blessing_aj's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
informative
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
4.0
I tried to get into Bessie Head’s books a while back and found them to be very intimidating. After reading this book I realized that it was simply because I lacked the proper context with which to interpret the themes.
I found this book to be very helpful since it offers a lot of insight into the things that inspired Bessie and her mindset at the time she was writing these books.
IMO, everyone who wants to get into Bessie Head’s fictional works should read this first.
A large part of the book also covers her world view on politics and the society touching on culture, religion, womanism, racism and oppression in Southern African countries especially South Africa and Botswana.
I love that the entire collection is well written and gorgeously curated. Her arguments are rational, illuminating and the conclusions (where there are any) are logical and accommodating.
I found this book to be very helpful since it offers a lot of insight into the things that inspired Bessie and her mindset at the time she was writing these books.
IMO, everyone who wants to get into Bessie Head’s fictional works should read this first.
A large part of the book also covers her world view on politics and the society touching on culture, religion, womanism, racism and oppression in Southern African countries especially South Africa and Botswana.
I love that the entire collection is well written and gorgeously curated. Her arguments are rational, illuminating and the conclusions (where there are any) are logical and accommodating.
sookieskipper's review against another edition
Bessie Head opens up in A woman alone about her experiences with apartheid and finding herself seeking peace in Botswana. In this collection of her personal writings, she talks about the time she spent in South Africa and its turbulent times. Her words come from experience and that of a seasoned observer of culture. It has always been evident in her books - Maru, especially but since there is no fictional aspect in these writings, it almost takes shape of conversations one would have with their friend.
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