Reading......

Due to my fatigue the past few days, I've been able to read two great books!

The first was "The Measure of a Man" by Sidney Poitier. This isn't a celebrity book or ego book. It isn't a chronicle of achievement. It is truly like listening to an elder, someone who speaks wisely and cautiously, using an economy of words to allow them to sink in on a deeper level.

He writes of his childhood in Bahamas. He tells of the lessons he learned from his parents and his childhood. He then takes us on a winding road to the present, documenting many things, experiences and people, most notably how he maintained his dignity during the 60s and 70s as a Black man in America. In many ways, he reminds me of Nelson Mandela who warned his prison guards that "I will call you sir. You will call me sir. We will respect each other." It's an honest glimpse into someone else's life, someone who has had to assert his personhood, his manhood and his dignity in the constant face of those who would take it from him. Yet he does it without aggression or defensiveness. He does it by behavior.

Last night and this morning, I read "Eat, Pray and Love" by Elizabeth Gilbert. One of the reviews states, "If a more likable writer than Gilbert is currently in print, I haven't found him or her...."

I agree. Reading the book is like listening to a good friend over pizza and beer, telling of her travels and her insights. She is painfully honest about her own shortcomings, her own failings. In that, she becomes a very real and delightful person. Even with my failing eyesight, I couldn't wait to get a little bit more of her, to read just one more tale. I sat here, magnifying glass in hand, savoring each word. Even though I have been writing for many, many years, I often whispered to myself, "Ghod, I wish I could have said that!"

I recommend both of them.

What are you reading? Do you recommend anything in particular?

** I know this post is dull and boring. Hope you'll stay with me. I'll try to come up with more interesting topics next week. Hopefully, Social Justice post Monday. It's one of those topics I have to think about....


Peace,


~Chani