Student Blogs

I really enjoyed this novel and am happy to end off the course with a good read! Despite the book being often quite sad and oppressive, it kept me intrigued the whole time and was very readable. I was especially interested in how it gave insight into the inner-workings of a Cameroonian Muslim society with […] read full post >>

After going through this course, what stood out to me the most was how consistently challenged I was in the way I think about identity and social structures. With all the different books I have read and going to class to discuss about them, I realized it allowed me to evolve how I question certain […] read full post >>

I read *Love Me Tender*, and to be honest, it’s not like a regular book. It feels a little messy, but also very real, like you’re in someone’s head instead of reading a story that has a beginning, middle, and end. Reminds me a lot of some of the other books we have read. The […] read full post >>

I feel like The Impatient hit me in a way I didn’t expect, it’s not just sad or it’s exhausting. And I think that’s kind of the point. The idea of munyal which is this constant pressure to be patient, starts to feel less like a virtue and more like a trap. The lecture really emphasized how patience […] read full post >>

In The Impatient by Djaïli Amadou Amal, one of the main ideas throughout the novel is that women are constantly told to be patient, but patience does not actually improve their lives. Instead, patience becomes a way to control women and force them to accept forced marriage, violence, and polygamy. Through the stories of Ramla, […] read full post >>

“If you were able to tame a lion, then your husband, a mere man, does not exceed your powers” (pg. 115) This was the story told to newly wed brides, to reassure that one does not need love potions to “tame” their husband if they can “tame a lion”. First of all, the fact that […] read full post >>

I kind of like this book, since it looks interesting. And each chapter is relatively short so it is easier to read. But on the other hand, I feel like this book is a little bit confusing when I am reading it, since it seems to me a little bit fragmented and does not follow […] read full post >>

WOW! I can’t believe that we are at the end already. At the beginning of this course, I felt a little overwhelmed: I did not believe that I would read so many books, while also juggling my 4 other classes. I am so glad that I took this course. If anything, it has taught me […] read full post >>

Reading The Impatient made me very sad. In the first half of the book, I was extremely angry, but then somewhere around the middle, I, like Hindou, succumbed to immense sadness. I’m sad their society caters to men. I’m sad Ramla’s choice was ripped away from her. I’m sad Hindou couldn’t escape in peace. I’m sad […] read full post >>

Well… I guess we’re done! I don’t quite know where to start, so I guess I’ll go back to how I felt at the beginning. I think I just dreaded picking up any literature. And then I started reading that Proust story and was… still dreading having to read the rest of it, as well […] read full post >>

Love Me Tender by Constance Debré was probably the saddest book in this course. Debré is an extremely strong person, and her story showcased the struggles queer women face in patriarchal societies. Her main challenge was handling the “string of unfounded accusations [by her ex-husband] that separated her from her eight-year old son, Paul.”   […] read full post >>

I really enjoyed this course! I got to read a lot of books that I had never heard of before and got to make it part of my weekly routine, one book a week, and write a small post about it. It felt good to know that the English reading muscle of mine hadn’t atrophied […] read full post >>

Happy Easter everyone????????✨ and happy last week of classes woop woop! I enjoyed this book as a final read as it had a good pace and it wasn’t confusing. Also I think this is the fastest I’ve read all semester and while I’d like to say this is because I’ve developed some amazing reading skills […] read full post >>

Wow, we made it to the last book of the course, and what an amazing book this was. I really enjoyed how throughout the semester we’ve been able to read so many books written from the perspective of a female author including The impatient by Djaili Amadou Amal. I think this novel was very insightful, […] read full post >>

Tender… Chicken Tender… Mmmm… I am hungry…. Off to a hambre start, I think that Debré’s novel encompasses so much with its fierce challenging on what it means to be a mother. Constance’s experience with a non-traditional motherhood being stripped of her son from her vindictive and upset ex-husband speaks to societal norms as does … read full post >>