home

You Are What You Read 1

FYI: This is an old post from an old blog I kept in uni

  1. Boko Haram
    • I’m not at all familiar with the situation in Nigeria, but this distressing, nuanced, thought-provoking article is a brilliant starting point. Its writer, Dionne Searcey, published a separate piece detailing the complexities she and the photographer, Adam Ferguson, had to navigate in its composition. Ferguson’s images had to conceal the girls’ identities while illuminating their stories, and he succeeds brilliantly.
  2. Philip Pullman
    • A woman in my mother’s book club lent me Pullman’s His Dark Materials trilogy when I was about nine or ten, and I devoured them with an enthusiasm that I’m sure would have frightened many a churchgoer. This piece, illuminating Pullman in all his sharp honesty, brought me a special kind of joy. A good novel leaves us feeling as though we know the author as a dear friend, but all too often, we discover that the feeling is grossly misplaced. More often than not, as Foucault rudely pointed out, the author is not the writer – but in Pullman’s case, the character of his novels carries through precisely to him (though it would perhaps be more accurate to say that Pullman’s very essence is woven into his writing).
  3. The Problem Child
    • I love my work. I say it on the reg, and I’m pretty sure it’s insanely annoying that I do. I’m an educational assistant, and I truly wish that more people would engage with some of the stuff we deal with! It provides remarkable insight into human character and psychology/neurology, and often challenges us to be more empathetic and active in our daily interactions.
  4. Criminalising Funk Music
    • A genuinely interesting piece, detailing Brazil’s complex history with racism, as played out through its criminalisation of particular genres. (As a side note, Al-Jazeera is great. I’m a big fan).
  5. Muslim Feminism
    • It took me too long to come to understand that my (white, affluent) notion of ‘feminism’ was destructive; there is a far more important fight for women’s rights being played out, but western feminism seems blissfully ignorant of it. This article really drags your head out of the sand – again, I’m a big fan.
  6. Inside North Korea
    • I read this article a couple of weeks ago, and was completely entranced (or maybe paralysed). It is an honest, detailed, and expert view on a Times journalist’s recent trip to North Korea. I cannot recommend it enough.
  7. Locating the Rohingya
    • For those of you who (like me) aren’t particularly caught up on the events in Myanmar, Al-Jazeera published this fantastic historical and sociological exposition of the Rohingya. It is illuminating. You’re welcome.

I am super duper aware that all seven of these are only from two sources. They’re solid sources, but I’m still sorry – if I do this again, I’ll try to fix that.

And this video, from Alain de Botton’s The School of Life channel.