Women and Race

I just finished a class titled Women and Race. The premise of this class was to look at literature written by black and white women who discuss their relationships with one another. I generally don't like recommending books I have to read for school because they are often boring to the average reader, but three books from this class really stood out to me: Dessa Rose, Keepers of the House, and Meridian.

I've done some work with Sherley Anne Williams' Dessa Rose before, but this semester I really took the time to peel back some of the many layers of the text. After both an escape from a slave coffle and prison, Dessa wakes up from a post-postpartum fever in a white woman's house. Ruth's husband has presumably left her, and she harbors fugitive slaves in order to keep the plantation running. This book questions whether or not a black woman and white woman could ever truly be friends in the antebellum U.S.

Housekeeping, by Shirley Ann Grau, explores the legacy of the fictional Howland family in rural Alabama. Several generations of Howlands have lived in the same house in a small town highly influenced by patriarch William Howland. When William's relationship with Margaret, his black housekeeper, becomes known, William's granddaughter Abigail must not only come to terms with her own racism, but that of her family and the entire town. This book explores the idea of place, both literally and metaphorically. What is the proper place for a black woman inside a white home? Inside a white town? Who has the power to change the definition of that place? What are the risks people are willing to take to challenge these ideas?

Alice Walker's Meridian explores many of the same questions as Dessa Rose regarding inter-racial relationships and friendships. However, unlike Dessa Rose, Meridian is set during the Civil Rights era south. Meridian struggles to figure her own self out within the Civil Rights Movement, amongst a variety of personalities, ideologies and races, particularly Truman and Lynne. Truman, Meridian's ex-boyfriend, struggles with his own identity as an educated black man in the 1960s south. He speaks French, dresses extravagantly, and according to Meridian, needs to get back to his roots. Lynne, Truman's wife, is a white woman working with Meridian and Truman within the Civil Rights Movement. Lynne is idealistic, aggressive, and many times just doesn't "get it."Meridian asks, what is the proper place for a white woman in the Civil Rights Movement? Where is the proper place for educated southern blacks in the Civil Rights Movement? Can black men and white women have healthy relationships? Can black women and white women be real friends?

Chicken Noodle Soup and Rosemary Olive Oil Bread

Head on over to my personal blog, hotpinkevil and check out my chicken noodle soup and rosemary olive oil recipes!

The Lacuna

It's been a week since I finished Barbara Kingsolver's The Lacuna and I can't get it out of my head. I knew I would love it, just as I love everything Kingsolver does, but this book is her masterpiece.

The Lacuna "publishes" Harrison Shepherd's (fictional)diary entries and letters from the time he is twelve until his early thirties. He moves to Mexico from Washington DC with his Mexican mother. Because of his unique situation, he spends most of his childhood alone exploring his surroundings. After a brief but eventful return to Washington DC, he returns to Mexico and works as a cook in Diego Rivera and Frida Kahlo's household. Shepherd's interactions with the members of the household continue to reveal his character as he grows into manhood, but Shepherd's role changes when Lev Trotsky finds refuge from Stalin in the Kahlo/Rivera home. After Trotsky's death, Shepherd returns to the United States and launches a successful book career, writing about ancient Mexico amongst the anti-communist fervor of the 1940s.

What sticks with me most about The Lacuna is Kingsolver's ability to show history repeating. Shepherd's tales of ancient Mexico resemble the mentality and politics of the United States in the 1930s and 40s, and her retelling of 30s and 40s parallels today's anti-Muslim attitudes. Furthermore, Shepherd attempts to give voice to the native Mexicans during the Spanish conquest, just as Kingsolver complicates the historical characters (Frida, Diego, Trotsky) in her own book. Shepherd's banter is incredibly witty and his private writing opens up a side of him that the rest of his fictional world does not know. His observations are extraordinary, and like his friend Frida, he sees the world unlike the rest.

Strawberry Rhubarb Infused Vodka

Nothing is more refreshing on these hot days of summer than a delicious cocktail! I love to relax on the patio with a good book and a tasty drink. Here's my recent indulgence: strawberry rhubarb infused vodka.

1/4 cup sugar
1 cup water (or more depending on how strong you want the vodka)
1 pint chopped strawberries
1 lb chopped rhubarb
1 liter vodka

In a saucepan, dissolve sugar in water. Add strawberries and rhubarb. Simmer for 20 minutes.

Stir together strawberry/rhubarb mixture and vodka in a glass container. Seal and refrigerate for 5 days.

Strain mixture and return to vodka bottle. Enjoy on the rocks with a splash of lime!

Homer and Langley

Now that class is over for the summer I have time to read for fun. The first book I picked up was Homer and Langley by E.L. Doctorow, a historical fiction based on the life of the Collyer brothers. Homer and Langley Collyer were recluses who lived in Manhattan until both died in their home in 1947. Langley Collyer was a hoarder who took care of his older blind brother. Langley would go out at night and bring junk and newspapers home. They attracted media attention due to several conflicts with banks and utility companies. As a result, Langley booby-trapped the house and died after one of his traps, a stack of newspapers, collapsed on top of him. Homer died days later because he depended on Langley for food and water.

The book is narrated by Homer and gives an interesting, though fictional, context to why the brothers were the way they were.

If you're interested in the Collyer brothers, I recommend reading the Wikipedia page. If you are interested in a good story, I don't recommend Homer and Langley. While I was reading it, I became increasingly frustrated with Doctorow's female characters: they are either whores or unnaturally virginal. However, the more I thought about it, the more I realized that all of his characters are flat. I would think that, in writing a historical fiction, Doctorow would have used his artistic liberties to explore the character of the Collyer brothers and complicate their lives.

One thing I thought Doctorow did well was give a context for Langley's eccentricity, but overall I was disappointed in the book.

The Pile

A new semester has started and my six week break is over. I have a pile of books to read "just for fun" and I didn't read any of them. I needed a break from reading. This semester, I am taking a class titled "Writers in Exile." The syllabus looks great and I'll share recommendations with you as I go.

For now, I want to share what is waiting for me in my pile of "just for fun" books.

The Lacuna Barbara Kingsolver
Sundown Towns James W. Loewen
The Known World Edward P. Jones
Jane Eyre Charlotte Bronte
The Red Convertible Louise Erdrich
Beloved
Jazz
The Bluest Eye Toni Morrison

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Bread

I've been on break from school, and even though I have a pile of books to read "just-for-fun," the last thing I feel like doing is reading. I've been reading full-time for 3.5 months and I need a break!

Besides catching up on my t.v. shows, I've been doing a lot of cooking. Because of the cold winter, I have been baking a lot of breads. I also got a new wok for Christmas, so I've been experimenting with fried rice and pad thai.

I accidentally bought too much pumpkin puree (as if there's such a thing as too much pumpkin puree!) and I've been making a lot of pumpkin chocolate chip bread. YUM!



Ingredients:
3 cups sugar
15 oz can pumpkin puree
1 cup vegetable oil
2/3 cup water
4 eggs, or egg substitute
3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 Tbls cinnamon
1 Tbls nutmeg
2 tsp baking soda
1 1/2 tsp salt
1 cup chocolate chips

Heat oven to 350 degrees
Oil and flour 3 bread pans
Combine sugar, pumpkin puree, oil, water and eggs.
Stir in flour, cinnamon, nutmeg, baking soda and salt
Fold in chocolate chips
Divide equally between bread pans
Bake for 1 hour
Enjoy!