Kwesi Soti Mtundu

Problems with the narrative

Revisado: 06-26-22

In general, the narrator was pretty good however, there were several points in the recording that started, stopped and repeated what was just read. This was particularly the case at the beginning of the recording. Otherwise, the book itself was a good primer on being a public Professor.

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Impressive fiction by Ta-Nehisi Coates

Revisado: 01-31-20

I've always been impressed with Ta-Nehisi Coates nonfiction. This, which I believe is his first novel, is confirmation of the flexibility and depth of his writing skills, and imagination. In fact, many of the themes he's previously covered including reparations and the ways in which psychological circumstances of oppression play themselves out for both Black and White people, are interwoven into the story and dialogue. The Water Dancer tells a more in-depth and complex story of "the underground" that captures the complexity of tasks they were undertaking and the multidimensionality of the Black and White "agents" that made it go. This includes the best treatment of Harriet Tubman I've ever read on seen in a film. Well done Ta-Nehisi!

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Required reading for my 6th grade granddaughter

Revisado: 11-23-19

I was curious to know what she was reading, and, because I was helping her with homework on the book. I am also always interested in the messages below the obvious themes in books for this age level since they tend to "color" how young people see the world. In general, the Lightning Thief captures a pretty diverse world across gender and disability and where pretty much everyone is portrayed as a fully developed character. And, although Percy is the titular protagonist, there are many heroes. However, the lack of racial or ethnic diversity is troubling, as is the clear preeminence of western civilization. Although it is only one of many books that my granddaughter will read, combined with similar themes she's covering in social studies and geography, my African American female 6th grader needs to see herself represented and included as much as any other child. So, as usual, parents for children of color need to do the extra work of correcting and supplementing the standard educational curriculum and pedagogy. Always necessary and increasingly tiring.

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More than just self-help

Revisado: 10-04-19

I don’t usually do "self-help books," but was intrigued to learn about Stacey Abrams journey to leadership. Not a small feat to make it so close to winning the governorship over a southern state as a black woman. Very glad I chose differently. Also glad that she was the one to read it. Voice is pleasant, she reads and speaks in ways that are both engaging and with particular clarity. But I guess that also has to do with the writing. She covers many of the leadership lessons I now know but wish this book had been available much earlier in my career. For that reason, I highly recommend it for young people on the start of the leadership journey. Particularly people of color and those typically on the margins of all kinds of power arenas.

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Captivating and disturbing

Revisado: 09-06-19

As fictional novels about slavery go, this one is about as powerful as it gets. Writing on the Caribbean experience and in the creole language of the island and Africans makes it all that more powerful and strangely refreshing. I listened to the audio version and the narrator was superb.

I was disturbed by many things but that can't be a criticism of the novel or the author as it is his story and not mine. The language was graphic, harsh, vulgar and sometimes seemingly gratuitous, but, at times often prosaic and poetic. James clearly has a talent for writing.

I was troubled about what the author was trying to accomplish and didn't really get a full sense for that until the end where he finally, in a rushed way, tells the stories of ALL the night women and brings to life the fullness of their characters. Up to that point we only get a good understanding of Lilith and Homer. I'll leave it up to the female reviewers to comment on how well he captured what the enslaved experience for women may have been like but the fact is that no one can really ever know who was not there.

In James' video interview he states he is not a historical writer but loves history and was attempting to capture a story yet untold about slavery in the Caribbean. It is therefore unclear how accurate or overblown the novel may be in depicting the lives and events and given the extremely graphic telling that could be problematic. While there is an attempt offer a multidimensional portrayal of the characters in the end the tragedy overwhelms.

In the end I think this is a good read. In fact, a very good read. I hope to read more from James that hopefully captures stories from other angles of this historical period.

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Another fantastic African cultural adventure

Revisado: 07-15-19

I so much love this series. Akata Warrior takes us on another winding adventure with Sunny, Chichi, Orlu, and Sasha as they strive to save the world while also navigating teenage angst and mischievousness. Note to reader, although patterned similarly to the Harry Potter characters, there is less pretense of innocence with these early teens. There is so much to appreciate about how Okorafor paints each of her main and even some of the peripheral characters, and also captures so much of Nigerian and African culture. As someone who is not Nigerian, but has been there and to West Africa many times, I loved the description of the food, mores, relationships, and in particular the overland trip to Lagos. I too have cursed those roads.

The narrator for this audiobook, Yetide Badaki, was excellent. She captured each of the voices, accents, and the narration itself perfectly. I have listened to other books centered in Africa where the narration is poor or forced. Not here. Even the silly parts, like "Grashcutter" were done well. It helps to have someone who knows and loves the culture to translate it properly.

This was fun. I can't wait for the next adventure.

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An Epic Introduction for me to Greek Mythology

Revisado: 06-21-19

This was an epic tale. And fun. Just what I needed to start my summer reading. I don't know a lot about Greek mythology but the writing was such that you are both educated and entertained. And, the accompanying PDF is available to keep all the characters straight but didn't really need it. Although a goddess and nymph, Circe is "humanized" along with all the other characters. I suspect if you are going to write such a tale as this the writing needs to be both poetic and prosaic. Indeed it is. The narrator excellently captures the tale and the characters, and as advertised, retells her story through a woman's lens, albeit a modern one. I really enjoyed the listen.

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A Proper Way to Honor Octavia Butler

Revisado: 05-26-19

I really enjoyed most of these short stories. As with most collections, some stories are more captivating than others. It is always a bit of a challenge for me when audio-reading short stories at the beginning of each one so I usually return to the beginning after perhaps the 1st 5-10 minutes to reinforce the setting and storyline in my head. One can easily see the Octavia Butler influence on all but a couple of the stories. Many of the stories capture a somewhat dystopic reality, but not all of them offer a liberatory pathway out. Nevertheless, the book properly honors the namesake. I'm glad there is an Octavia Brood and look forward to the future work of these authors. Finally, I enjoyed the essay from Tananarive Due that provides a good review and analysis of Octavia's work as well as a bit more about Octavia's life and challenges. I think I've read about all there is to read about Octavia and this was a good addition.

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Important update to classic racial identity text

Revisado: 05-05-19

I read the 1st edition of this book in 1997 and subsequently used portions of it in my college-level Psychology and the African American Experience course for many years. Recently, I saw Beverly Daniel Tatum on a two-person panel with Robin DiAngelo, author of "White Fragility: Why It’s So Hard for White People to Talk About Racism." That conversation inspired me to read DiAngelo's book and then re-read this one. This 2017 edition is not just revised but is updated considerably to connect it with contemporary issues and events, including the racist context of the 2016 election and its aftermath. I've always appreciated Tatum's title as one that is provocative and intended to draw the reader in with its implication that there is something wrong with black kids. In fact, Tatum does an excellent job of explaining how not only is the question an incomplete one, but the fallacy of thinking that racial identity is only an issue for black kids or people of color lies at the heart of our misunderstandings. This updated edition covers black and white racial identities, and importantly, how racial identify manifests itself across multiple categories of what Rupert Nacoste (Taking on Diversity: How We Can Move from Anxiety to Respect) describes as our neo-diverse society. It helps us to understand how by embracing our racial identities, including white racial identity, we can move towards a more just society. This audiobook, read by the author, mirrors the writing in its conversational tone that makes it accessible by the lay reader. The material is nevertheless well grounded in up-to-date scholarship and thus I would also recommend having the written version since, for many who are unfamiliar with how racial identity works, you may want to more easily return to it for future reference. Read it.

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What a journey. What a ride

Revisado: 03-17-19

Thank you Michelle. We share ethnicity, age, and history as Black people born and raised in the south side of Chicago. I know the neighborhoods, the streets, the schools, the people, the relatives, and the histories you so well described. I could relate to almost every passage you described during your time growing up in Chicago as well as your experiences in college. While our paths obviously deviated by virtue of your meeting Barack, it was nevertheless comforting to know how you have remained who you were and always will be...that Chicago girl traveling this life with those black Chicago values and drive that our people instilled in us.

I also enjoyed reading about the political journey you and your family took. While the details of living in the White House and how you found your own identity and purpose were interesting, for me at least, the lessons you present were not particularly new.given the fact that you and the President were always honest, open, authentic and fairly transparent in your profound responsibilities to the nation. But that too was much appreciated since it captured those times through your eyes and provides perspectives many need to keep hearing.

Thank you for being there for Barack and your children. Thank you for being here for the rest of us. It is good to know your voice.

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