American Gods

Book: American Gods by Neil Gaiman

I read up to page 182 and lost the book. Looks like the library has one copy with a long wait. I hope to get my hands on another copy soon. With my memory, I'll have to start reading from page 1.

Two things I enjoyed about this book so far:
1) It made me laugh out loud or nod with enthusiasm. Often.
2) The ethnic and racial diversity.

******ADDENDUM, August 2012.

I finally read American Gods from cover to cover. An engaging read, you're never bored, but I don't get the hype. It's a good read, but why the fanaticism?  It's probably a sleeper, you randomly "get it" years later when you least expect. As usual with Gaiman's work I thought American Gods would make an even better movie/mini-series than it did a novel.

 ~~

  AMERICAN GODS TELLING ON ITSELF

Would you believe that all the gods that people have ever imagined are still with us today? ... And that there are new gods out there, gods of computers and telephones and whatever, and that they all seem to think there isn't room for them both in the world. And that some kind of war is kind of likely. Chapter 13

People believe, thought Shadow. It's what people do. They believe. And then they will not take responsibility for their beliefs; they conjure things, and do not trust the conjurations. People populate the darkness; with ghosts, with gods, with electrons, with tales. People imagine, and people believe: and it is that belief, that rock-solid belief, that makes things happen. Chapter 18, pg 36

Wench

Book: Wench: A Novel by Dolen Perkins-Valdez

Read the synopsis of Wench on the author's website: Wench: A Novel

Wench is a novel centered around four enslaved American women as told from the point of view of one of the women, Eliza (called Lizzie).
It has the usual theme for a historical fiction novel set in the American antebellum era that is centered on enslaved people: the quest for freedom.

I imagine the desire for freedom was always on a slave's minds even if it wasn't on their tongues.

"Long as he a slave, he ain't gone never be a man," he said.
"You an abolitionist now?"
He set his hat on the stump beside her. "Ain't no such thing as a colored abolitionist. That's a word for the white folks. We ain't got to distinguish ourselves." P. 281, Wench, Perkins-Valdez.

However, while Wench gives you the prerequisite freedom struggle, it also gives you a glimpse of what life may have been like for an enslaved American - specially, showing us how the enslaved mistresses of southern slaveholders spent their time at a vacation resort... in a free state no less.

One thing for sure, it was not a vacation!

Through Lizzie's eyes we experience the complexities of a slave's life and relationships; the distinct protocols needed for interacting with others which are dictated by sex, skin color and/or socioeconomic class, and of course, emotions.

There was a comment that gave me pause:

"And this is for you too," Mawu said, handing her a piece of folded paper. Lizzie spreads the paper out. There was a drawing....
"You drew this for me?" Lizzie asked.
Mawu cursed. "Girl, is you always thinking about love?..." P.275, Wench, Perkins-Valdez.

The fact that Lizzie appreciates that small gesture (as you read on you will find its actually part of a grand gesture) of her friend taking time out to draw her a picture made me wonder: is this woman starved for love or is her capacity for love so large that she is sensitive to the little things? The same for Mawu too, that seems like a "takes one to know one" response.

Wench would make a good Lifetime network movie, or perhaps Oprah can produce it for OWN.  Peruse the spoilery, yet enticing, customer reviews for Wench on Amazon.com to see why: Wench: A Novel Perkins-Valdez

Dorothy Surrenders: Why so blue, pander bear?

Dorothy Surrenders: Why so blue, pander bear?: "Let us, for a moment, talk about pandering. What does it mean to pander, exactly? Well, our friends at Merriam Webster say it is “to provide..."

~

I really enjoyed reading this post. While it's obviously about straight privilege, it is about more than that.... Minority representation in popular media is very near to my heart. I'm a viewer, not a mover & a shaker. As a minority viewer I know how marginalized and lonely it feels not to see aspects of myself reflected in the shows I watch or am interested in watching. As life moves on I've come to realize I'm not alone in the way I think and feel, nor am I inferior because of the way I look. However, it's still gives me a sense of "normalcy" to see positive images of others like me in some way on TV, imagine how I felt to see it as an unseasoned kid.

TV/Movies can be more diverse if The Powers That Be just gave the effort and/or if the mainstream audience stopped accepting whitewashed casts.