MY HONEST REVIEW OF THE BOOK -THE HELP BY KATHYRN STOCKETT.

HELLO! Readers, I hope this review helps and if you have already read the book then I would be more than happy to discuss it in the comments section:)

It's one of my recent reads. And, I can say that it's one of the best books I have read so far, this year. It was an important read for me.

I was aware of the racial discrimination against blacks in America. But, honestly, I did not know much about their history and their lives at that time. 

I was completely shocked after reading about the kind of oppression they went through. I was so ashamed of myself for not knowing this before. Racial discrimination against them still exists. We all are aware of what happened with George Floyd.

 

It's so heartbreaking and sad that they are suffering for so long and it hasn't come to an end even now.

 The Help is the story of three women, Aibleen, Minny, and Miss Skeeter. It's an account of how these women became friends. Aibleen and Minny are black and helps in white houses, while Miss Skeeter is a white, graduate, and single, unlike her friends. Skeeter wants to know why her maid has left her home while she was away.

Aibleen has her struggles raising a white child and living alone because of her son's tr

agic death. Minny is bold and outspoken and I think she also has a story similar to a lot of women around the world.

But, all of them have one thing in common and that is courage. 

The book also depicts the relation between black help and white children and how the help teaches takes care of and raise them as their own(while they tend to forget them as soon as they grow up). White women are shown as poor moms, who do not pay much attention to their children. (that's of course not true for every white woman). I think that's why it's one of the most controversial books.

Kathryn did an amazing job of depicting the humane connection between whites and blacks. She mentions in the acknowledgment this line saying this was pretty much the point of the book for women to realize that~ " We are just two people. Not that much separates us. Not as much as I thought "

I overall found the book a well balanced and an amazing read. Loved it a little more because of the strong female characters. 

TO ALL THE LOVING MEN IN OUR LIVES❤

 I am a woman and a feminist, which is why I believe in the equality of all, men and women. There is no doubt about the fact that a woman suffers a lot in her lifetime in more ways than we can think of.

At the same time, I am also aware of the small and big things men do for us in general life which often go unnoticed and many a time they become our unsung heroes. We often hear the saying- " Behind every successful man there is a woman", true but it is equally true that behind every successful woman there is a man. Our fathers and brothers support us in every possible way so that we can fly high and our husbands without whom support we couldn't so perfectly manage both the housework and our jobs.

Little things men do can be summarised in these lines below that I read on the Instagram handle @littlelettersinked:

" Dear lady on the bus,

I gave you that seat although I needed it badly because I was hella tired that day."

Dear men, we don't hate you we just want you to acknowledge the suffering that women go through on daily basis since the evolution of mankind and when we talk about the abuse done by some morons among you please don't take it on yourself because we also know that 'not all men' are abusers. Acknowledge gender biases against women and help us bring equality. Speak up when you see misogynist behavior around you or when someone disrespects a woman. Being good inside is not enough you have to actively do good. All this also applies to misogynist women also who plays an important role in the upbringing of men who are egoistic and simply consider women as objects.

THANK YOU FOR EVERYTHING AND HERE IS THE LITTLE POEM FOR YOU ALL:

" Women, women all the way.

who's sperm are you by the way?

A man.

-He is a Santa Claus disguise as your father.

Those pants you are wearing.

The fries you are eating.

The love and respect you are getting.

and, even that name you are bearing.

All belong to that lovely soul.

-He is an irritating idiot,

yes! he is your brother.

The way he makes you laugh.

The way he fights with you.

The way he supports you.

And,

The way he protects.

Don't you absolutely love that?

-He is the love of your life,

yes! he is your better half.

he was there making you feel special at midnight.

he was there sharing the pain with you at the hospital.

he was there everywhere annoying you.

-He is the reason for your shining smile,

yes!he is your baby boy.

he will break that glass on the table, but never your heart.

he may not listen to your lecture at your forty,

but he will surely be your guiding stick at your eighty."

MY GRANDMA❤

HEY GRANDMA! I said. 

She never really seems to listen to me.

Maybe, maybe she was busy remembering her late parents,

who married her off at 15.

I thought.

I was binge-watching Mr.Bean at my 15.

Or maybe she was worried about my 75-year old grandpa,

who left for work early morning,

thinking whether he had his lunch or not.

 Or maybe she was praying like always.

 I look into her eyes as she prays.

 I see a kind of fear,

fear of God even though she never misses her prayers or 

does anything evil.

Or maybe she was musing about her sons,

who are too busy in their own lives to spend time with her.

or wondering about her daughter's life at her in-laws' house.

Or maybe she was stressing about her shit loads of housework,

still left to be done,

which I guess she is doing since her age of discretion.

Or maybe it just that she is annoyed with me for not praying today.

HALF OF A YELLOW SUN SUMMARY AND REVIEW II BOOK BY CHIMANANDA NGOZI ADICHIE.

  

I love Adichie's writing and storytelling style. I first read her book-length essay 'we all should be feminists'. Being a feminist myself, I loved the book. Though, I want everyone (feminists and non-feminists) to read it because it is such an important read. I recently read HALF OF A YELLOW SUN by her and it did not disappoint me. 

Half of a yellow sun is historical fiction. It is a story about the Nigerian war told by the characters ~Ugwu, Ollanna, and Richard.

Ollanna and her twin sister, Kainene are the daughters of an influential chief. Odenigbo is a professor at Nsukka University. Ugwu is his houseboy. Ollanna and Odenigbo fall in love with each other after they met for the first time. Later, she moves to Nsukka to live with him. Richard is a British writer, who also moves to Nsukka, where he teaches in Nsukka university and also tries to write a book about igbo-ukwu art. 

Kainene and Richard met at a party and also, fall in love after their few more meetings. Odenigbo frequently entertains his colleagues at his house, where they have political debates. Richard also joins them after he moves to Nsukka. 

But the war changes the lives of all of them, drastically. Ollanna and Odenigbo had to leave their home with Odenigbo's baby, whom they call just 'baby' and Ugwu. They finally find refuge in a town called Umuhia. Richard goes to live with Kainene but they also had to move out from there. During the war, Ollanna, baby, Odenigbo, and Ugwu lived with Kainene and Richard. 

The main theme of the book is the war. Two deadly coups broke out due to the tensions between different ethnic groups. The Igbo people wanted to become independent and form the Republic of Biafra. But, they didn't get enough support. 

We observe the grave consequences of war as people die of starvation and diseases. Young girls getting raped in refugee camps by priests and soldiers. Young boys were forcefully taken to fight in the war. People losing their loved ones. In some cases, people just disappear. Their loved ones never got to know what happened to them.

The book also deals with the theme of love, friendship, and forgiveness. 

The characters are very real and flawed. No one is completely right or wrong. Though, I resonated with the character of Kainene the most.

Women empowerment is also one of the aspects of the book though it is not out there but can be seen through the powerful characters of Ollanna, Kainene, and their aunt. 

I found some parts of the book a little lengthy, but other than that I completely adored the book and definitely recommend it. Also, can not wait to read more of Adichie's work. 

#chimamandangoziadichie #halfofayellowsun #bookreview #africanliterature #bestbook #writingreviews #lovebooks #booklovers

THINGS EVERY TEEN GIRL IN A RELATIONSHIP SHOULD KNOW!

 

Hello young ladies!

I know being a teenager in itself is tough. You really do not understand what’s happening around you and inside you. No one really seems to understand. You find elders annoying. Everything is a mess. 

But, then you find this cute creature who pretty much understands you. Cares for you. Makes you laugh. AH! That feeling. Like you are loved and understood.

But, this relationship can also take a toll on you, sometimes. You may forget to take care of yourself, which isn’t healthy. Here’s how you can love yourself while loving your special one:

HAVE FUN: It’s your teenager, don’t take everything so seriously. Give yourself some space and him also. Be creative. Play your favorite sport. Watch some good series. Basically, it shouldn’t be like you are spending all your time just on him. Dude, these years are so precious you wouldn’t want to waste them in a relationship, which may not continue in the future( I hope that doesn’t happen, but let’s keep in mind the facts).

TRUST YOUR VIBES: Trust yourself. Trust how you feel about things. You may feel sometimes that he is lying so ask him questions. Deny things he asks you to do if you do not feel right doing them. Your body talks to you, it gives you a red sign, every time. DO NOT IGNORE IT. 

DO NOT SHARE THOSE PICTURES:

Sharing nudes can be a really wrong decision. We live in an era of the internet and viral content. It can be that you trust him and know that he won’t share them with anyone. But there are so many cases where nudes can get leak by accident. Someone may send it to themselves from his phone, there can be many possibilities. Also if you guys are very young then it’s not right to send nudes to each other. (“ BOIS LOCKER ROOM” was a case where we got to know a lot. So it’s always good to be careful.)

SELF RESPECT IS EVERYTHING: You do not deserve to feel like shit. You do not deserve to be treated like you are nobody. He can’t say mean things to you or bully you. He can not talk to you like you mean nothing to him. You will know when he is doing that. Do not let him do that. These little things can turn into a toxic relationship. You will not even realize it. You know what happens you begin to believe all the shit he says, which isn’t true, obviously. If you will not respect yourself, how you gonna love yourself. If you can not love yourself, you can't love anybody.

ALWAYS REMEMBER, YOU ARE BEAUTIFUL. YOU ARE STRONG. YOU LOVE YOURSELF. 

GOOD LUCK WITH YOUR LIFE, GIRLS:)

Mother's Day ideas.

So, Mother's day is here and you still haven't any plan sort out in your hands ? Don't you worry, here are some quick ideas to do your best this Mother's Day.

1.Make a sorry card for her.

We all have done things that directly or indirectly have hurt our Moms. We also realize our mistakes sooner or later, but,  how many times did we actually go to our moms and apologized for our behavior. Well,  here is a chance to make up for all your previous mistakes. Grab some sketches  and sheets, make a sorry card for her and pour your heart out in it.  Or else, just text her saying what you feel. Believe me,  she will love your effort.

2.Take her to  your grandma's house. 

As much as your mom is important to you. Your grandma is important to your mom. So, take out your car and drive her to your grandma's house. If she is not in town, just make a video call to her and your mom's day will be made.

 3.Do a haircut.

So, if you're a boy, then you yourself must know the importance of a decent haircut for your mom, right?  ;) Go to a near salon and get a look you know your mom will love and you're done. Boys, we can do this little sacrifice for our moms, right?


And, if you lovely people, in any way, did find my ideas helpful, please let me know and my day will be made:)