Please use categories and/or tags when writing your blog posts. Use categories to indicate the author (Proust or Arlt etc.), and tags for key concepts or topics covered. Remember also to include a question for discussion.
Check out the Blog Post Awards 2024 for further inspiration.
“Black Shack Alley” – Zobel
Posted by: rickopoo
This week’s reading took me on a journey into the world of growing up black and impoverished in Martinique during the colonial era, delving into themes of colonialism, slavery, colorism, and prejudice. At first, I found the book a bit hard to read, as it touched on topics outside my comfort zone – and such […] read full post >>
Arguedas’s Deep Rivers
Posted by: rhi2004
Arguedas’s portays Peru in this time, as a country immersed in a new pardigram, one of modernization and turmoil in order to articulate these changing times Arguedas frames the narrative through the eyes of a young boy named, Ernesto. The narrative concentrates on the boys life that has been structured between a soico-political dichotomy, he […] read full post >>
Deep Rivers
Posted by: Dhwani Ved
Hello! This week’s book is called Deep Rivers and it is written by José María Arguedas. The story is narrated by Ernesto, a young child of mixed blood (both indigenous and white), who is taken to a Catholic boarding school. Ernesto’s coming-of-age experience is chronicled in the book as he struggles with his identity and […] read full post >>
Black Shack Alley: Sacrifices Made for Us (Feb 13)
Posted by: jennifer li
A. Initial Thoughts “Black Shack Alley” ruined me. I felt very sentimental as this was the first novel where I felt a connection with the novel’s protagonist, José. Specifically, his relationship with his grandmother, M’man Tine—a figure of strength and hard work to provide opportunities to José—demonstrates the hardships parents or parental figures go through … Continue reading Black Shack Alley: Sacrifices Made for Us (Feb 13) read full post >>
José María Arguedas’s: Deep rivers
Posted by: vibhaj
I want to start by saying that I did not come to enjoy this book as much as the others we have read so far, maybe this is because the main character was so and his experiences are so different compared to mine so I was unable to relate to him as ... read full post >>
José María Arguedas’s: Deep rivers
Posted by: vibhaj
I want to start by saying that I did not come to enjoy this book as much as the others we have read so far, maybe this is because the main character was so and his experiences are so different compared to mine so I was unable to relate to him as ... read full post >>
Black Shack Alley
Posted by: ximena avendano castillo
Hello everyone, I hope you are doing well, todays blog is going to be about “Black Shack Alley” which is a novel written by Joseph Zobel in 1950. My general opinion is that I found this book interesting and thought it was a good reading, it didn’t feel to me like it was written in … read full post >>
Black Shack Alley’s Week
Posted by: jerry wang
This week’s reading was one of the better reads I’ve had, where “Black Shack Alley” by Zobel is a story about figuring out who you are and where you fit in. The main character, José, goes on to understand himself and the world around him. Right from the start, José feels pressure to do well […] read full post >>
Black Shack Alley
Posted by: Sukanya Aggarwal
This book was an easy read, although it was slow. The story is told from the perspective of a child who is first protected by the shield of his childlike innocence. It depicts a time when slavery had been abolished, but they were still forced to work under the same conditions. The book was delightful […] read full post >>
Deep Rivers – The Forces of Illa and Yllu: The Duality of Humanity
Posted by: granu
“For many days afterward I felt alone, completely isolated. I felt I should be like the great river, crossing the land, cutting through the rocks, undetainably and serenely flowing through mountains and forests, and entering the sea accompanied by a huge nation of birds that sang from the heavens” (63) This novel digs deep into […] read full post >>
