What a gorgeous graphic novel about a Vietnamese refugee family’s experience living through the First Indochina War and the Vietnam War, finally leadiWhat a gorgeous graphic novel about a Vietnamese refugee family’s experience living through the First Indochina War and the Vietnam War, finally leading to their escape by boat to a Malaysian refugee camp followed by their admission to the United States. Reading this, I was strongly reminded of both Fun Home: A Family Tragicomic by Alison Bechdel (most likely because of Bui’s focus on both of her parents and their unique relationships with her, as well as of course the graphic novel format) and The Latehomecomer: A Hmong Family Memoir by Kao Kalia Yang (a memoir about a family who fled to a refugee camp in Thailand in the aftermath of the Vietnam War and then immigrated to the United States, with the notable difference that the Yang family is Hmong, an ethnic minority who helped the American forces and faced genocide at the hands of the Vietnamese after the war).
I see at least one prominent review that suggests unspoken privileges make the descriptions of poverty in this book questionable, but I think this is unfair; Bui is very clear about her family’s privileges (especially on her mother’s side). Once the tables turn under communism, this is a liability rather than an advantage. I believe Bui’s depiction of the hardships the family suffered.
This is a great book for getting a different perspective on the Vietnam War and the history of the region, including some of the nuances of French colonialism (for example, it’s the first time I’ve read a book that covered the First Indochina War in addition to the Vietnam War). There are some great parts about birth and mothering (e.g. the difficulties of breastfeeding for the first time) including the shadows (evoked beautifully in the art) that haunt Bui as the daughter of refugees and how this connects to the way she was raised, as well as her own worries about passing down trauma to her child. Especially in light of the current crack-down on immigration in the United States, I hope this impressive and touching memoir about one way of being American is widely read and celebrated....more
3.5 stars. Everyone with a Western-centric education should consider reading this book. Yes it is dated and flawed in numerous ways, however it meticu3.5 stars. Everyone with a Western-centric education should consider reading this book. Yes it is dated and flawed in numerous ways, however it meticulously conveys a truth that is unfortunately still often ignored even 50 years later: The riches of the Enlightenment in Europe did not come for free, and they certainly don’t prove any intrinsic superiority of the West. Instead, they were built on the exploitation of a continent (and beyond), both through slavery and colonialism.
Rodney argues (using a Marxist analysis) that Europe was able to exploit Africa because there were slight differences that put Europe in a capitalist phase while Africa was not, so that Africa was not equipped to compete and the differences blew up until the gap was unbridgeable. He is thorough in his analysis and I learned a lot about everything from the internal slave trade within different regions in Africa, up to European soap monopolies that were built on African resources.
It isn’t an easy read. In addition to being dense and technical, the prose is often long-winded and repetitive. Some maps and illustrations would really help (hopefully those will be included in the new edition coming out in October 2018, which will also include an introduction by Angela Davis). I found it useful to refer to Marx and Fanon for context.
The book has numerous flaws. For all its long in-depth analyses, there were also plenty of one sentence asserted comments that seemed very overblown, unsupported, outside Rodney’s scope of knowledge, and/or just generally problematic. To give just a few examples: He erases Native Americans, claims to explain the cause of the Holocaust in terms of colonialism, and gives a one line economic explanation for the Civil War. He also describes the Americas as as having barely emerged from the hunting stage (no mention of e.g. the Mayans or the Aztecs) right after a long chapter combating misconceptions and clarifying the extent of state formation in Africa before colonialism. The list goes on.
As other reviewers have noted, possibly the biggest flaw is Rodney’s uncritical praise of the Soviet Union and communism. I wonder if perhaps information about the atrocities committed by Stalin had not reached him at this time and place.
Despite the flaws, the book has really deepened the way I think about colonialist exploitation and I look forward to the new edition next fall....more
The Return is the best book I’ve read so far this year. It is a beautifully written memoir (which won the Pulitzer for biography/autobiography) of a LThe Return is the best book I’ve read so far this year. It is a beautifully written memoir (which won the Pulitzer for biography/autobiography) of a Libyan man who spends many years investigating his father’s disappearance during the Qaddafi regime. The book reflects Matar’s love of his country, the struggles of having to live in exile (including an assassination attempt against his brother as the child of a well-known revolutionary), the different kinds of sacrifices made during the revolution (a cousin who joins the fighting, Matar who takes risks writing controversial novels, etc.) and the difficulties of not knowing for many years whether his father is dead or alive. It gives a beautiful sense of place (the Libyan sea and light, the description of the layout of Benghazi), and provides a glimpse into the history of Libya via Matar’s family’s experiences across several generations — including many things I was previously ignorant about, such as the horrors of Italian colonialism and genocide even before Mussolini. There is a difficult passage towards the end that describes a massacre by guards at the Abu Salim prison, and makes you feel like you are really there while it is happening. I originally borrowed the book from the library but it left such a strong impression on me that I ended up purchasing a copy for my own library....more
Let me start by saying I’m unqualified to comment on the accuracy of this historical novel, so this review will focus on other aspects of the book.
HomLet me start by saying I’m unqualified to comment on the accuracy of this historical novel, so this review will focus on other aspects of the book.
Homegoing is the story of two branches of a family, one that participates in the slave trade in Ghana and the other which is brought to slavery in the US. It is a heart-wrenching, ambitious and powerful tale that gives a good sense of cause and effect and the arc of history — something especially important at a time when too many seem to ignore our nation’s history of slavery and the direct link this has to the institutional problems African Americans face today. I thought it was very interesting and unusual to see the African and American stories (colonialism vs. slavery) intertwined. I also appreciated Gyasi’s exploration of the African involvement in the slave trade at the instigation of the Europeans (the only other place I’ve seen this depicted is by the francophone author Maryse Condé). Gyasi is careful not to put the blame on the Ghanaians, but rather explores the full complexities of the situation and gives a sense of how this is yet another kind of oppression imposed by the Europeans.
The book consists of a collection of stories about different characters from each generation, linked by familial ties. I felt that each story was well developed, the characters had depth and in many cases I found myself holding my breath at the end of the chapters. The writing was stronger in some parts than in others, but overall it is clear that Gyasi is a talented young writer with a strong voice. Given the hype surrounding this book and the fact it’s her first novel (also she’s so young, having started writing this when she was only an undergrad!) I felt that she succeeded impressively. I have added her to the list of authors I’ll look out for, and I’m very much looking forward to her future novels....more
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