Books on the Shelves

''A reader lives a thousand lives before he dies'' George R.R. Martin

As 2020 is drawing to a close, and after all the merry-go-round this year has had virtually all of us boarded on, I wanted to end things on my blog on a lighter note sharing a few books among those I’ve read throughout the year. I came up with this idea of a different theme for this last article of 2020, also to propose something different from the now classic Human section of the blog you might have become well acquainted with already. As a farewell article for 2020, this Christmas Special edition is also an opportunity for me to show you a different aspect of the range of my interests in life, and I am excited and hope you are going to enjoy the gift I prepared for you.

I read a nice bunch of books this year, but two of them definitely caught my attention enough for me to decide to write an article about. The first is Born a crime, an autobiography by Trevor Noah, and the second is The Ickabog, a political fairy tale for Children by J.K. Rowling.

Before moving any further, I want to emphasize the fact that both are really captivating books and perfectly fit the current context of the world with everything going upside down – or at least; what it appears to be. I think you’ll love the company of either or even both of them, looking for peace and quiet after a hectic day, sitting by the fire or resting on your sofa in the late evenings. The Ickabog especially is an ideal gift you can offer to your children or even yourself for an enchanted Christmas.

Spoiler alert: I am going to disclose many crucial parts of the plot of both books!

Book 1: Born a Crime, by Trevor Noah

Well, I actually read this one for over three years. My friend Max gave it away to me back in early 2018. I would read it in the train riding home after classes or in my spare time. But I wasn’t sure whether or not I would finish it because I’d lost touch with the Books universe long ago, and I doubted my ability to get to the end of what seemed an enormous and insurmountable 288-page-book to me back in the time.

However, the book turned out to be funny and very interesting from the opening and – slowly – the doubt of me getting to the end faded as I went over the chapters, page after page. With hindsight now, I think it was exactly what I needed to gain back confidence in my ability to start and finish a book.

Born a crime: more than just an autobiography...

Born a crime is an autobiography of Trevor Noah telling his early life in South Africa as a mix-raced citizen born to black and white parents. As you dive into the reading, you come across a host of topics you couldn’t have suspected from the plain title.

In fact, it is merely a voyage in South Africa back in the ’90s through Trevor’s eyes. You get to discover what South Africa was like during the Apartheid regime, you get to discover what it was like, being different in a place where things were supposed to remain black or white. You also get to see how institutions function or how the dynamics between the social classes operate.

The very first thing that shocked me was the fact that it was illegal for a black person and a white person to be in love and worse, to marry or have a baby – the law would make sure the trespassers would regret their deed using a carefully structured bunch of sanctions and impediments. Although it was prohibited, Trevor’s mother fell in love with a white man and decided she wanted a baby with that man – which is how Trevor came to be.

Another important part of the book is the fact that it also gives acute insights on many issues the world is on fire today because of. Such issues as racism or colorism or color-blindness, another one that is very common to many African societies is also dealt with in the book – Tribalism.

A non-preachy or accusative educative approach

What I love best about the writing is that the author doesn’t seem to be trying to push any belief or opinion system in his book. All he is doing is present the facts and leave it to the reader’s judgment. For instance, where Trevor talks about his mother’s life, how her husband – Trevor’s stepfather, has abused her almost to death, he just recounts how the Justice system proved flawed in its ability to handle the case when it was brought up. The man who threatened the life of Trevor’s mother easily got away with it and occasionally, he was protected by cops.

Although he doesn’t say it clearly, Trevor’s exposing a reality that is very prevalent and pervasive in society, which is domestic abuse. The fact that many people are abused and even abused to death sometimes by their spouse, and that this would always go silent with the abuser getting away with it easily because the society in its current configuration is unfortunately not well equipped to take care of this kind of issues. Hopefully, things are evolving and all over the world, people begin to gain awareness on this kind of topic and there are institutions and organizations sprouting all over the place, aiming to protect and prevent domestic abuse, or tackling other problematic social issues.

A lot of fun!

One last thing I can mention about the things I loved in the book is most certainly Trevor’s mother. Honestly, every time I would read a part featuring her, I would either be rolling on the floor with laughter or be in awe (even though I would still be laughing). I found inspiration in her, in the way she dealt with the oppressive system and with everything that did not seem right to her. I have this part where she mocked the ways of her husband’s culture – Trevor’s stepfather. I read this paragraph like ten times in a row but still couldn’t get over and it had me laugh the day I read it, and the days afterward – I could not help it!

Because I found it very funny and inspiring, I voted it as my best part of the book and I am going to share it here with you. This is it: ‘‘The whole tradition of women bowing to the men, my mom found that absurd. But she didn’t refuse to do it. She overdid it. She made a mockery of it. The other women would bow before men with this polite little curtsy. My mom would go down and cower, groveling in the dirt like she was worshipping a deity, and she’d stay down there for a long time, like a really long time, long enough to make everyone very uncomfortable. That was my mom. Don’t fight the system. Mock the system.’’

Why you should read Born A Crime!

There is so much more in the book I couldn’t touch here. But if you ask my opinion, this is definitely a must-read for a few reasons that I am listing right down below:

- It is funny and fast-paced: although it took me up to three years to finish it, I can assure you that you won’t have to last so long as well. In fact, you’ll be so captivated by the storytelling and Trevor’s sense of humor that you won’t notice you’ve reached the last chapter.

- The message is on point and written in a light-hearted way: although Trevor deals with themes that can be touchy or raise hard feelings, his storytelling makes it very easy to take the pill. Reading his book, I came across very disturbing sad, and somber parts that were educative and yet would be otherwise troublesome if it wasn’t for his way of bringing up things.

- Good for French native speakers and any other non-English native speaker: If you want to improve your English while reading, well this book is for you. So far there is no French edition for it and while this can seem unfortunate for the French-speaking community, there is actually a silver lining in it for everyone who wants to improve their English skills.

- You’ll meet Trevor Noah’s mother: this is a personal opinion but I think you’ll agree once you read the book: Trevor’s mother is a legend! Her attitude, her views on life, her story, I don’t think you’ll leave that book without Trevor’s mother touching you in the slightest, to say the least. I think she is one of the characters you will remember even years later after reading this book!

Book 2: The Ickabog, by J.K Rowling

This is a book I offered to myself as a gift for December, to make sure I will brighten up my days ahead of Christmas, and honestly, I couldn’t have guessed better. The book blasted my expectations, which is no surprise after all – J.K. Rowling, the author of the Harry Potter books series, writes it.

The Story: Welcome to Cornucopia! Land of wonders and… monsters!

In this book, J.K. Rowling brings you into a fictional kingdom named Cornucopia. It is rich and beautiful and people make tasty pastries, sausages, and wine over there. The land even has excellent carpenters and is very famous. However, things start to go down a very bizarre road when a series of deaths begin to happen in the kingdom, bringing up the so-called legend of the Ickabog – a creature, a being that feeds on human flesh.

Blatant lies, Glory dies

Although it’s a book aimed at Children, I think it would appeal to many adults as well, namely because of the themes it brings about. The Ickabog, as stated by J.K. Rowling herself, means ‘’the glory has departed’’ and legend has it, there lives a creature in the north of the kingdom of Cornucopia where no one would dare venture, a lifeless place.

Things start to get interesting when some powerful authorities of Cornucopia make up a story staring the Ickabog to explain the murders occurring in the country. However, what they really wanted was to pass and enforce many laws to gain more power over people and dig gold out of their pockets until bankruptcy while the official version was that the laws were alleged to secure the country against the creature’s threat.

Another interesting thing about that story is that everyone who will question the law or worse, question the existence of the Ickabog, would either disappear the days afterward, mysteriously slain by the so-called beast, or be imprisoned for treason or sentenced to death. People became fearful to speak, they obeyed the law and would pay the Ickabog tax – a brilliant idea of the two villains who were behind this masquerade, and the country was in constant surveillance by spies to track potential ‘traitors’.

Reading the book, you’ll be amazed how a lie can become the truth. You’ll be amazed how the truth can be distorted only to confuse everyone, making it difficult to tell things apart. You’ll also learn more about how a crime or a lie can benefit a structured system of really evil people. Indeed, if I were to summarize this book in my own words, it would be ‘’The Ickabog, or how a little lie becomes an extremely deadly political weapon’’

Evocative Themes, Imaginative story

So the book is mainly about Power abuse, but there are many other themes that J.K. Rowling brings up such as the reality behind Orphanages, children trafficking but also the power of imagination. If you’re familiar with the author, you most certainly know that these are really dear themes to her.

In fact, all the way back to her Harry Potter novels, Rowling already explores the theme of orphanages and the fact that they’re not necessarily an effective solution when it comes to protecting children and giving them the love and nurture they need to grow as whole human beings. Later on, Rowling founded Lumos, an NGO charity aiming at ending the harm of institutionalization and help children worldwide be reunited with family. Well, I digress, let’s get back to the book!

J.K. Rowling shows that children are very often mistreated and abused in those institutions, although they seem to be the only option left. In fact, it turns out the people overseeing those institutions don’t necessarily have the best intentions for the children they take in and worse, might even be interested only in the money they gain from taking in children.

Imagination is once more brought up in this book and proves more than useful to make ends meet – be that for the villains or for the heroes.

The story will have you journey in the land of all your Emotions

The story is at times funny, frightening, nerves wrecking, and full of suspense, I promise you’ll have a hard time trying to guess what will come next as you go over the lines, the pages, let alone the chapters. However, if you’re optimistic, you’ll believe until the very end!

Why you should read The Ickabog

My advice if you ask is definitely get your children this book or yourself, read it along with your kids or just alone or with friends. It is worth it and the time could never be better than now to read it! Here are a few reasons

- You want to meet Lord Flapoon and Lord Spittleworth, the two villains of the story. Those two characters are the archetype of the fake friend. Spittleworth is a psychopath and breathtakingly manipulative, Flapoon’s stupidity and his gluttony don’t spare him from being dangerous wicked. Although this duo embodies everything you’ll detest, they have the merit to have hijacked the kingdom by their malicious intelligence – especially lord Spittleworth whose wit is greatly dazzling despite being of such evil nature!

- You want to find out the truth about this so-called Ickabog. Does the Ickabog really exist? Is it just a legend made up only to frighten headstrong children? You can guess or get the book to see for yourself. All I can tell you is behold, misinformation can become a powerful political tool and the truth is nothing like what we think it to be.

- The story is rich, fast-paced, and very educative: all your kids need to build up their imagination and understanding of the complexity of things along with beginning to sharpen their critical thinking.

- The book might shake your certitudes on life. You’ll get to understand once more that things are not always what they seem. Your perception of what is true and what is a lie might deepen or shatter – but I want to promise that if it shatters, it will be to allow room for a more mature perspective on what is Truth and what is Deception.

Epilogue

That’s it, folks! I hope you enjoyed reading me just as I enjoyed writing this Christmas special and farewell 2020 edition. I hope that by the last lines of this article, you had run to the library for a copy of both books or at least either of them. Should you have anything to share or any questions or suggestions, please feel welcome to leave your thoughts in the comments section below! Oh, and please consider liking and sharing if you loved the article and want to support my work!

I kiss you goodbye and I wish you a Magical Christmas in Advance! See you in three to four months for the new article. Be Safe, Much Love!

Michael A.