In February, I wrote how
post-election there was some necessary reading that was causing me to get a
late start on my Black History reading.
I am finishing up with
the last book (though that list did expand) now, but I realized at one point
that I had done some pretty good reading pertaining to Black history along the
way. Things aren't always completely intentional, even if they are guided.
(It's kind of like that
time that I was really behind on my 2014 Native American Heritage Month
reading, so just I let all of those videos count, pushing the intended list out
2015.)
Here's what happened. I
did not put Hidden Figures: The Untold True Story of Four African-American Women Who
Helped Win the Space Race, by
Margot Lee Shetterly, on the original 2017 list, because there were a lot of
holds on the book and I thought I would have moved on by the time I got to it.
I finished it April 2nd. That was later than I originally intended, but
sometimes things work out.
Then we watched A United Kingdom, a movie about the marriage of Ruth and
Seretse Khama. Seretse was heir to the throne Bechuanaland, but when he married a white woman he met
while studying in England, the British government tried to stop the
marriage, then his ascension. He did end up renouncing the throne, but they
also changed from a protectorate with a king to a parliamentary republic, Botswana. Seretse Khama was the first president.
That was a very
interesting story, and I read two books about it: Colour Bar: The Triumph of Seretse Khama and His Nation by Susan Williams and A Marriage of Inconvenience: The
Persecution of Ruth & Seretse Khama by Michael Dutfied.
Much of the interference
came from pressure from South Africa, which I will get into in another post, but
one of the books that I own and have not read was Cry the Beloved Country by Alan Paton. It was mentioned as a book the Khamas admired, so adding
that to the reading was easy.
Because of something I
was working on, I also checked out The People Could Fly: American Black Folktales by Virginia Hamilton.
That's about when I
realized I was building up a kind of list. The first time I observed Black
History Month it was with just four books, even though I have expanded what I
do some. I thought about what I was missing.
I had read some Luke Cage
comics because the series was getting so much buzz: Luke Cage, Iron Fist & the Heroes For Hire, Vol 2 and Luke Cage: Avenger. I
really wanted more about when Luke and Danny were working with Colleen and
Misty, but that's okay. I learned some stuff, and now from just a brief picture
I really love Ignatz, so that will be something else to check out.
I had not read any poetry
yet, but when I had picked Maya Angelou, I felt a pang about remembering that I
wanted to get to Gwendolyn Brooks. I read her Selected Poems. I also read
The Snowy Day by Ezra Jack Keats, because I am reading more
children's books now, and this one is culturally significant as a Caldecott
Medal winner and the first full color picture book to feature a Black
protagonist.
Altogether that felt
pretty good. Yes, the books that I was meaning to get to have a year delay, but
by the time I accepted that it was much less than a year. And, this happens.
Right now I am not reading my intended books for Native American Heritage Month
yet, and November just passed, but I am in the middle of my second online
course on aboriginal issues, because sometimes things come up, and it works
out.
(Also, one of my intended
books, that I have had in the plans for months, made some end of the year book
honors and now has many holds.)
The other thing that I
appreciate is that for all my specific plans, even what is not carefully
planned tends to be pretty good. There have been so many unintended books, or
maybe they are intended, but not with a lot of notice, and they interact with
each other and contribute to the whole in ways that are important. So I stick
with it, even if I always feel somewhat behind and disorganized.
Also there was some
watching, which is going to be its own post.
And also, I read Go Set a Watchman by Harper Lee. I read it because of what I
was reading, and things it made me wonder, but I don't know that it counts.
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