An extraordinary book that goes beyond the headlines
SUSAN FRANCIS | Good Reads
My Walk to Equality: Essays, Stories and Poetry by Papua New Guinean Women, edited by Rashmii Amoah Bell, Pukpuk Publications 2017, paperback, 278 pages. ISBN-10: 1542429242. Available from Amazon, paper US$10.53, Kindle US$0.93
MAYFIELD, NSW - First let me say this is an extraordinary book. I learnt so much.
Sometimes I was confronted, most dreadfully, by choices demanded of the individuals depicted, and at other times my heart swelled with hope.
In a collection of short stories, poetry and essays edited by Rashmii Amoah Bell, women describe and discuss their relationships, complicated gender issues and the idea of legacy in contemporary Papua New Guinea.
Reading the texts, I was profoundly moved by the significance education holds for the individual writers and the importance attached to a sense of place, faith and family.
However, what affected me most was the recognition that the women writers all shared a strong, unbreakable ethical framework.
Their values- resilience, patience, determination and purity of action were highlighted consistently across the collection - despite the sometimes tragic boundaries life imposes on women in PNG.
The stark reality of separateness between men and women - there was a tactile sense of it practically rubbing off the pages onto my fingertips - certainly should not have surprised me, nor the violence.
But because most of the stories were written in first person and the experiences expressed clearly and honestly, the challenges existing between genders confronted me at a visceral level.
I knew it. I’d watched it. But the narratives provided me with a fresh, individual perspective.
Finally, the overwhelming take away for me was the strength forged in PNG women.
I recommend this small, modest, very special book if you want to read beyond the headlines and be reminded of what is important in life.
My Walk to Equality: Essays, Stories and Poetry by Papua New Guinean Women, edited by Rashmii Amoah Bell, Pukpuk Publications 2017, paperback, 278 pages. ISBN-10: 1542429242. Available from Amazon, paper US$10.53, Kindle US$0.93
MAYFIELD, NSW - First let me say this is an extraordinary book. I learnt so much.
Sometimes I was confronted, most dreadfully, by choices demanded of the individuals depicted, and at other times my heart swelled with hope.
In a collection of short stories, poetry and essays edited by Rashmii Amoah Bell, women describe and discuss their relationships, complicated gender issues and the idea of legacy in contemporary Papua New Guinea.
Reading the texts, I was profoundly moved by the significance education holds for the individual writers and the importance attached to a sense of place, faith and family.
However, what affected me most was the recognition that the women writers all shared a strong, unbreakable ethical framework.
Their values- resilience, patience, determination and purity of action were highlighted consistently across the collection - despite the sometimes tragic boundaries life imposes on women in PNG.
The stark reality of separateness between men and women - there was a tactile sense of it practically rubbing off the pages onto my fingertips - certainly should not have surprised me, nor the violence.
But because most of the stories were written in first person and the experiences expressed clearly and honestly, the challenges existing between genders confronted me at a visceral level.
I knew it. I’d watched it. But the narratives provided me with a fresh, individual perspective.
Finally, the overwhelming take away for me was the strength forged in PNG women.
I recommend this small, modest, very special book if you want to read beyond the headlines and be reminded of what is important in life.
Go to this link for more: https://asopa.typepad.com/asopa_people/2019/07/an-extraordinary-book-that-goes-beyond-the-headlines.html
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