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Tag: Colson Whitehead

Review: The Underground Railroad by Colson Whitehead

March 8, 2019 ~ The Book Habit ~ Leave a comment

"What a world it is, Cora thought, that makes a living prison into your only haven. Was she out of bondage or in its web: how to describe the status of a runaway? Freedom was a thing that shifted as you looked at it, the way a forest is dense with trees up close but … Continue reading Review: The Underground Railroad by Colson Whitehead

My name is Laura and I am a book addict. The Book Habit is a chronicle of my literary adventures, indulging my decades-long love affair with the written word. Here I post reviews, as well as anything else related to the literary lifestyle.

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“Throughout Bosnia, libraries, archives, museums and cultural institutions have been targeted for destruction, in an attempt to eliminate the material evidence – books, documents and works of art – that could remind future generations that people of different ethnic and religious traditions once shared a common heritage in Bosnia.” - Andras Riedlmayer (1995) . . . Back when I was working for a PhD Human Rights, the International Criminal Court was in the process of prosecuting Ahmad al-Faqi al-Mahdi for his role in the destruction of culturally significant sites in Timbuktu. This was the first time that any individual has been internationally prosecuted for a war crime of this nature. Although my specialisation was a broader survey of international criminal law and transitional justice, al-Mahdi’s prosecution started a deep dive into the history of the way that cultural heritage - specifically libraries and archives - has been an explicit target of conflict. Today on The Book Habit, I’ve written about the way that libraries have been historic victims of conflict - their destruction serving as an easy way to erase cultures, making way for the invading force’s own cultural framework. From Tudor England, to Nazi Germany, and ISIS’ seizure of Mosul, the damage done by the destruction of libraries is, in many cases, irreparable. Click the link in my bio to read the full article. . . . #bookstagram #bookworm #books #read #booklover #bibliophile #book #library #bookaddict #reader #booknerd #bookish #bookshelf #bookphotography #literature #reading #bookblog #bookblogger #librariesofinstagram

“What a world it is, Cora thought, that makes a living prison into your only haven. Was she out of bondage or in its web: how to describe the status of a runaway? Freedom was a thing that shifted as you looked at it, the way a forest is dense with trees up close but from outside, from the empty meadow, you see its true limits. Being free had nothing to do with chains or how much space you had. On the plantation, she was not free, but she moved unrestricted on its acres, tasting the air and tracing the summer stars. The place was big in its smallness. Here, she was free of her master but slunk around a warren so tiny she couldn’t stand.” . . . Colson Whitehead’s Pulitzer Prize-winning novel, The Underground Railroad, follows Cora, a teenage slave attempting to escape the Georgia cotton plantation on which she was born into bondage. As she makes her journey north, via the underground railroad that Whitehead has given physical manifestation as an underground train network, Cora is forced to confront the realities of ‘freedom’ as a runaway and ex-slave. This novel is remarkable for its juxtaposition of fact and fiction, playing with time and elements of magical realism to point to the chasms between our mythologising of atrocity and its violent, ubiquitous realities. Whitehead actively problematises the myths that we have ascribed to the experience of slavery and the existence of the underground railroad. It is an impressive read and a ‘once in a blue moon’ novel with regards to the fictionalisation of atrocity. Click the link in my bio to read a full review. . . . #bookstagram #bookblogger #bookphotography #igreads #bookaddict #bookreview #booklove #books #book #bookstagram #bookworm #bookish #bookrecommendation #cozy #booksandtea #bookblogger #bookblog #dogsofinstagram #colsonwhitehead

“...the racking thoughts that crowd upon the mind, and make the heart beat violently, and the breath come thick, by the force of the images they conjure up before it; the desperate anxiety to be doing something to relieve the pain, or lessen the danger, which we have no power to alleviate; the sinking of soul and spirit, which the sad remembrance of our helplessness produces; what tortures can equal these; what reflections of endeavours can, in the full tide and fever of the time, allay them!” - Charles Dickens . . . There are very few of us who haven’t, to some extent, suffered through the psychological and physiological effects of anxiety. Whether experienced as an uncomfortable inconvenience or a diagnosable disorder, we exist in a society where anxiety and panic are becoming increasingly common and accepted as a product of simply existing. As someone who has suffered with unpredictable and debilitating panic attacks since childhood, I relate to this only too well. Fortunately, research continues to prove that reading is one of the most effective methods for managing anxiety. . . . Today’s post on The Book Habit discusses the relationship between bibliotherapy and anxiety/panic. It points to the science behind fiction as a tool to help us navigate these challenges and makes recommendations for literature that can directly help us to manage anxiety, as well as mitigate some of the symptoms of panic. As always, reading is not a panacea for these problems and cannot replace professional help - but it is an incredibly effective tool that should be recognised for its tremendous therapeutic potential. Click the link in my bio to have a read! . . . #bibliotherapy #bookworm #bookstagram #booklover #igreads #bookphotography #bookaddict #bookaholic #instabook #reading #bookstagrammer #becauseofreading #instabooks #selfcare #selfcarethreads #booksandtea

February’s reads were the perfect literary accompaniment to my continued state of semi-hibernation. I got through some new releases and a couple of short story collections. I read fiction spanning Japan, Africa, Latin America, and the US. And I managed to stay up-to-date with the literary world’s most important happenings. February’s edition of The Monthly Reader is now up on the site (link in bio), highlighting the month’s best articles, interviews, and new releases, along with a summary of my month in books. Be sure to grab a sizeable hot beverage before reading! . . What were your favourite February reads? ❄️ . . . . . #bookstagram #bookworm #booklover #bibliophile #books #booknerd #bookish #book #igreads #instabook #reading #bookaddict #bookaholic #bookphotography #read #booknerdigans #instabooks #booklove #bookstagrammer #booksofinstagram #reader #winterreads #booksandtea

“ ‘Not even I know all the rules’, says the old officer under his breath. ‘There are things that cannot and should not be explained. But there is no cause for concern. The Town is fair in its own way. The things you need, the things you need to know, one by one the Town will set these before you. Hear me now: this Town is perfect’.” . . . As a long-time fan of Murakami, I was excited to read one of his earliest works - ‘Hard-Boiled Wonderland and the End of the World’. The novel is written as a split narrative, with chapters alternating between an unnamed narrator in Tokyo and an alternative exploration of life in the enigmatic, lugubrious Town. The Tokyo narrator’s work as a ‘Calcutec’ - a kind of human data processor - gives the plot its momentum and lends this novel the science-fiction orientation that ultimately proves to be the book’s least successful component. Laden with clunky and obscure explorations of inadequately explained sci-fi elements, Hard-Boiled Wonderland lacks so much of what makes Murakami an author of peculiarly unique insight. Trading off his signature tropes and themes for a plot that feels insufficiently resonant, ‘Hard-Boiled Wonderland’ is certainly a confounding read that takes little time to dwell in the spaces that typically characterise Murakami’s best work. Click the link in my bio to check out a full review! . . . #bookreview #winterreads #bibliophile #bookworm #bookstagram #booklover #booknerd #bookish #bookphotography #bookaddict #bookaholic #booknerdigans #instabook #reading #booklove #picnic #bookstagrammer #instabooks #igreads #booksandwine #murakami

“In one of the stars I shall be living. In one of them I shall be laughing. And so it will be as if all the stars were laughing, when you look at the sky at night…You – only you – will have stars that can laugh.” . . . A few days ago, while on one of my second-hand book excursions, I stumbled upon this 1946 edition of ‘Le Petit Prince’. It was a find that allowed me to revisit one of my favourite books from childhood, also giving me an opportunity to dig a little deeper into the tremendous success of this short and complex novella. It’s an incredible story - one that reminds us of the importance of true connections and provides a transcendentally profound insight into the human experience. I’ve distilled my thoughts on the incredible reach and mysterious magic of Antoine de Saint-Exupery’s ‘The Little Prince’ in an article now up on The Book Habit. Click the link in my bio to have a read! ✨ . . . #thelittleprince #bookstagram #bookworm #booklover #bibliophile #books #booknerd #bookish #book #igreads #instabook #reading #bookaddict #bookaholic #bookphotography #read #instabooks #booklove #bookstagrammer #booksofinstagram #bookblogger #reader

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