Fiction Friday (133)

 

 

It's the end of the week and I recently finished reading yet another contemporary novel. This was another selection that I read for the library's book club that I lead. I'd heard good things about this one and was excited to read it, whereas many of the others, I am not. Though not a literary tour de force, this novel was well written and quite compelling in the way it dealt with the ideas of racial insensitivity and privilege.

Such a Fun Age by Kiley Reid

(Putnam, 2019)

In the past couple of years, the market has been flooded with novels that examine race relations in our country. What makes this one special is the subtleties it employs to deal with the topic which mirrors the subtleties in which it often exists. With the exception of a few characters in the opening confrontation scene, none of the characters are racist in any stereotypical way. In fact, both main white characters, Alix and Kelley, would consider themselves anti-racist. They are both too self-centered and self-involved to actually consider their actions, motives, and consequences...and despite both protesting that they have Emira's best interests at heart, neither ever bothers to have a real conversation with her.

I've read reviews, and spoken with people who really didn't like this book, who thought it wasn't in depth enough, or that it breezed over the subject. I disagree. The fact that it didn't beat the reader over the head with the themes is its strength. The fact that it is filled with humor is also a strength. It is not a book that is there to provide answers, it's a book meant for the reader to examine these characters and their actions and really think about their faults.

It is also not exclusively about race. Emira is not simply "African-American"...she is a 25 year old woman who doesn't know what she wants from life, something that is not a product of ethnicity. The reader sees her as the only true genuine character and as a result, her situation becomes universal and humanizing, something the Alix and Kelley fail to recognize.

I really enjoyed this book, and of course, 3-year-old Briar steals the show with her wonderfully innocent observations. The relationship between her and Emira is the heart of the book, and it's ironic that Alix's company is called "Let Her Speak" when that is exactly what she never allows from her daughter and her daughter's babysitter.

Distraction Nation

Once again our nation seems bent on diverting attention away from its problems to focus on lesser, slightly related issues. A week after a hateful young man killed a number of people inside of a church, the public debate has turned to one about the Confederate Flag. In my opinion this is just another way of distracting people from the real problems in our society. 

Is there a segment of the population that uses the Confederate flag as symbol of racism? Of course there is, but does the flag make somebody racist? Absolutely not! Removing a flag will do nothing to remove racism from our society. It will do nothing to solve the mental problems of hateful young people with access to guns.

As long as we continue to refuse to address the real core issues that cause violence in this country and stop focusing on band-aid side issues, nothing will ever change. It's time for us to stop allowing the media and politicians to steer us away from meaningful public debate and demand they engage in real discussions rather than sound bites. As of now, that seems only like wishful thinking on my part...nearly as wishful as those who believe hiding a flag will solve a deep rooted issue.