Favorite Books of 2009
I didn't make it to the fifty mark as I had hoped (for the third year in a row), however I was able to make it to 48 books. Not a small feat! I will be sure to make it this year.
1. Woman at Point Zero by Nawal El-Saadawi
I absolutely loved it. It's about Firdaus, a woman who is on death-row in Egypt and is going to die in a week for killing her pimp. She was born to parents who didn't love her and given to her uncle who sexually abused her. Then married off to an old widow who abused her more. Each relationship started out with her trusting them and in the end they treated her awfully. After her husband rapes her she decides to own her body and decide who she's going to give it to. So, she becomes a prostitute. She denies men she wants to deny and gets great satisfaction from it, as no woman is ever supposed to tell a man "no." She becomes very sucessful, owns her own apartment and nice things. After a few years, she decides to work at a factory and she hated the job, thought it incredibly oppressive and went back to being a prostitute. She said, "these women are more afraid of losing their job than a prostitute is of losing her life." How can someone be free with that kind of fear.
2. The Belly of the Atlantic by Fatou Diome
As it was translated from the French, I'm unsure if the way it was written was due to the author or the translator. It was one of the most beautifully written prose I have ever read and enjoyed so much. The narrator, Salie lives in France, a highly sought after place to live by people from her hometown in Niodor, Senegal. You achieve legendary status if you are able and lucky enough to do so. It is thought by the people in the town that if one moves to France, they will come back as a doctor or some other highly educated and wealthy individual. The story is not so much about Salie, or her brother who wishes to become a football (soccer) star and be recruited by a football team. It is more about the myth-like stories surrounding the community of Niodor. "enchanting" is an over-used word in book reviews, but I really mean it. It's wonderful.
3. Men Speak Out edited by Shira Tarrant
The title may be confusing: "There's something new! Men speaking out!" It's a great collection of essays written by pro-feminist men speaking out about gender, sex and power. I simply LOVE feminist men. And I find they're quite rare. I was thoroughly delighted when I started reading an essay written my absolute favorite blogger, Hugo Schwyzer. I should have figured he would be involved with something like this, but I was pleasantly surprised when I saw his name in the book. A really great collection of essays. It's unfortunate it's so expensive as a paperback and distributed by a smaller publisher and therefor maybe not easily attainable.
4. Little Boys Come from the Stars by Emmanuel Dongala
5. Sleepwalking Land by Mia Cuoto
6. The Thing Around your Neck by Chimamanda Adichie
7. Ancestor Stones by Aminatta Forna
8. Butterfly Burning by Yvonne Vera
9. Joys of Motherhood by Buchi Emecheta
10. Complete Perseoplis by Marjane Satrapi
11. The River Between by Ngugi wa Thiong'o
12. How I Learned to Snap by Kirk Read
13. Purple Violet of Oshaantu by Neshani Andreas
14. A Cowrie of Hope by Sinyangwe Binwell
15. A Leap by Anna Enquist
1. Woman at Point Zero by Nawal El-Saadawi
I absolutely loved it. It's about Firdaus, a woman who is on death-row in Egypt and is going to die in a week for killing her pimp. She was born to parents who didn't love her and given to her uncle who sexually abused her. Then married off to an old widow who abused her more. Each relationship started out with her trusting them and in the end they treated her awfully. After her husband rapes her she decides to own her body and decide who she's going to give it to. So, she becomes a prostitute. She denies men she wants to deny and gets great satisfaction from it, as no woman is ever supposed to tell a man "no." She becomes very sucessful, owns her own apartment and nice things. After a few years, she decides to work at a factory and she hated the job, thought it incredibly oppressive and went back to being a prostitute. She said, "these women are more afraid of losing their job than a prostitute is of losing her life." How can someone be free with that kind of fear.
2. The Belly of the Atlantic by Fatou Diome
As it was translated from the French, I'm unsure if the way it was written was due to the author or the translator. It was one of the most beautifully written prose I have ever read and enjoyed so much. The narrator, Salie lives in France, a highly sought after place to live by people from her hometown in Niodor, Senegal. You achieve legendary status if you are able and lucky enough to do so. It is thought by the people in the town that if one moves to France, they will come back as a doctor or some other highly educated and wealthy individual. The story is not so much about Salie, or her brother who wishes to become a football (soccer) star and be recruited by a football team. It is more about the myth-like stories surrounding the community of Niodor. "enchanting" is an over-used word in book reviews, but I really mean it. It's wonderful.
3. Men Speak Out edited by Shira Tarrant
The title may be confusing: "There's something new! Men speaking out!" It's a great collection of essays written by pro-feminist men speaking out about gender, sex and power. I simply LOVE feminist men. And I find they're quite rare. I was thoroughly delighted when I started reading an essay written my absolute favorite blogger, Hugo Schwyzer. I should have figured he would be involved with something like this, but I was pleasantly surprised when I saw his name in the book. A really great collection of essays. It's unfortunate it's so expensive as a paperback and distributed by a smaller publisher and therefor maybe not easily attainable.
4. Little Boys Come from the Stars by Emmanuel Dongala
5. Sleepwalking Land by Mia Cuoto
6. The Thing Around your Neck by Chimamanda Adichie
7. Ancestor Stones by Aminatta Forna
8. Butterfly Burning by Yvonne Vera
9. Joys of Motherhood by Buchi Emecheta
10. Complete Perseoplis by Marjane Satrapi
11. The River Between by Ngugi wa Thiong'o
12. How I Learned to Snap by Kirk Read
13. Purple Violet of Oshaantu by Neshani Andreas
14. A Cowrie of Hope by Sinyangwe Binwell
15. A Leap by Anna Enquist