tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30224618.post1350665009177508723..comments2023-10-01T05:32:19.823-04:00Comments on The Mind's Language: Reflections: AmericanahNeerajahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07813033087957007755noreply@blogger.comBlogger2125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30224618.post-61878480296841741452014-02-14T09:46:50.417-05:002014-02-14T09:46:50.417-05:00Suvasini, so glad you liked the book! Thanks for c...Suvasini, so glad you liked the book! Thanks for coming back to discuss!:)<br /><br />Good that Ifemelu didn't negatively affect you. She definitely influenced my reading experience. I actually thought she didn't change/grow at all :). She remained brash and selfish all through - especially in the end. I wasn't surprised that she left the job in Nigeria - I was actually surprised that she put up with it for as long as she did, because from day 1, she made it clear (to the reader at least) that it wasn't for her. But good that she held your fascination! You probably saw more nuances in her than I did. <br /><br />You bring up a very good point. And I wanted to talk about it in my post, but it was too long already. I definitely agree with almost everything in the book - especially how the West (and the East) subtly imposes this "rule" that there is one "superior" way of being and "looking", right from how your hair is styled to how your facial features look to the accent that colors your speech. But if Ifemelu's story and experiences were similar to those that face racial profiling and discrimination every single day or have faced a lot in the past, I would have more than readily understood her sensitivity. However, she represents someone different - she is part of the "elite and educated" African community. She has (for the overwhelming part) faced a lot of positive experiences, even positive stereotyping for being a well-educated Nigerian. She has never faced racism the way African Americans have - and she mentions that. So why should she dissect everyone so harshly? If her aunt, nephew or Obinze had those reactions, I would perfectly understand, for their experiences have been harrowing and their sensitivity is "justified" (for lack of a better word). In many places she is speaking on behalf of all the victims of her close fraternity, and I understand that. Still, in her own personal experiences, she was so hard to please and quick to relate everything to race. Regardless of our ethnicity/race, I think all of us can fall trap to this. I know several Indians who strongly feel like every bad customer service experience is because of their accent or skin color and nothing more, and that kind of thinking constantly undermines their confidence, and amplifies their need to over-compensate and aggressively defend who they are. I think it's a vicious cycle and leads to nothing positive or constructive in the end. The commendable thing about this country is despite all the subtle ways in which racism still persists, there are more than enough measures and scaffolds to help people get over and beyond it. Ifemulu's story is one such a positive example, but that positivity doesn't come through as much :)<br /><br />Thanks again for bringing up these points! Neerajahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05771903291361206507noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30224618.post-45578270263716536052014-02-13T19:33:54.222-05:002014-02-13T19:33:54.222-05:00After reading your review, I couldn't resist t...After reading your review, I couldn't resist the book. :)<br /><br /> Just finished it and must say it was a lovely read. Thank you for that.<br /><br />It does bring out a host of interesting subjects and so many characters one identifies with. Unlike you however, I did not come to dislike the protagonist. She is judgmental and there are elements in her character which i find shallow but it did not make me dislike her. In fact, I like the growth in her character from the blogger in states who would say what people needed to hear to the editor in Nigeria who walked out of the job because she did not like it. There is a strong element of ego there which I find difficult to understand completely but I was fascinated by her till the very end. <br /><br />As for your irritation with extreme sensitivity to race, I think, some of it stems from our outside perspective of the african americans. Despite the outsider status, I think I have been almost always been recognized and treated as an Indian which does not elicit the same reactions of fear, mistrust, poverty or crime in most people. Based on cases one hears of racial profiling, I think we would have been more judgmental and sensitive if we had been subjected to it form childhood. <br />From my personal experience I can say that I am more skeptical of men leering or staring even today - just because that is what we were constantly on guard against back home. <br /><br />On the whole, I loved the book and its honest opinions on immigration and how it changes people especially since it is something i identify with. <br /><br />Thank you for the recommendation! Suvasinihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09963023848467186077noreply@blogger.com