pickCoates writes with such a remarkable degree of clarity, integrity, and compassion. The book is comprised of three essay sections where he tells of his journeys- to Senegal, South Carolina, and Palestine. He shares his experiences, observations, insights, and mind rumblings. He is willing to say “I was wrong” and tells of how his opinion changed after learning new information - something we all need to learn to do better. Essential reading.
pickThis novel starts with a woman fleeing from her home and the violence in Gaza in 2001, then goes back and recounts her childhood. It shows how so many are simply trying to live and are prevented from doing so by outside forces. A necessary reminder of the human lives impacted by violence.
pickAn important and powerful collection of essays that provides a much needed counterbalance to the biased and racist mainstream treatment of Palestine, and the apartheid and murderous Israeli state. Oh, and it‘s free from the Verso website. 🇵🇸✡️
pickThere was a lot of info here. Luckily, Goldberg writes in a very engaging, witty, and humorous way; other wise it would've read like a dry history text. The individual POVs from each side were interesting and enlightening and sometimes frustrating. Overall, a very worthy read.
This completed a second bingo for the month; yayyy!
79/62
#BookSpinBingo #MountTBR #ReadAway2024
"On the morning of the fine spring day, full of sunshine, that ended with my arrest in Gaza, I woke early from an uneven sleep, dressed, and pushed back to its proper place the desk meant to barricade the door of my hotel room."
Ok, a #BookSpinBingo book for another bingo that I actually have not read ?
#FirstLineFridays
@ShyBookOwl
pickThe Message takes readers through three places Coates traveled to. Dakar is his first time in Africa, and his revelations about it are honest and highly personal to him as he looks at his ancestral roots. His time in South Carolina is timely as he meets a teacher who is at risk of being fired for teaching one of Coates' books. Finally, his trip to Palestine shows the continuing turmoil in that region and how injustice is on full display daily.
Haymarket Press is offering ten ebooks on anti-racism and anti-fascism for free. https://www.haymarketbooks.org/blogs/517-ten-free-ebooks-for-getting-free
Don‘t walk, run to get this book! Since Coates has been shaking the table with his discursive intervention on Palestine, that was the section I was most interested to read… but in the end I was particularly floored by the section on education & the war on “critical race theory.” If I taught HS English, I would def assign this book!
Coates is being interviewed by local author Omar El Akkad who is an amazingly smart and interesting person himself. I am so excited for this, hoping for nothing but to learn.
