A review by marcymurli
Known and Strange Things: Essays by Teju Cole

3.0

I always enjoy reading Cole's gorgeous prose, and this book is no exception. However, there is a bit too much of the book that focuses on his love of photography for my taste. The travel writing is quite compelling, especially when he writes about being in Switzerland and comparing his experiences with James Baldwin's or his travels along the US-Mexico border or in Palestine (which I wish there was more of). One of my favourite essays is the one on the White Saviour Industrial Complex, an essay that remains as relevant and when he wrote it in 2012 in response to the Kony campaign.