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reviews_and_ramblings) wrote2021-10-27 05:42 pm
reviews_and_ramblings) wrote2021-10-27 05:42 pm
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2020-2021 Rainbow Awards Honorable Mention: A Blind Eye
A Blind Eye by David Jackson Ambrose
It took a long while to get through this book, for several reasons. First, the subject matter is difficult and unpleasant. Second, as a white man reading a book largely about black experiences, I wanted to be as objective as possible, afraid I’d lower my assessment because of my personal discomfort. It also didn’t help that the book is long at 370 pages. That said, I did like learning about PWS, which I’d never heard of before. I liked seeing the different types of cultural appropriation and outright lies (made with the “best of intentions,” of course). The opening is great, the POV strong, comparing and contrasting Black/white interpretations of the same experience. There was far too much exposition for my taste, though, but that’s also subjective. It just takes a long time before anything happens. There’s a fascinating dog bite scene, an interesting and unexpected development in the relationship between Babe and Chance, lots of truly interesting stuff in here. But it’s mostly unhappy and tragic, and because of my white privilege, I set the book aside for long periods before returning to it. Because it was uncomfortable. It’s a well-written book, worth reading, but it’s not one I’ll read again. I’m not sure I’m the target audience, though there was plenty of info in there I needed to know. So take my reflections with a grain of salt.
https://amzn.to/3vWUAKL
It took a long while to get through this book, for several reasons. First, the subject matter is difficult and unpleasant. Second, as a white man reading a book largely about black experiences, I wanted to be as objective as possible, afraid I’d lower my assessment because of my personal discomfort. It also didn’t help that the book is long at 370 pages. That said, I did like learning about PWS, which I’d never heard of before. I liked seeing the different types of cultural appropriation and outright lies (made with the “best of intentions,” of course). The opening is great, the POV strong, comparing and contrasting Black/white interpretations of the same experience. There was far too much exposition for my taste, though, but that’s also subjective. It just takes a long time before anything happens. There’s a fascinating dog bite scene, an interesting and unexpected development in the relationship between Babe and Chance, lots of truly interesting stuff in here. But it’s mostly unhappy and tragic, and because of my white privilege, I set the book aside for long periods before returning to it. Because it was uncomfortable. It’s a well-written book, worth reading, but it’s not one I’ll read again. I’m not sure I’m the target audience, though there was plenty of info in there I needed to know. So take my reflections with a grain of salt.
https://amzn.to/3vWUAKL