Homegoing by Yaa Gyasi

Maame, a housegirl in Cobbe Otcher’s home, sets the woods outside of the compound on fire and escapes from slavery leaving behind her illegitimate daughter Effia.  And so begins a troubled lineage of the Fante tribe. Otcher knew then “that the memory of the fire that burned, then fled would haunt him, his children, and his children’s children for as long as the line continued” (3) The novel spans...

Read more »

The Midnight Library by Matt Haig

 Nineteen years before Nora Seed decided to die, the world was her oyster.  Mrs. Elm, her school librarian, was telling her, “A whole life in front of you”, “You could do anything, live anywhere”.  And the next thing you know her father is dead.  Fast forward 19 years, we can see how much of an impact her father’s death had had on her.  We learn of her mother’s cancer, her...

Read more »

The Book Thief by Markus Zusak

The book just made me weep.  For the senseless destruction, torture of human lives during Hitler’s reign.  The Jews, the ordinary, the poor non Jews.  What made it specially poignant was that the story is narrated by Death.  The personification of Death leaves no suspense, no doubt about the outcome of the novel.   It was a story about Death, a story narrated by Death about...

Read more »

The Gardens of Consolation

The Gardens of Consolation by Parisa Reza spans about 40 yrs of Iran’s political turmoil from 1920-1953.  The journey of the young couple,Talla and Sardar, from Ghamsar to Shemiran describes not just a change in physical landscape but a shifting political landscape as well.  Talla believed that Ghamsar, the beautiful green valley,  was a “lost corner of paradise fallen from heaven”. ...

Read more »

The Householder by Ruth Prawer Jhabvala

The Householder by Ruth Prawer Jhabvala is bildungsroman fiction about a young, mediocre college teacher Prem, who is new to independence, marriage, job and a city life.  He is a shy innocent, transitioning from a sheltered life into true adulthood where his decisions lead to consequences. Initially, he identifies himself as the son of a college Principal and he thinks he is entitled to the...

Read more »

"Xala" by Sembenè Ousmane

            “Xala” opens with the announcement of a proud moment in the history of Senegal.  An African is now the head of the Chamber of Commerce and Industry.  This is a period of transition from French colonial rule to African Independence.  Leading this country is a group of businessmen, at the peak of their career with a foot in the...

Read more »

Meet the Lomans--Death Of A Salesman

“Why didn’t anyone come?” Linda Loman’s piteous, plaintive cry at Willy Loman’s funeral is perhaps the most touching moment in the play.  Even after at least thirty-five years of marriage to Willy, his wife is still clueless about her husband. She cannot understand what made him commit suicide.  “I search and search and I search, and I can’t understand it, Willy”. (Requiem) Meet...

Read more »