This week the read was the Black Shack Alley, and it left me feeling heavier than I expected. Not in a dramatic way, more like the realization that settles in after you stop reading. Jose’s story is sad, but what really hurts is the world around him. Everything feels pre-decided, boxed in by systems he […]
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After reading Deep Rivers, this book taught me how deeply culture, language, and environment can shape an individual’s sense of identity, as through Ernesto’s experiences, growing up is not only simply about age, but about becoming aware of social hierarchies, and cultural conflict. Ernesto’s connection to Indigenous traditions and the natural world made me realize […]
Posted in Blogs | Tagged with culture, identity, Jose Arguedas
To start off this post, I really appreciated how easy the words of this novel was to read; AND ONLY THE WORDS, this book was also a emotionally hard to get through due to the emphasis on the unfortunate discrimination towards marginalized racial and social groups. The descriptions in the book also never overwhelmed me […]
Posted in Arguedas, Blogs | Tagged with inequality
When i read Black Shack Alley it honestly felt less like reading a novel and more like listening to someone quietly telling the reader about their childhood. What stayed with me most wasn’t a single dramatic event, but the steady, exhausting rhythm of everyday life, the work, the hunger, the discipline, the waiting. The novels […]
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Kinda ranted in this one…
Question: Is education truly freedom if you have to give up yourself to get it?
-LS
Posted in Blogs, Zobel | Tagged with classism, poverty, Priviledge, racism
It took me longer to get through this novel, but as I slowly warmed up to the setting and the narrative, I became drawn in by Zobal’s world and character building. M’man Tine’s character, in particular, was what struck me the most. Her sacrifices and strict expectations since the time of raising Delia are what allowed the later generations of…
Posted in Blogs | Tagged with class, education, hope, liked, racism, regret, sacrifice, Zobal
Deep Rivers — José María Arguedas
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Reading Black Shack Alley felt heavier than I expected. At first, it seems like a familiar story about a smart kid escaping poverty through education, but the more I read, the more uncomfortable that idea became. José’s success never feels fully like a victory. Instead, it feels complicated, almost like a trade-off where something important […]
While I was reading Black Shack Alley, I honestly thought this was going to be another cliche novel where a poor kid goes to school, works hard, and has a good life. END OF STORY. But as I kept reading and after I watched the lecture, I realized the author wasn’t really focusing on the […]
Posted in Blogs | Tagged with black shack alley, Joseph Zobel
Deep Rivers was oddly inspiring yet challenging. I say inspiring because I love the notion of Ernesto travelling across many towns with his father, the author takes you into his perspective of curiosity and willingness to learn and it makes me want to explore more of the world, even if its in the same country […]
Posted in Blogs | Tagged with book-review, book-reviews, books, fiction, Uncategorized, writing
