Ursina's Shelf - Cultural listens
Issue 53
Dear readers,
I am writing this newsletter from the shade of our upstairs balcony watching a red kite bird of prey circle against the backdrop of blue sky and alps. It’s the kind of day too beautiful to bury my nose in a book, but perfect for listening to an audiobook and staring out over the rooftops.
Earlier this year, I discovered a new reading interest, hearing audiobooks from cultures I know little about with new names, locales, foods, and traditions, read by a narrator with local roots. It started with leaping into The Girls with the Loudening Voice (previously featured in issue 42). I was a bit worried at first that I wouldn’t understand the narrator well enough, but it was exactly the language that underpinned the story and made it even more powerful. I would have missed out on all this if I’d only read the book.
Today, I’d like to share three more books that I think are similarly ear-opening and strengthened by a narrator, bringing to life the language nuances of the story and characters.
Three cultural listens
Black Cake by Charmaine Wilkerson (2022)
Description: The story starts with two American siblings of Caribbean heritage learning first about their mother’s death and then the true story of how she came from the Caribbean to the United States, escaping her past there and making her way to California via the UK. In addition to her story, she leaves behind one of her beloved black cakes for the siblings.
My take: While I enjoyed the plot, I fell for the particular depth in the characters' relationships and dialogs between them. I also enjoyed the descriptions of food, swimming, and marine biology interspersed between the character developments and serious topics. (Buy here).
Bonus fact: The author is a marathon runner.
Transcendent Kingdom by Yaa Gyasi (2020)
Description: A young addiction researcher in California learns of her mom’s latest bout of depression. As she tends to her mom, she grapples with their history from her Ghanaian mother’s emigration to the US, discrimination, faith, and losing a son and brother to addiction and a husband and father to homesickness.
My take: I had adored the author’s Homegoing and tried to keep my hopes low. Well, I shouldn’t have worried. The interplay of themes between family, faith, love and addiction, mental health, and discrimination were woven together masterfully. While mostly set in the US, the family’s heritage is essential to understanding the characters. (Buy here).
My Sister the Serial Killer by Oyinkan Braithwaite (2018)
Description: Korde is a hard-working nurse in Nigeria helping her sister Ayoola deal with her penchant for killing her boyfriends. Over the course of the book, readers get a deeper look into the sisters’ relationship, the experiences they share, and what shaped them, while having us increasingly worried about their well-being.
My take: The premise might lead you to believe this is a comical novel, but through the experiences of Korde and Ayoola the reader is exposed to the challenges women face in Nigeria and becomes deeply invested in the characters with a backdrop of Lagos, local foods, names, and traditions. (Buy here).
Currently reading: Woman of Light by Kali Fajardo-Anstine (buy here).
Thanks as always for reading. Let me know your bookish thoughts, questions, and feedback. All the best!