'White Fragility' by Robin DiAngelo has been one of the most helpful books i have read on the subject of race and racism. It has helped put some language on some concepts i was aware of and it has shared some useful analogies that break down complex issues into much simpler ideas. i highly recommend you get a copy and give it a read if you are trying to navigate these race waters and [...]
i have just started reading Robin DiAngelo's 'White Fragility: Why it's so hard for white people to talk about racism' and am already in love. You should basically just go and buy the book. [Got it for R200 on Loot] It is that good. Am only part way in and already feels like such a game changer both in terms of the language it uses [and some helpful analogy already] and the ways in [...]
i have now finally finished reading Russell Brand's latest book, 'Recovery - Freedom from our Addictions' and can highly recommend it. Whether you feel like you are addicted or not. There is a helpful understanding that is gained around addicts who might be people you know, as well as just some generally helpful life wisdom from a very unique perspective. Russell Brand is not everyone's cup of tea, but you are doing yourself a disservice [...]
In case you missed it, i am still busy reading Russell Brand, his latest book: Recovery - Freedom from our Addictions. i shared some passages from the early part of the book over here and wanted to give you a little more of a glimpse to encourage you to get your hands on it. Russell is busy working through the Twelve Step Plan to overcoming addiction and giving his own personal spin and journey to [...]
Walking through the airport on the way to Durban, i spotted Russel Brand's new book 'Recovery - Freedom from our Addictions' in Exclusive Books. And promptly bought it to read on the plane and beyond. i am a HUGE Russel Brand fan. i think he is highly underrated and that a lot of his wisdom is often missed or dismissed due to his incredible in-your-face persona which many find jarring. But from his comedy to [...]
i have just finished reading 'The Housemaid's Daughter' by Barbara Mutch which i pretty much sped through [thanks to some exam invigilating giving me free paid-for reading time] and having just finished 'Half of a Yellow Sun' by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie it was a very different read. But it really did suck me in through the strong relationships it depicted in particular. It basically tells the story of the friendship between an Irish woman, Cathleen [...]
i wonder if there might be something South Africa could learn from the story of Zacchaeus in the Bible. As a much-hated tax collector known for robbing and cheating the people he has an encounter with Jesus and it changes his life so significantly that he makes amends with his money and gives back to those he wronged. But in some cases we see that he gives back four times as much to those he [...]
Who are your 'my people'? i was watching a typical exchange about some race issue on the book of face-offs yesterday when something struck me... The man commenting - who happened to be an afrikaner - said something about "my people" - and the light bulb went on and started pulsating to a disco beat. There is a very real problem for me when your "my people" all look the same or speak the same language [...]
Looking for great South African [and African] books to read? My friend Shelley Finch tagged me in this status on Facebook the other day: Friends, I am crowdsourcing a book list. Kind of a "recommended reading for every South African". Fiction and non-fiction. Books that will help people educate themselves on our country's history and the BIG issues we are talking about i.e. racism, corruption, land redistribution, etc. Books that are accessible to every South [...]
This morning at around 2 am i finished reading Sisonke Msimang's 'Always Another Country'. Which was my second Christmas present from tbV after 'Americanah' by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie. To be fair, i think any book i read after 'Americanah' would have felt somewhat like a hospital pass, because Adichie just has such an impressive gift when it comes to knitting words together to make unbelievable garments that defy simple communication. But in and of itself [...]
