#dreams from my father

[outragedtortilla]

The worst thing that colonialism did was to cloud our view of our past.

#Barack Obama (Dreams from my Father)

[eggwhiteswithspinach]

The worst thing that colonialism did was to cloud our view of our past.

#Barack Obama (Dreams from my Father)

[grouchydairy]

The study of law can be disappointing at times, a matter of applying narrow rules and arcane procedure to an uncooperative reality; a sort of glorified accounting that serves to regulate the affairs of those who have power--and that all too often seeks to explain, to those who do not, the ultimate wisdom and justness of their condition. But that's not all the law is. The law is also memory; the law also records a long-running conversation, a nation arguing with its conscience.

#Barack Obama (Dreams from my Father)

[ihatetbrlists]

The Reading Diaries #15

Dreams From My Father, by Barack Obama (1995)

From my TBR? Yes, the physical one.

Disclaimer: I'm not American

I decided to read this autobiography (memoir?) because I wanted to learn more about Obama's pre-politics life, especially after reading Michelle Obama's perspective in her amazing Becoming.

But while I highly recommend reading Becoming to everyone I meet, unfortunately, I can't say the same for Dreams from my father.

It's divided into 3 parts: Hawaii, Chicago and Kenya.

The theme of the book is supposedly how Barack Obama came to terms with being the son of a white mother and a Kenyan father in America. How to balance these two identities? How to create his own? But also, how to imagine his absent father and how to see his legacy?

I feel like the first and last parts dealt with this pretty well. Hawaii sees Obama's childhood in Hawaii and other places, struggling to come to terms with the concept of race and what it means to be black in the US and to conjure the image of his absent father (who went back to Kenya soon after his birth). Kenya instead sees him traveling for the first time to Kenya and listening to stories about his now deceased father from the side of the family that lives there and that he is also meeting for the first time. It's beautiful and they are the parts that I enjoyed the most.

But the central part, Chicago, is just a drag. I swear that every other scene could be summarized thus: Barack Obama goes to talk to someone about community organizing; the conversation sparks in him some sort of profound question, generally along the lines of "How can we all live together in this country?"; he meditates upon this while leaning against his car and smoking a cigarette; he never reaches a conclusion.

Which is FINE, but gets old very quickly. That section should have been edited down bad, imho.

.

All in all, I'm glad to have read this book. I feel like I understand an important figure of our time a little better. I did take The Audacity of Hope off my Goodreads TBR, tho. Even I have limits.

[ramyeongif]

The worst thing that colonialism did was to cloud our view of our past.

#Barack Obama (Dreams from my Father)

[haro4869]

a normal museum visit

[ramyeonpng]

The worst thing that colonialism did was to cloud our view of our past.

#Barack Obama (Dreams from my Father)

[trchrswtrs]

I had a dream about Sebek and a fly.

Sebek was going about his normal business, when he noticed a fly sitting on his hand. He casually brushed the fly off, before lifting his gaze to resume his duties. However, out of the corner of his vision, he caught sight of the fly, back on his hand. He swatted at it again. But somehow, it remained where it was. He shook his hand, twisted it about, swiped at it multiple times but no matter how hard he tried to get rid of it, the fly remained on his hand. Growing increasingly frustrated, he even tried to crush the fly in his hand. But the fly still remained. He couldn't help but let out a cry of anger and upset as tears began to stream down his face, for he was desperate to be rid of this fly. This fly that would not release its hold on him. This fly that clung to the back of his mind every second of the day. And there was nothing he could do but despair.

[onaperduamedee]

For my part I have sought liberty more than power, and power only because it can lead to freedom. What interested me was not a philosophy of the free man (all who try that have proved tiresome), but a technique: I hoped to discover the hinge where our will meets and moves with destiny, and where discipline strengthens, instead of restraining, our nature.

— Memoirs of Hadrian by Marguerite Yourcenar, translated from the French by Grace Frick

[swordandboardllc]

Palestinian Own Voices Reading List

If you’re looking for books to read to help support Palestine and Palestinians through this current aggression and genocidal actions, I’ve created a list for you to look through. These books are all available through Bookshop.org, and may be available through your local libraries.

My Father Was A Freedom Fighter: Gaza's Untold Story, by Ramzy Baroud

Palestinian Walks: Forays Into a Vanishing Landscape, by Raja Shehadeh

In the Presence of Absence, by Richard Widerkehr

On Zionist Literature, by Ghassan Kanafani

Wondrous Journeys in Strange Lands, by Sonia Nimir

Power Born of Dreams: My Story Is Palestine, by Mohammad Sabaaneh

Stories Under Occupation: And Other Plays from Palestine, by Samer Al-Saber

Palestine Is Throwing a Party and the Whole World Is Invited: Capital and State Building in the West Bank, by Kareem Rabie

Rifqa, by Mohammed El-Kurd

Of Noble Origins: A Palestinian Novel, by Sahar Khalifeh

My First and Only Love, by Sahar Khalifeh

Salt Houses, by Hala Alyan

L.J. Stanton

[mangokabuto]

Some dance + real-world-equivalent-ethnicity headcannons :)

Some more little bits i be thinking abt for those who want more dance content: (under the cut)

Usopp with his salsa fundamentals and luffy with his vague memories of samba end up, at some point, coming up with their own much more chaotic combo of the two. They r spinning around so fast its insane. Luffy is about to launch them into the sun. They're having a great time.

Sanji being absolutely miffed when the only other ppl on the crew who know how to couple's dance with him are Usopp and Luffy. He gets over it ofc, being able to actually dance with another person quickly overwhelms the "I wanted to tango with a beautiful lady" grief

Sanji being able to help Usopp re-learn salsa and them bonding over their moms abt it 🥲Luffy is a lost cause tho he's not learning shit /j

BaroqueWorks Robin and Bon Clay bonding over ballet Q_Q

Brook inventing the most INSANE new dips/twirls/transitions because he no longer has muscles or skin or whatever in the way

Also I firmly believe Usopp listens & dances to anything made by Spice, Mr. Killa, and Yung Bredda, but he refuses to let the crew know this. He's not embarrassed or anything he's just fairly sure Sanji would have a heart attack and die if he heard the lyrics

Sanji listens & dances to Rodrigo y Gabriela he's in love with their story

Zoro is one of those freaks who has no desire to listen to music at all but he won't turn it off if it's on, yk?

As made obvious above I think Usopp and Sanji are the 1st and 2nd most versatile dancers, but neither of them dance more Often than Franky

If i had to rank them based on how often/readily they will dance its....in the order I placed the pictures, with chopper between brook and nami. Luffy is only so low cause he'd usually rather be eating, and brook cause he'd rather be playing, and zoro cause he'd rather be drinking/napping

Robin will readily dance with you if you ask her but she's not going to initiate

If you love dance like i do and want to see some specific choreographers/dances i had in mind while drawing these, that will be the rest of this bullet list!

Sanji is doing Derek Hough's little solo bit from his pasodoble choreo on dancing with the stars. look it up it is so peak

Dancing with the star (chopper <3)

In my head Usopp is perfectly capable of dancing any choreography by Latrice Kabamba (west african steps), Tricia Miranda (dancehall), or Yeifren Mata (mostly male solo salsa)

For Franky I think some old way choreos by Nastya Batrachenko or Dashaun Wesley (he mostly does fem now but he has good old way stuff) r good

[outragedtortilla]

The worst thing that colonialism did was to cloud our view of our past.

#Barack Obama (Dreams from my Father)

[eggwhiteswithspinach]

The study of law can be disappointing at times, a matter of applying narrow rules and arcane procedure to an uncooperative reality; a sort of glorified accounting that serves to regulate the affairs of those who have power--and that all too often seeks to explain, to those who do not, the ultimate wisdom and justness of their condition. But that's not all the law is. The law is also memory; the law also records a long-running conversation, a nation arguing with its conscience.

#Barack Obama (Dreams from my Father)

[grouchydairy]

Better to be strong,' he [Lolo] said...'if you can't be strong, be clever and make peace with someone who's strong. But always better to be strong yourself.

#Barack Obama (Dreams from My Father)

[ihatetbrlists]

Just realized that my copy of Dreams From My Father doesn't have an index. Grrrr I hate when that happens.

[ramyeongif]

Better to be strong,' he [Lolo] said...'if you can't be strong, be clever and make peace with someone who's strong. But always better to be strong yourself.

#Barack Obama (Dreams from My Father)