This book is incredible, not only for the events it catalogs, but for Collins' ability to synthesize material from 50 years into something coherent and cohesive. It's right at 400 pages but her writing style is such that the book is an easy read. She frequently uses first person accounts from women regarding their personal experiences which make it all the more meaningful and interesting.
The book looks at fashion, education, careers, family, the sexual revolution, Civil Rights, and so much more. I had no idea how intertwined the Equal Rights Amendment was with the battle for Civil Rights. I learned so much from this book, both about events and people I was already familiar with as well as many I was not. I have a whole new group of heroines and even a few heroes, as well as several villains and villainesses.
This would be a wonderful book for a book club as each person would have a different perspective based on their age, where they were living, and their personal circumstances. I certainly have a very different perspective on many things after reading this book.
If you read it, I'd love to hear your thoughts.
Sunday, March 27, 2011
Friday, March 4, 2011
Little Bee by Chris Cleave
Oh dear, this was one that I know I was supposed to have liked – that millions of Oprah fans would boo me for not enjoying but I think its “a pass.”
The premise of the book is a young girl who is an African refugee and was stuck in a detention center in England for two years and finally escaped. On the day of her release – she made a phone call to a man and he killed himself soon after, before she was able to make it to his home. This man had a family and Little Bee basically lands with the family and as we learn, has a history with both the man and his wife from their vacation to Africa several years prior.
You can all guess the turmoil (and who really vacations in Africa?) that was experienced during this trip - the incident on the beach is a very poignant part of the story and probably the best 20 pages of the book. It does make you very acutely aware of the lives some of these refugees are fleeing and how little alterative they have to jumping ship and hoping for the best in a new country.
Despite that bit of clarity, I thought the rest of the book was kind of slow and I just wasn’t really that invested in the characters. I did learn that British kids are afraid of “baddies” vs. our American “bad guys” – learn new things everyday.
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