JoV's Book Pyramid
Biographies
Becoming by Michelle Obama
They say behind every successful man there is a woman (so is his downfall!). This woman that I’m reading about is successful in her own rights but faced many of the same dilemma women with children often feel, between their career and family, between self-fulfilment and also fulfilling the duty and love to their children. Except Michelle Obama, born Robinson, was born not with a silver spoon nor a head start in life, but was born into the impoverished South Side of Chicago. She held on to her ambition and dream, with the support of her parents, mentors and husband, emerged at the pinnacle of the eyes of the world as the First Lady of the United State (FLOTUS). Continue reading
The Beautiful, the Brats and the Privileged
‘Hey, Wassup? This is Liz. Sorry I’m away from the throne. For a hotline to Philip press one, for Charles press two, for the corgis press three.’ that, was at one time the standard voicemail greeting of the Queen of England. It is recorded by Prince Harry, followed by snorts of mirth and guffawing in … Continue reading
I Saw Ramallah by Mourid Barghouti
In 1966, the Palestine poet Mourid Barghouti, then 22, left home to return to university in Cairo. Then came the Six-Day War in Palestine and Barghouti, like many young Palestinians abroad, was denied entry into Palestine. 30 years later, with the Oslo Agreement, the Palestinian refugees and exiles may apply for the right to return … Continue reading
Camus: A Romance by Elizabeth Hawes
Although I knew the ins and outs of Morocco, I don’t know much about neighbouring Algeria and its history as a French colony. So, when I first learnt about Albert Camus who writes in French and an Algerian, champion of existential thought, a journalist and an activist, my interest is piqued. But who was Camus, … Continue reading
Love in a Headscarf by Shelina Zahra Janmohamed
“At the age of 13, I knew I was destined to marry John Travolta. One day he would arrive on my North London doorstep, fall madly in love with me and ask me to marry him. Then he would convert to Islam and become a devoted Muslim”. Torn between the Buxom Aunties, romantic comedies and … Continue reading
Zeitoun by Dave Eggers
Abdulrahman and Kathy Zeitoun are residents of New Orleans, with Kathy’s son from first marriage Zachary, and Nademah, Aisha, Safiya and Ahmad. The Zeitoun runs a Painting and contractor company. A hardworking and honest man, his typical day begin with getting the kids ready to school and picking up phone calls from workers and customers … Continue reading
La Prisonniere : 20 years in a desert gaol
I first saw this book in 2001 and wanted to purchase it. I soon forgotten about it until recently when I’m reading truck loads of books about Morocco, this one came up on the radar again. I finally got around reading it during my spring holiday. For the next 3 days after I finished the book I … Continue reading
Oranges are not the only fruits
She had never heard of mixed feelings. There were friends, and they were enemies: Enemies were: The Devil (in his many forms) Next Door (Neighbours) Sex (in its many forms) Slugs Friends were: God Our dog Auntie Madge The Novels of Charlotte Bronte Slug pellets She is Jeanette’s mother. Jeanette was adopted into a religious … Continue reading
The Catcher in the Rye
The Catcher in the Rye opens with the first-person narrative of 16-year-old Holden Caulfield’s experiences in New York City in the days following his expulsion from Pencey Preparatory school. Holden talks to you in his most casual ways about his classmates in Pencey irreverently, whom he criticizes as being superficial, or, as he would say, “phony”. Most … Continue reading
The Heretic’s Daughter by Kathleen Kent
Salem, Massachusetts, 19th August 1692. Martha Carrier was accused, tried and hanged as a witch. The Carrier family, Thomas and Martha, with their children Richard, Andrew, Sarah, Tom and little Hannah move to the village of Salem to stay with their maternal Grandmother. Like her mother, young Sarah Carrier, is bright and willful, openly challenging … Continue reading
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Reading, after a certain age, diverts the mind too much from its creative pursuits. Any man who reads too much and uses his own brain too little falls into lazy habits of thinking. - Albert Einstein (1879 - 1955)
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