Their Eyes Were Watching God, first published in 1937, is a story of a southern black woman seeking love and self-fulfillment in 1930’s Florida. It’s considered to be a standout among African American literature due to its affirmation and celebration of the culture as well as the fact that it has a strong female protagonist, which was unique for its time. Continue reading
Category Archives: Classics
Book Review: For Whom the Bell Tolls by Ernest Hemingway
For Whom the Bell Tolls tells the tale of a band of communist guerrillas, led temporarily by American Robert Jordan, who have been tasked with blowing up a bridge during the Spanish Civil War in the late 1930s. The writing style took some getting used to, but I ended up really liking it. Continue reading
Five Interesting Things I Learned Because I Read “Things Fall Apart”
“Things Fall Apart”, by Chinua Achebe, was on the syllabus for my daughters’ (yes, plural) world literature class. As I like to do sometimes, I read it with them. First published in 1958, it tells the story Okonkwo, a respected warrior, and his village in Nigeria as they both struggle to adapt to colonization. I’m not going to review it because I feel silly reviewing classics. I’ll just say I’m glad I read it and I encourage you to read it, too. It’s a short book and written in simple, but meaningful, language. It doesn’t require a big time investment and you’re likely to learn some interesting things. Continue reading
