I watched this video as part of a professional development day at work the other day, and I was completely enthralled with Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie's exquisite articulation of the stories we read and the ones we construct about ourselves and our fellow human beings on this planet we call home. You simply do not want to miss this.
Have you ever been reading a book, moving along quite nicely, and then-- bam --a character whips out a particular term of endearment that just yanks you right out of the story? It happened to me recently, and I'm sad to say I couldn't recover. I did try. But she just kept using that term and I . . . I had to get the hell out of Dodge. Buh-bye, story. Don't let the door hit you on the way out. I'm not saying this is the norm (thank goodness). I can put up with a certain amount of treacly back and forth when it comes to the exchange of terms of endearment, especially if they fit the characters, their background, culture, the tenor of their relationship, etc. And the history of these terms at home and from around the world is often fascinating (at times hilarious). But there comes a point where I can't see past the cheese and/or weird anymore and I do not want to be with these people any longer . Shallow? Perhaps. But it's a very individual thing, isn't it?...
This is great Angie! Thanks for sharing this with us :)
ReplyDeleteIt's stayed in my mind for days after. I had to pass it on. :)
ReplyDeleteVery illuminating. I have a copy of Half of a yellow sun on my shelf. Thanks for sharing, Angie.
ReplyDeleteI'm definitely inspired to go pick up a copy as I have never read her before. Just loved this.
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