the white man's burden

book: the book of negros

author: lawrence hill

completion date: 27/06/10

method: borrowed (mum)

i wasn't ready for this book. mum warned me that it was upsetting but i figured i could handle anything. this was beyond what i could take. but i loved it. this book just grabs you by the heart (and occasionally the guilt) and doesn't let go. the story is so moving and heartbreaking.

let me just say i wasn't expecting for this to be a 'feel good' book. i understood that with the premise it was unlikely that it was going to be anything other than upsetting. what i loved is that you are pushed to the edge and then redeemed so you never feel like all is lost and aminata's struggle is useless. her fight is the most important. it is how unrelenting the human spirit can be that makes this book inspirational.

i mentioned the guilt earlier. this is not a book that makes you feel awful to be a white person. also i believe that if we live in the past we can never move forward. i don't mean forget in any way, i mean if we allow ourselves to become consumed with guilt then we will never learn from our mistakes. what i mean is we sometimes feel so awful about things our ancestors did that we have no control over and this book is a perfect example. the white man's perspective is the fascinating one. a) that rebels fought against themselves being slaves to the british, but didn't acknowledge that they were in full violation of the golden rule. b) that slavery was better then barbary. by nature africans were savages and we were liberating them into our society. we were allowing them to be our slaves, to live in our country. the first point is what really intrigued me. the american rebels demanding their freedom and saying that they deserve nothing less. yet they wander through the black village chaining up other humans to use for this same purpose.

if only everyone abided by the golden rule, but then we'd all be equals.

xo-ellebee