Love Me Tender’s themes of motherhood and identity, and the ways they intersect, made me reflect on some of the less “obvious” ways these aspects of living in a patriarchy impact life. I didn’t love the writing style of this book; for me, it was a bit challenging to stay focused and could be confusing […]
Posted in Blogs, Debre | Tagged with grief, identity, motherhood, sexism
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 […]
Posted in Amadou Amal, Blogs | Tagged with The impatient, Uncategorized
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 […]
Posted in Blogs, Conclusion | Tagged with identity, interpretation, reflection
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 […]
Posted in Blogs, Debre | Tagged with freedom, Uncategorized
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 […]
Posted in Blogs | Tagged with Uncategorized
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, […]
Posted in Blogs | Tagged with Uncategorized
“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 […]
Posted in Blogs | Tagged with power, reality, relationships, The impatient, trauma, Uncategorized, women, wordpress
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 […]
Posted in Blogs | Tagged with empty, Love me Tender
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 […]
Posted in Blogs, Conclusion | Tagged with Uncategorized
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 […]
Posted in Amadou Amal, Blogs | Tagged with misogyny, Munyal, Societal Norms, The impatient, Uncategorized
