfect--that is exactly how I imagined Anna. I admit I can't even remember what my cover looked like (a slightly blue-tinted black-and-white photograph? Perhaps of fabric?), so it clearly didn't make a huge impression on me.

Journey to the West

Book: Journey to the West by Wu Cheng'en

Written: 16th century

Country: China

Description: Journey to the West is a classic Chinese mythological novel. It was written during the Ming Dynasty based on traditional folktales. Consisting of 100 chapters, this fantasy relates the adventures of a Tang Dynasty (618-907) priest Sanzang and his three disciples, Monkey, Pig and Friar Sand, as they travel west in search of Buddhist Sutra. The first seven chapters recount the birth of the Monkey King and his rebellion against Heaven. Then in chapters eight to twelve, we learn how Sanzang was born and why he is searching for the scriptures, as well as his preparations for the journey. The rest of the story describes how they vanquish demons and monsters, tramp over the Fiery Mountain, cross the Milky Way, and after overcoming many dangers, finally arrive at their destination - the Thunder Monastery in the Western Heaven - and find the Sutra. (from Amazon.com)

My Thoughts: I really liked all the poems scattered throughout the book, especially the ones about the beauty of nature. There were some really beautiful poems. Having poems embedded in the story forced me to slow down as I read, if only because I've always felt that poems should be read slowly. I've read that Chinese books are meant to be read slowly and savored (although I have no idea if this is true; I was unable to confirm or deny with a quick Google search), but it wouldn't surprise me after reading Journey to the West. I also found that I enjoyed it more when I did read it slowly.

I'll admit that, at times, I had some difficulty finishing Journey to the West. My difficulty was mostly due to the length--I read a complete, unabridged translation, which means that there were one hundred chapters and four separate volumes--but also due to the sometimes-repetitive-seeming adventures. I think a lot of my boredom with some of the adventures has much more to do with my ignorance of Chinese culture and Buddhism, however, than it with the story and writing itself. The introduction said that it is a story full of metaphors, references, and symbolism. Some of it was explained in the notes of the book, but much of the symbolism, especially, was not. I would imagine that each adventure symbolized a worldly attitude or sin in the Buddhist tradition and understanding.

I'm sure you're wondering about the religious aspect of this epic. Yes, it was Buddhist, but I still found it enjoyable and incredibly interesting. I understand that Chinese Buddhism is different from Buddhism of almost anywhere else because of the mix of Taoism and traditional Chinese beliefs it also includes, and that definitely appeared in Journey to the West. The ultimate goal of both Buddhism and Taoism is for humans to achieve immortality through self-cultivation, and both religions were true in the story in that both were successful at creating immortals through their disciplines. At times the group met and were even helped by Tao immortals, but there was a sense that Buddhism was somehow "better." 

As for the characters, the Monkey King was absolutely my favorite. He was mischievous, the best fighter, and determined. (This may have been because I found most of the immortals thoroughly irritating and arrogant, and I enjoyed watching him wreak havoc among them. I'm not sure how much of that irritation was simply cultural differences, and I apologize if I'm being insensitive. Also, I know it's not very Christian of me.) 

Enjoyed, even with the Buddhism--honestly, it was fascinating to read a Buddhist anything, as it's not  a religion that I know much about, and it was a good, epic adventure story. I would, however, perhaps would recommend an abridged version...

The Casual Vacancy

Firstly I'd like to apologize for the unexpectedly long gap in posts, but my exams are finished now!

Also, next week I will have special book reviews to celebrate Earth Day!!

And now...

Book: The Casual Vacancy by J. K. Rowling

Country: United Kingdom




Description:  When Barry Fairbrother dies unexpectedly in his early forties, the little town of Pagford is left in shock. Pagford is, seemingly, an English idyll, with a cobbled market square and an ancient abbey, but what lies behind the pretty façade is a town at war. Rich at war with poor, teenagers at war with their parents, wives at war with their husbands, teachers at war with their pupils…. Pagford is not what it first seems. And the empty seat left by Barry on the town’s council soon becomes the catalyst for the biggest war the town has yet seen. Who will triumph in an election fraught with passion, duplicity and unexpected revelations? Blackly comic, thought-provoking and constantly surprising, The Casual Vacancy is J.K. Rowling’s first novel for adults. (from Amazon.com)


My Thoughts: I was impressed by this book. It was incredibly well-written, although it had a very distinct style from Harry Potter. It was very gritty: Rowling included lots of details about smells and movements and everyday life, the things that make a story seem real for me, and the characters felt so real. There were a lot of them, and they were hard to keep track of (PAY ATTENTION to who's talking--there were some sudden switches), but Rowling wrote each character very well; each person felt distinct. She also did a fantastic job of making all the characters understandable (although there were a few interesting and notable exceptions).

The Casual Vacancy is definitely a story about the darker side of humanity: affairs, rape, cruelty, apathy and indifference, drugs, lies, politics. It is definitely a critique of a society that abandons part of itself. What the description above doesn't mention is that all of the tension about the council elections center around whether Pagford should continue to fund and maintain a drug rehab clinic and a low-income housing neighborhood.

My favorite character by far were Krystal, who felt SO real to me as I was reading. She was such a struggling, hurting teenager, and reminded me strongly of people I have known. Sukhvinder, another realistically struggling teenager, and Tessa come in a close second. I felt that Tessa was the only character who tried to do the right thing and truly tried to understand the people around her. But she also made some bad decisions in the past and still dealing with them. She actually reminded me a lot of the Biblical David.

Warning: The Casual Vacancy contains lots of sex and swearing. It actually didn't bother me that much, (although I skipped all the sex) because most of it felt very intentional. It was used to create a mood, to continue Rowling's attention to detail, and to help us understand the characters better. It is also worth noting that each character is realistic enough that they are not role models in any sense of the phrase. I therefore highly recommend this book, but only to mature readers who can make their own decisions about the characters and their actions.

Somewhere in Germany

Book: Somewhere in Germany by Stefanie Zweig

Country: Germany

Description: Somewhere in Germany is the sequel to the acclaimed Nowhere in Africa, which was turned into the Oscar-winning film of the same name. This novel traces the return of the Redlich family to Germany after their nine-year exile in Kenya during World War II. In Africa, Walter had longed for his homeland and dreamed of rebuilding his life as a lawyer, yet ultimately he and his family—wife Jettel, daughter Regina, and baby Max—realize that Germany seems as exotic and unwelcoming to them in 1947 as Kenya had seemed in 1938. Hunger and desperation are omnipresent in bombed-out Frankfurt, and this Jewish family—especially Regina, who misses Africa the most—has a hard time adjusting to their new circumstances. Yet slowly the family adapts to their new home amidst the ruins. 

In Frankfurt, Regina matures into a woman and, though her parents want her to marry an upstanding Jewish man, her love life progresses in its own idiosyncratic fashion. She develops a passion for art and journalism and begins her professional career at a Frankfurt newspaper. Walter at last finds professional success as a lawyer, but never quite adjusts to life in Frankfurt, recalling with nostalgia his childhood in Upper Silesia and his years in Africa. Only his son Max truly finds what Walter had hoped for: a new homeland in Germany. 

Although the Redlichs receive kindness from strangers, they also learn anti-Semitism still prevails in post-Nazi Germany. They partake in the West German “economic miracle” with their own home, a second-hand car, and the discovery of television, but young Max’s discovery of the Holocaust revives long-buried memories. Rich in memorable moments and characters, this novel portrays the reality of postwar German society in vivid and candid detail. (from Amazon.com)

I really enjoyed both the beginning and the end of this book. Both were engaging, interesting, and full of detail. The middle was a bit slow and hard to get through. I especially enjoyed the descriptions of life in Germany just after World War II--the deprivations, everyone trying to pretend that they weren't a Nazi, the Jews just trying to cope. I loved seeing Regina become an adult and understand her mother better. The ending was very good, if a bit sad--it resolved big issues without resolving everything.

This book is very much about life. There isn't an overarching plot so much as many small scenes from the family's life, although some issues (like getting an apartment, getting a job) do get resolved. Over a really long period of time, twelve years.

(Caution: There was one sex scene.)

Although I enjoyed this book at times, I wouldn't necessarily recommend it.  

This Present Darkness

Book: This Present Darkness by Frank E. Peretti

Location: USA

Description: Ashton is just a typical small town. But when a skeptical reporter and a pastor begin to compare notes, they suddenly find themselves fighting a hideous plot to subjugate the townspeople—and eventually the entire human race. A riveting thriller, This Present Darkness offers a fascinating glimpse into the unseen world of spiritual warfare. (from Amazon.com)

My thoughts: Wow! 

This was an amazing book. It describes the spiritual warfare going on Ashton, partly from a spiritual point of view (i.e. angels' and demons' perspective) and partly a human point of view. I found it fascinating. Spiritual warfare is never something I'd thought about before reading this book. It was a cool wake-up call and portrayal of the situation. The aspects of it that stood out the most to me were that humans actually had very little power to control what was going on around them--a lot of things were controlled by either angels or demons, including (or perhaps especially) overcoming temptation--and the power of prayer. How awesome is that, that God gave us this power that can change the tide of the battle?? 

The other thing I really liked about this book was how it handled anything vulgar. There was a fair amount, actually, but Peretti would always say something like, "There was something extremely vulgar painted on the side of his house", rather than actually saying what was painted there. Didn't really how nice that was until Peretti did it here.

One thing I disliked was the fact that it seemed like God actually had almost no part in people's day-to-day lives or in spiritual warfare; rather, it was all controlled by angels and demons, and angels got their strength from prayer (man did this book make me want to pray!). It is true that the power of prayer comes from God, and it was God that determined the timing of certain battles (telling the angels not to fight until a certain point and whatnot). Another was the fact that there was this understood, unspoken idea that people aren't responsible for what they do while possessed. Maybe he was just trying to show forgiveness in that no one ever asked or mentioned it... not sure. It's a bit like Paul's attitude in 2 Corinthians 12, but it is pretty clear throughout the Bible that God will hold us accountable for our sins.

The one thing that I most disliked was the association throughout the story between liberalist and nature (or nature-loving) people and the demons/evil. However, loving nature is a perfectly Biblical attitude, as long as nature doesn't come first. God created nature and loves it (Genesis 1, for instance), and He is in nature (see Job 37-39, Psalm 8, Psalm 104, and Romans 1:18-20, to name a few). I don't think it's pagan of me to think that. Along with this association came the association of anything "Eastern" with demons (meditation as a way to communicate with demons, for instance). That aspect of the book was not well-done.

However, that was probably the only aspect of the book that I truly disagreed with. Overall this was a wonderfully well-written and thought-provoking book. Highly recommended!

The Courtesan's Jewel Box

Book: The Courtesan's Jewel Box

Country: China



Description: This is a selection of popular Chinese stories from the 10th to 17th centuries. These stories were written in the spoken language that developed as a literary medium after the emergence of an urban commercial economy in the Song Dynasty (A.D. 960-1279). Originally the manuscripts of ordinary street story-tellers, this genre of fiction –deriving its material from the life and times of the period, with vivid writing and intricate plots, descriptions that are natural and vivacious– has now attained a lofty place as literature.

The twenty stories in this book were selected from over two hundred in several collections published at the beginning of the 17th century. (from Amazon.com)

This was a good book, I thought. It gave me a much better feel for what it would actually be like to live in China than either of the other two books I've read about China. The stories in this book were purposefully mostly about normal people, so I got a feel for the customs of China. This included the fact that women were only bargaining chips in some of the stories (but not all), the fact that men could have more than one wife, the social structure of China, the mixture of religions, the fact that money is carried around on strings, and lots of other small but interesting facts.

Since it was an anthology, there was a mixture of stories, some better than others. Some of my favorites were "The Courtesan's Jewel Box" (a love story) and "Lazy Dragon" (the story of, essentially, the Chinese version of Robin Hood).

Would recommend to anyone with an interest in traditional Chinese culture.

Global!

In the past few days, I've really been thinking about my global perspective. There was the news about the factory fire in Bangladesh (read about it here) and, on a more positive note, the story of the British man who visited every country in the world without flying anywhere (read about it here). Then I took an online quiz to name every country in the world, and I could only name 101/196. How sad is it that I know so little of the world I live in that I can only name half of the countries? And most of those places are nothing more than names to me--St. Lucia, Belize, Mali, Kyrgyzstan, Togo, Kiribati? I know nothing about these countries but their names!

All this has just made me more determined to read two books from every country in the world, and to start branching out from countries that I already know a fair bit about. I can't wait to learn more about all the diversity of God's children on this earth!

Parzival

Book: Parzival by Sir Wolfram von Eschenbach

Country: Germany

Written: around 1197-1215

Description: Composed in the early thirteenth century, Wolfram von Eschenbach's Parzival is the re-creation and completion of the story left unfinished by its initiator Chretien de Troyes. It follows Parzival from his boyhood and career as a knight in the court of King Arthur to his ultimate achievement as King of the Temple of the Grail, which Wolfram describes as a life-giving Stone. As a knight serving the German nobility in the imperial Hohenstauffen period, the author was uniquely placed to describe the zest and colour of his hero's world, with dazzling depictions of courtly luxury, jousting and adventure. Yet this is not simply a tale of chivalry, but an epic quest for spiritual education, as Parzival must conquer his ignorance and pride and learn humility before he can finally win the Holy Grail. (from Amazon.com)

This was a really wonderful poem. Parzival's story is a great story of someone growing from an ignorant boy to an arrogant young man to a humble Christian. There were several scenes that I absolutely loved: when Parzival was so love-sick for his wife that he couldn't fight (there was a beautiful description of love!), and when Parzival went to the hermit and talked with him about God and ultimately gave his life to Him. Many of the objections Parzival raised to the existence of God are questions that people still have. It was good to hear these questions in a story written almost 1,000 years ago. We are not alone in the questions we have. Parzival's story is the story of many of us.

This may be silly, but one of the things that surprised me in reading this was how much this epic was like more modern works of fiction. The descriptions were very detailed at times, and they definitely conjured up a world for me. There was also an amazing, and unexpected, emotional depth in this story. Perhaps they resonated with me so well because so many of these emotions were being ultimately constrained and dealt with in the context of the overarching Christianity of most of the characters.

There were a few aspects of Parzival that I didn't like. For some reason, however, less than half of this epic is actually about Parzival. There are two chapters about his father, Gachmuret, and the rest is about Gawain--who was cool and all, but Parzival was better. Also, most of the characters see baptism as the ultimate sign of a relationship with God, which obviously isn't true. So do just keep that in mind.

Overall, however, this was a wonderful epic poem, with an inspiring plot and realistic Christian characters.

A Concise History of China

Book: A Concise History of China by J. A. G. Roberts

Country: China

Description: The centuries-long complexity of China's political experience, the richness of its culture, and the drama of its economic unfolding are the hallmarks of this short but sweeping history. China's own history is entwined with its response to the West in a rich tapestry depicting its peoples, rulers, and society. More than a nuanced history of a vast continent, this study is sensitive to the multifaceted and changing interpretations of China that have been offered over the years.

In this overarching book, J. A. G. Roberts refers to recent archeological finds--the caches of bronze vessels found at Sanxingdui--and to new documentary reevaluations--the reassessment of Manchu documentation. The first half of the book provides an up-to-date interpretation of China's early and imperial history, while the second half concentrates on the modern period and provides an interpretive account of major developments--the impact of Western imperialism, the rise of Chinese Communism, and the record of the People's Republic of China since 1949. (from amazon.com)

This book was certainly very concise--4,000 years of Chinese history in 300 pages! For all that, however, it was very informative, and I do feel as if I now have a good overview of Chinese history, especially politics. I do wish Roberts had focused more on social changes as well as politics, simply because I find that more interesting but I also know that those parts of history are less clear-cut and less documented.

The other problem with this being such a short history was that it almost raised more questions than it answered. So many interesting people appeared quickly and then were gone, like the Empress Wu, the only empress in Chinese history, or Ding Ling, a writer in early communism. It also, at least for me, raised bigger questions about my view of Chinese culture and history, as a Westerner and as a Christian. In that sense, it was a book that led to a lot of reflection during and after I was reading.

Snow Flower and the Secret Fan

Book: Snow Flower and the Secret Fan by Lisa See

Country: China

Description: A language kept a secret for a thousand years forms the backdrop for an unforgettable novel of two Chinese women whose friendship and love sustains them through their lives.

This absorbing novel – with a storyline unlike anything Lisa See has written before – takes place in 19th century China when girls had their feet bound, then spent the rest of their lives in seclusion with only a single window from which to see.  Illiterate and isolated, they were not expected to think, be creative, or have emotions. But in one remote county, women developed their own secret code, nu shu – "women's writing" – the only gender-based written language to have been found in the world.  Some girls were paired as "old-sames" in emotional matches that lasted throughout their lives.  They painted letters on fans, embroidered messages on handkerchiefs, and composed stories, thereby reaching out of their windows to share their hopes, dreams, and accomplishments.

An old woman tells of her relationship with her "old-same," their arranged marriages, and the joys and tragedies of motherhood—until a terrible misunderstanding written on their secret fan threatens to tear them apart. With the detail and emotional resonance of Memoirs of a Geisha ,Snow Flower and the Secret Fan delves into one of the most mysterious and treasured relationships of all time—female friendship. (from lisasee.com)

My first descriptive word for this book would be sad or poignant. It was about the lives of women in China--with their feet bound and in a strictly traditional, patriarchal society, they had very little freedom. Marriages were arranged, girls were thought of as practically worthless. The narrator, Lily, describes her life, from her girlhood and foot-binding, her marriage, and finally her old age. The novel certainly revealed a dark side of Chinese society that I'd never thought about before. I suppose every society has its dark side, but I still found it horrible. Perhaps it was because it was occurring in another culture, and I fell more free to criticize it, or because I haven't grown accustomed to its evils.

One of the major themes in the novel was food-binding. It was something that all the women in the novel accepted despite the pain--not only to themselves as girls, but also of having to do that to their daughters when they were 6 or 7. But what about the things we do today for beauty--anorexia, bulimia, plastic surgery. 

More than anything, the major focus of the novel, and certainly Lily's retelling of her life, was her friendship with Snow Flower. Typically in China, or at least in the area being described in the novel, a woman would have a group of friends (a group of sworn sisters) that would change with the different stages of her life--one for girlhood, one for old age, and so on. But Lily and Snow Flower are laotongs, which means that they will be friends for life, able to send each other letters and gifts at all ages, and meet every year at the same place.  

An emotional roller coaster, but very good. The emotions of this book were very strong, but ultimately too pessimistic for me. Perhaps I've just lived a lucky life, but life isn't all sadness. Or maybe it's because I have a wonderful God who gives me joy all the time!

Travels in West Africa

Book: Travels in West Africa by Mary H. Kingsley

Country: Guinea

Description: Unique perspective: Until 1893, Mary Kingsley led a secluded life in Victorian England. At age 30 however, Kingsley defied convention and arranged a trip to west Africa to collect botanical samples for a book left unfinished by her father. Such a daring adventure was unheard of for women at the time. Kingsley traveled through western and equatorial Africa and became the first European to enter parts of Gabon. Her story--as an explorer and as a woman--offers an enduring tale of adventure. Adventure writer and historian Tony Brandt sets Kingsley's Africa against the history of other European explorations of the continent and details her contributions not only to literature, but science as she collected more than 400 samples--some now extinct--of plants and insects. Handsome editions, competitively priced: Gathered together for the first time in inexpensive, accessible editions, Adventure Press Classics offer readers the opportunity to build a comprehensive library of the most adrenaline-packed tales of adventure ever written. She was the first Englishwoman and the "third Englishman," as she put it, to climb the great peak of the Cameroons. She traveled with native guides but otherwise without a man along into some of West Africa's most dangerous jungles, up its most dangerous rivers. She fought off crocodiles with a paddle, hit a leopard over the head with a pot, fell into an animal trap lined at the bottom with sharpened sticks, waded through swamps in water chin deep. Then she wrote this book, which describes her adventures in detail, as well as her discoveries as a naturalist and her observations of the Africans and their customs. She writes a brisk engaging prose and she is clearly dauntless. The book was no. 18 on the Adventure list of the 100 best adventure books. It's a wonderful read. (from amazon.com)

Country: Guinea

Time: Set in 1893

My Review: 

One of the things I enjoyed most about this book was the humor--very dry and British, and exactly how I like it. Here are a few examples: 

When you spend the day on shore and when, having exhausted the charms of the town, - a thing that usually takes from between ten minutes to a quarter of an hour, - you apply to an inhabitant for advice as to the disposal of the rest of your shore leave, you are told to “go and see the coals.”  You say you have not come to tropical islands to see a coal heap, and applying elsewhere for advice you probably get the same.  So, as you were told to “go and see the coals” when you left your ship, you do as you are bid.  These coals, the remnant of the store that was kept here for the English men-of-war, were left here when the naval station was removed.  The Spaniards at first thought of using them, and ran a tram-way from Clarence to them.  But when the tramway was finished, their activity had run out too, and to this day there the coals remain.  Now and again some one has the idea that they are quite good, and can be used for a steamer, and some people who have tried them say they are all right, and others say they are all wrong.  And so the end of it will be that some few thousand years hence there will be a serious quarrel among geologists on the strange pocket of coal on Fernando Po, and they will run up continents, and raise and lower oceans to explain them, and they will doubtless get more excitement and pleasure out of them than you can nowadays. (chapter II) 

Also:

All West African steamers have a mania for bush, and the delusion that they are required to climb trees.  The Fallaba had the complaint severely, because of her defective steering powers, and the temptation the magnificent forest, and the rapid currents, and the sharp turns of the creek district, offered her; she failed, of course - they all fail - but it is not for want of practice.  I have seen many West Coast vessels up trees, but never more than fifteen feet or so. (Chapter IV)

The one problem I had with the humor was that sometimes it was aimed at the Africans and often (but not always) came off as critical and snobbish.

The other aspect of this book that I really enjoyed were the descriptions of Africa--the various tribes and their cultures, the white society there, the traveling, and most especially the African landscape: 

The beauty of the night on Kondo Kondo was superb; the sun went down and the afterglow flashed across the sky in crimson, purple, and gold, leaving it a deep violet-purple, with the great stars hanging in it like moons, until the moon herself arose, lighting the sky long before she sent her beams down on us in this valley.  As she rose, the mountains hiding her face grew harder and harder in outline, and deeper and deeper black, while those opposite were just enough illumined to let one see the wefts and floating veils of blue-white mist upon them, and when at last, and for a short time only, she shone full down on the savage foam of the Alemba, she turned it into a soft silver mist.  Around, on all sides, flickered the fire-flies, who had come to see if our fire was not a big relation of their own, and they were the sole representatives, with ourselves, of animal life.  When the moon had gone, the sky, still lit by the stars, seeming indeed to be in itself lambent, was very lovely, but it shared none of its light with us, and we sat round our fire surrounded by an utter darkness.  Cold, clammy drifts of almost tangible mist encircled (Chapter V).  

I decided to read this book because heard that Kingsley one of the few travelers of the time who respectived African culture, and I largely found this to be true. She respected not only African culture, but also Africans themselves: "I confess I like the African on the whole, a thing I never expected to do when I went to the Coast with the idea that he was a degraded, savage, cruel brute; but that is a trifling error you soon get rid of when you know him" (Chapter XXI). Kingsley acknowledged that African culture was different than European culture, and that customs that worked in Europe might or would not work in the competeley different culture (and climate) of Africa (not even beginning to think about each unique tribe). She therefore blamed the missionary schools for a lot of the problems in West Africa (present-day Guinea) because they unsuccessfully tried to tranplant Africans into a European way of thinking and really just confused/ruiend them (morally, I mean--they were often very successful traders). At the same time, though, Kingsley out and out says that she thinks African culture is inferior to European culture and that Africans are incapable of reaching the "heights" of European culture. I don't agree (although it's not true that European culture is "best"--we have plenty of our own problems--and so there's no reason for Africans to be forced to Europeanize), but I think it shows how illogical we can all be at times. In many ways this book was extremely honestly written, and it reveals a lot about Kingsley's thought processes and biases. 

Kingsley's ideas on gender also complex. Kingsley was a white woman, alone, journeying through dangerous country, searching for scientific specimens--not exactly traditional. She makes several comments about the cluelessness of men, she seems to almost relish her freedom from a husband: "as for the husband, neither the Royal Geographical Society’s list, in their ‘Hints to Travellers,’ nor Messrs. Silver, in their elaborate lists of articles necessary for a traveller in tropical climates, make mention of husbands" (Chapter V). At the same time, though, she could be very traditional: she wore a skirt for the whole journey, and even says once that men are superior to women.

Be warned, however, that parts of the book could be boring, such as Kingsley's recommendations on creating a trade empire in British Africa.

Heart of Darkness

Book: Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad

Country: Democratic Republic of the Congo


Description: A masterpiece of twentieth-century writing, Heart of Darkness exposes the tenuous fabric that holds "civilization" together and the brutal horror at the center of European colonialism. Conrad's crowning achievement recounts Marlow's physical and psychological journey deep into the heart of the Belgian Congo in search of the mysterious trader Kurtz. (from amazon.com)

(I wrote this right after I finished the book back in April)

Wow.  Beautifully, beautifully written.  Especially the first few times I sat down to read this book, it really drew me in--into a world where everything seemed mystical and mysterious and ... I don't even know, but the mood created by Conrad was amazing, dark and brooding and mystical.  Kept coming back to mystical, because there was such a sense, at least in the narrator's mind, of this darkness, personified in the extreme, waiting to tempt and destroy 'civilized' men.

Was really racist.  On the one hand, Conrad really really condemns the greed and cruelty in the Congo, the darkness that creates in people--but on the other hand seems to see that as a result of the corrupting influence of the dark wild, wild jungle, and he saw the Africans as having succumbed to that influence entirely. But also condemned imperialism, I thought, even while he thought Africans inferior--in the beginning he compared the wilds of Africa to what Great Britain must have been like for the conquering Romans thousands of years ago, which I thought was a really powerful comparison--but maybe he was just talking about the lack of civilization. He did make one other similar comment, however; he said something about how all the villages along the main road were deserted, but then adds something along the lines of, "Of course, if some group of people started marching through Dover and making people carry heavy loads for them, I imagine Dover would clear out pretty fast too."

This interesting idea that civilization keeps the savagery away. Must say I don't agree. 'Civilized' people can be just as cruel, if not crueler, than so-called 'savages'.  Also the play between others seeing what you're doing--Marlowe comments a few times about how the men were all alone, with no one watching them, i.e. they had 'ultimate power'.  Definitely a play throughout of men as 'gods'.  But society doesn't keep us from cruelty or sinning. Sinning is in our nature.  Who says that outright cruelty is a worse sin than things like corruption or whatever, that happens in 'society'?  Maybe murder and so on only seems so horrible to us because we don't see it as much as, say, premarital sex.  But that doesn't make those other things any less of a sin.  And just because society says something is right or wrong doesn't mean society is right.

Also: Hochschild said something about how people seem to think that Heart of Darkness isn't really about the Congo, since a lot of the movie adaptations aren't even set in Africa.  But he argues that it is about the Congo.  I think, though, that Conrad may have meant it to be about the Congo, but he really wrote a book about humans and the evil side of them.

★★★★★

King Leopold's Ghost

Book: King Leopold's Ghost: A Story of Greed, Terror, and Heroism in Colonial Africa by Adam Hochschild

Country: Democratic Republic of the Congo

Description: In the 1880s, as the European powers were carving up Africa, King Leopold II of Belgium seized for himself the vast and mostly unexplored territory surrounding the Congo River. Carrying out a genocidal plundering of the Congo, he looted its rubber, brutalized its people, and ultimately slashed its population by ten million--all the while shrewdly cultivating his reputation as a great humanitarian. Heroic efforts to expose these crimes eventually led to the first great human rights movement of the twentieth century, in which everyone from Mark Twain to the Archbishop of Canterbury participated. King Leopold's Ghost is the haunting account of a megalomaniac of monstrous proportions, a man as cunning, charming, and cruel as any of the great Shakespearean villains. It is also the deeply moving portrait of those who fought Leopold: a brave handful of missionaries, travelers, and young idealists who went to Africa for work or adventure and unexpectedly found themselves witnesses to a holocaust. Adam Hochschild brings this largely untold story alive with the wit and skill of a Barbara Tuchman. Like her, he knows that history often provides a far richer cast of characters than any novelist could invent. Chief among them is Edmund Morel, a young British shipping agent who went on to lead the international crusade against Leopold. Another hero of this tale, the Irish patriot Roger Casement, ended his life on a London gallows. Two courageous black Americans, George Washington Williams and William Sheppard, risked much to bring evidence of the Congo atrocities to the outside world. Sailing into the middle of the story was a young Congo River steamboat officer named Joseph Conrad. And looming above them all, the duplicitous billionaire King Leopold II. With great power and compassion, King Leopold's Ghost will brand the tragedy of the Congo--too long forgotten--onto the conscience of the West. (from amazon.com)

(I wrote these on two separate occaisions, during and after I was reading King Leopold's Ghost in March of this year)

Wow, I'm so impressed with this book so far (just finished chapter 8 or 9).  Firstly, Hochschild out and out condemns the horrors and crimes that happened in the Congo--no justifying their actions because of the norms of the time or anything (although he does explain some of hte cutlural stuff going on, it is absolutely not in a way to justify their actions, more in a way to help us understand).  He also condemns the main actors in the whole thing, especially King Leopold II of Belgium.  Hochschild doesn't hide his contempt for him--and no, I don't think it's too strong of a word--or for some of the other main people.  I must say, all of the people are very well described and feel very real to me.  Even the people who fought against what was happening in the Congo weren't described as saints--he also described their faults, and honestly rather condemned those parts of them even while praising them for their other actions.

The whole things seems so real.  Very well-written, and in a way to engage the reader.  Described so interestingly, and often with really interesting epeople, too.  Hochschild is also so sarcastic!

Review:

Wow.  Need a moment to gather my thoughts...

A lot of what I said last time are still my strongest impressions of the book: Hochschild's whole-hearted condemnation of practically everything and everyone that had anything to do with the exploitation of the Congo, his portrayals of people (and, untimately, the movement against what was happening in the Congo) were fair and portrayed both the good and bad aspects.  He was also curiously cynical and optimistic at the same time--acknowledged human nature, questioned the fact that there were so many other horrible things going on at the same time that no one even questioned, pointed out that not much changed in the Congo after the reforms even to the present day, how the 10 million dead not acknowledged by Belgium today; but also praising the efforts of everyone working against what was going on in the Congo, and definitely thinks well of organizations fighting for human rights today.

Really impressed with how hard Hochschild tried to acknowledge important workers in the story, especially people not much talked about before (often because they were black).  Also pointed out that Africans weren't all that innocent or virtuous before Europeans came, something I found oddly brave--no one ever wants to talk about that.

Would highly recommend.  Riveting story and resounding condemnation of imperialism, exploitation, and greed.

★★★★★

Half of a Yellow Sun

Book: Half of a Yellow Sun by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie

Country: Nigeria



Description:  With effortless grace, celebrated author Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie illuminates a seminal moment in modern African history: Biafra's impassioned struggle to establish an independent republic in southeastern Nigeria during the late 1960s. We experience this tumultuous decade alongside five unforgettable characters: Ugwu, a thirteen-year-old houseboy who works for Odenigbo, a university professor full of revolutionary zeal; Olanna, the professor’s beautiful young mistress who has abandoned her life in Lagos for a dusty town and her lover’s charm; and Richard, a shy young Englishman infatuated with Olanna’s willful twin sister Kainene. Half of a Yellow Sun is a tremendously evocative novel of the promise, hope, and disappointment of the Biafran war. (from amazon.com)

(Various thoughts I wrote down while reading the book last January, as well as my review)

Too much sex.  Very poignant other than that, though, and very poetic thoughts of everyone.

All the violence and suffering makes me think how lucky I've been in my life.

Really liked.  Very well written.  Showed the violence, disappointment, and corruption (moral as well as governmental), suffering that comes of war.  Showed how both sides did horrible things--Nigerians massacred Igbo, really cruel to the Biafrans after the war and when occupying.  But Biafrans had high officials who were living in luxury while the people starved and were bombed, "conscripted" anything male practically, and the soldiers raped and stole and were arrogant just like the Nigerian soldiers.
Characters very believable.  They all struggled, and I thought they persevered and broke down and suffered in very, very realistic ways.  I do stand by my earlier assertion that there was too much sex, but I do agree that it all served the story and character development.  The same was true of the violence--all graphic, but absolutely none of it pointless.

Would definitely recommend. Made me think/reflect on violence, on how much we have and how much others don't have, on how there's still injustice (because even though set in the 60s felt modern, too).

Read Around the World

Back in April of this year, I decided to challenge myself with the following reading challenge: to read one book about every country of the world (see a full list of countries here). I later decided to increase that number to two books, because one book is not enough to get a really good feel for a country. Any one author will have biases and things that they don't think are important enough to mention and so on. I'll admit, I'm not sure two books is much better, but I thought anything else was a bit excessive, at least for the beginning.

Unlike a normal reading challenge, I'm not trying to finish this challenge as quickly as possible. I'm incorporating it into the other reading that I do. I'm trying to do it slowly, contemplatively, to learn as much as possible from what I'm reading. This is as much a spiritual journey, a way to understand people and the world better, as it is a list of topics I want to read about.