Our Writers Recommend... (22/06/20)

ARTICLE: ‘Does My Child’s Name Erase My Identity?’ - Jami Nakamura Lin 
 
https://www.nytimes.com/2020/05/05/parenting/baby-name-family-history.html
 
This article from The New York Times explores how names can be both descriptive and prescriptive and can encase culture and family history. Jami Nakamura Lin, a Japanese-Taiwanese American woman, discusses how her husband, a white Jewish man, and herself struggled with the naming of their daughter. The daughter’s names blend essences of both Lin and her husband’s histories and cultures, yet she worries that her daughter may not vocalize her middle names in a time in which Asian-American racism is rising.
 
This article is both interesting and easy to read, but the humility and vulnerability of Lin’s writing emphasizes how the stigma surrounding race and culture is still in need of debunking. 

Amy Knowles

INTERVIEW: ‘Want To Understand Why Racism Won’t Go Away - Watch This’ - Russell Brand & Prof. Kehinde Andrews
 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ri-sEQMg_1E
 
This nineteen minute zoom interview is radically different to anything I’ve listened to recently about systemic racism. Professor Kehinde speaks frankly and candidly about the false narrative of racial inequality improving, and his adamant belief that neither America nor the UK can never not be racist due to the encompassing nature of capitalism. Despite the heavy nature of the conversation topic the intellectual connection between Kehinde and Russell Brand enables their interaction to remain lighthearted, friendly and extremely compelling to watch.  
 
Before listening to this interview I generally assumed racial inequality has improved over time, however Kehinde has made me realise that it really hasn’t changed at all. The murder of George Floyd and the interaction of Christian Cooper and Amy Cooper are recent examples of an image that has existed throughout time; the only change is that this image can now be shown across the world. Kehinde’s opinions are often quoted as being radical and profound - in particular, his belief that racism cannot coexist with the West, and for racism to end, the West must also (in the interview Kehinde expands on this belief by using an equally compelling metaphor from Malcolm X involving a fox and a wolf). I would be surprised if anyone came away from watching this interview and still thought of Kehinde as a “radical”. Overall I found the interview entirely logical and thought provoking - if you watch anything today- let it be this! 
 
Dulcie Loveland
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PODCAST: How To Fail - Elizabeth Day (special episode with Mo Gawdat)
 
Available on Spotify, Apple Podcasts and Podbean
 
During this pandemic, I have been using all this new free time I have to really dive into podcasts, a fabulous resource which I have never used before now. Following a phone call with my friend about the increasing anxiety I have been having of late, she recommended How to Fail. This is a podcast series in which Elizabeth Day interviews celebrities about their three biggest failures in life and how they have learnt from them -  it is a comforting topic which allows us to know that celebrities are humans too. I found the episode with Mo Gawdat so helpful for moments when I feel like I’m slipping under the waves of anxiety and stress, or when I start to feel panicked and angry at the injustice of this whole situation. Mo explains how important it is not to let our brains and overactive imaginations run away with themselves when we feel that this is the end of life as we know it and that nothing will ever be the same again. He points out that the human race has dealt with pandemics before, and that none of them lasted forever. He advises listeners to focus on the stuff we can actually control and not to stress about factors outside our control. He also tells us to “meet with ourselves” and talks about the conversations he has with ‘Becky’ (which is what he calls his brain) - he describes how taking time to just sit, reflect and dispel the crazy thoughts that our brains can, and do, produce is vital for a healthier mental state. He also has a lovely voice to listen to, which is an added bonus.
 
Abby Gilchrist

 
BOOK: The Secret Life of Bees - Sue Monk Kidd
 
Kidd’s book is a bestseller for a reason. This book takes on history, racism, religion, mental health struggles, abuse and a coming of age while remaining a beautiful and lifting story. The pace of this book is perfect if you want to be emerged but able to reflect. I couldn’t stop thinking about it. In this time when we are all looking for resources to educate ourselves and stories to lift our spirits, this book gives you both. An accessible read with so many important messages; The Grapes of Wrath meets Girl, Woman, Other. 
 
Poppy Howard-Wall

 
TV SHOW: The Salisbury Poisonings - BBC
 
https://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episodes/p08dqns1/the-salisbury-poisonings
 
This BBC drama aired over the past weekend on BBC iPlayer. Having been abroad during the actual events in Salisbury, I had missed most of the news coverage on the incident so was excited to see the adaptation. 
 
This show portrays the tragic death of Dawn Sturges in such a moving way, shedding light  not only the high stakes of the disaster but also giving an insight into the psychological damage it inflicted on those involved at a base level. It follows a timeline from the initial poisoning of the Skripals and subsequently DS Bailey’s poisoning, highlighting how the situation escalated past the police and local authorities to a government scale issue, resulting in the expulsion of Russian diplomats from the UK. I really recommend watching - it’s only 3, one hour episodes and does what the BBC does best in their dramas; pairing a gripping unfolding storyline with in depth characters and families. It resonates even more so if, after you finish the series, you do copious amounts of googling on the aftermath of the disaster and the future of Russian chemical weapons.
 
Flora Woodhams