Women who Dig

Women who Dig: Farming, Feminism, and the Fight to Feed the World | Trina Moyles

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A moving collection of women‘s stories, gathered from rural areas in Africa, Asia, Central America, the Caribbean and North America. Sustainable farming is an important topic & members of my Feminist Book Club were impressed by the content. I was the only one who mentioned my annoyance with the writing style, but when I gave examples, the others admitted they hadn‘t read as closely as I had. Curious? See the comments below. #CanadianAuthor

Lindy [in Stone Age cultures] …women procured large amounts of food through foraging. Their hands never lay idle; their hands flew, transforming the world around them.” 5y

Lindy …”enjoying a brief siesta, rest, beneath an acacia tree.” [following each non-English word with the English equivalent] 5y

Lindy “The women‘s silence was a high-pitched scream that drowned out the chorus of male voices.” 5y

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Lindy She discovered the beauty of giving herself to a task, exhausting herself on the land, and feeling the immense value of touching the earth to produce food to be eaten at the dinner table that night.” 5y

Lindy “Somali girls, wearing bright yellow & turquoise coloured hijab, fluttered by like butterflies.” [These young women are in a refugee camp. Butterflies?] 5y

Lindy “In less than 100 days, the Hutu government & its ragtag team of youth militias murdered close to one million Tutsi people, slaughtering them like animals.” [I object to that careless last phrase; the rape and mutilation of human beings in Rwanda is not how animals are killed.] 5y

Lindy “I felt the hot liquid in my eyes, the gravity pull of a joyful tear, spilling over the edge of my eye, dampening my skin like rain on the earth.” 5y

TrishB Comes across as quite flippant. Is it in translation? 5y

Lindy @TrishB No, English is the author‘s first language. I think she was trying too hard for a lyrical style. 5y

TrishB Definitely agree. 5y

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Lindy

Women who Dig: Farming, Feminism, and the Fight to Feed the World | Trina Moyles

Many aspects of the writing style annoyed me in this nonfiction book, but most glaring is the author‘s use of past tense when she‘s actually describing current situations:
“The Mam were one of 24 indigenous cultures in Guatemala, a country where nearly 50% of the population were indigenous people, most of whom dwelled in rural areas & depended on subsistence & small-scale agriculture for survival.”

Cathythoughts Is it a turn of phrase ??? Like slang. I know my mother often spoke in the past tense ... but it was slang/regional talk ... maybe I‘m all wrong here 🤷🏻‍♀️ 5y

Lindy @Cathythoughts Perhaps it‘s a regional thing; the author is from the same province as me, but further north. But it has the effect in this instance of reinforcing the idea that indigenous people exist historically, not currently. 5y

Cathythoughts Yes , I see what your saying. I think I jumped the gun here ... 😬 5y

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Lindy

Women who Dig: Farming, Feminism, and the Fight to Feed the World | Trina Moyles

If it weren‘t for two things, the important content and the fact that it‘s this month‘s pick for my feminist book club, I doubt I would continue with this. The overwrought writing style is driving me around the bend!
“…her face was like a creased map. […] Elena didn‘t hesitate to move, or speak, or claim the space she occupied. She owned every breath expelled from her lungs, every movement, every word from her lips.”

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