⋙ Download The Book of Not Tsiti Dangarembga 9780954702373 Books

The Book of Not Tsiti Dangarembga 9780954702373 Books

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The Book of Not Tsiti Dangarembga 9780954702373 Books

Another excellent read. This wasn't as exciting as "Nervous Conditions" for me, but I think that's just because Nyasha is far less involved and you have less of an extreme contrast of views between main characters. I think this book is also harder to get into if you can't connect to the experience of colonization, yet at the same time I don't really understand how even a basic understanding of colonization could still remain so out of reach if you've already read "Nervous Conditions". That said, I wouldn't be shocked if this book is less popular despite being arguably of equal quality. Put shortly, while "Nervous Conditions" shows you the extreme consequences of forced assimilation, "The Book of Not" shows you how the promised rewards for assimilation often never materialize for those who seemingly voluntarily seek to assimilate. Despite being set in pre-revolutionary Zimbabwe and shifting to independent Zimbabwe, I couldn't help but see this book's relevance in the African-American experience.

Through the entire book, Dangarembga does an excellent job using language to tune readers into what's going on with Tambu and the other characters without telling it to you in an overly obvious fashion. There are also references that you can only appreciate if you have certain background knowledge: one in Chapter 8 involves Tambu talking about Nyasha reading a book that "seemed to be about agriculture" rather than "being revolutionary" and was by "someone poor like Bongo in the Congo, a starving Kenyan author" (p. 117). References like this demonstrate how cleverly Dangarembga put together the book, showing us where Tambu was psychologically and emotionally by making this very specific cultural connection. Likewise, I also thought the history given was quite interesting. Additionally, characters that too easily could be made one-dimensional like Babamukuru and the "Big Brothers" are given depth and are perceived in diverse ways by what may be assumed to be a monolithic group (Black Africans in the colony). This diversity and depth problematizes the idea that one can easily identify "sell-outs" and "authentic" members of one's group.

Again, like "Nervous Conditions", "The Book of Not" is a shockingly accurate depiction of the lived experience of colonization on the part of the colonized. I was somewhat shocked at how dead-on much of the story was to my own experience with the American higher education system and my experience with being a severe minority in the workplace. I strongly recommend this book to all, yet I do think it could be a seemingly boring and disappointing read for someone who doesn't really see the connection between colonization and the lives of the characters (which would be kind of strange seeing as the author is pretty clear that colonization is central to the story).

Also a thought: "The Book of Not" made me question the legitimacy of treating "Nervous Conditions" as primarily a coming of age novel. I was actually kind of surprised to see that people weren't picking out colonialism as the central theme and I think it's no accident that this book is less popular if that's how readers were viewing "Nervous Conditions". I also am wondering if the reception of "Nervous Conditions" had anything to do with the nature of the reviews on the book cover for "The Book of Not" (e.g. explicit statement that "It is not about repressed sexuality but about repressed identity" and explicit reference to the centrality of colonialism). This raises a question for me: is it actually evidence of modern day colonialism if the author's intent to discuss colonial violence is instead sanitized and characterized as simplistic parallel of everyone else's growing up experience?


Tags : The Book of Not [Tsiti Dangarembga] on Amazon.com. *FREE* shipping on qualifying offers. A sequel to Nervous Conditions, this is a powerful and engaging story about one young woman’s quest to redefine the personal and political forces that threaten to engulf her. As its title suggests,Tsiti Dangarembga,The Book of Not,Ayebia Clarke Publishing,0954702379,Identity (Psychology);Fiction.,Women;Zimbabwe;Fiction.,Zimbabwe;Fiction.,Literature & Fiction Literature,FICTION General,Fiction,Fiction - General,Fiction Contemporary Women,FictionLiterary,FictionWomen,General,General & Literary Fiction,Identity (Psychology),Literary,Literary Criticism,Literary Criticism General,Women,Zimbabwe

The Book of Not Tsiti Dangarembga 9780954702373 Books Reviews

This was not as good a book as Nervous Conditions. It was written just as well, just not as good of a story line.
It is a good sequel, I never understood the first book. I thought it was just a period piece on African relations between middle class and poor class citizens in a Colonized Nation but with this sequel Tsitsi goes deeper and shows us the raw emotions of the entire story. One could say the character is rather sad, subservient and bemoan her fate at the end of the book or one could sympathise with her and see the book as the Story of a young woman constantly at odds both with her emotions and the world that seems to expect much from her.
ing!
A very engrossing read but not an easy one. I am left tangled in knots from the story of Tambu. There are so many issues this young protaganist faces growing up in colonial Africa while a guerrilla war is raging. Inner turmoil everywhere she turns, with every expectation (her own and her elders) a new struggle of what to do, and no one to guide her through puberty and yound womanhood. Her self-effacing character made my heart break. Please, Ms. Tsitsi Dangarembga, I pray you are writing a sequel now to The Book of Not.
I'm really disappointed in this sequel to such a fine book. I read about half of it, and it was basically just a Bad Boarding School book. I'm wondering if the author is speaking about herself in this book, instead of about her poor cousin, about whom she wrote so brilliantly and movingly in the first book.
Whilst I did not enjoy this as much as the first instalment in the trilogy, it was a great read, though at times it tended to meander in some of the elaborate prose. Taken with the first book, this however sets up a grand finale when the final instalment comes out later this year. I hope it will return to the dizzy heights of the first book.
It was a bit of a let down after the brilliant work in nervous conditions. Its like the whole book is in the dormitory. Some lovely prose in instances though, like how she describes the sentiments her relatives conjour in her. Despite the boring story line she is excellent in bringing her readers into the scene so the reader feels and tastes the happenings
Another excellent read. This wasn't as exciting as "Nervous Conditions" for me, but I think that's just because Nyasha is far less involved and you have less of an extreme contrast of views between main characters. I think this book is also harder to get into if you can't connect to the experience of colonization, yet at the same time I don't really understand how even a basic understanding of colonization could still remain so out of reach if you've already read "Nervous Conditions". That said, I wouldn't be shocked if this book is less popular despite being arguably of equal quality. Put shortly, while "Nervous Conditions" shows you the extreme consequences of forced assimilation, "The Book of Not" shows you how the promised rewards for assimilation often never materialize for those who seemingly voluntarily seek to assimilate. Despite being set in pre-revolutionary Zimbabwe and shifting to independent Zimbabwe, I couldn't help but see this book's relevance in the African-American experience.

Through the entire book, Dangarembga does an excellent job using language to tune readers into what's going on with Tambu and the other characters without telling it to you in an overly obvious fashion. There are also references that you can only appreciate if you have certain background knowledge one in Chapter 8 involves Tambu talking about Nyasha reading a book that "seemed to be about agriculture" rather than "being revolutionary" and was by "someone poor like Bongo in the Congo, a starving Kenyan author" (p. 117). References like this demonstrate how cleverly Dangarembga put together the book, showing us where Tambu was psychologically and emotionally by making this very specific cultural connection. Likewise, I also thought the history given was quite interesting. Additionally, characters that too easily could be made one-dimensional like Babamukuru and the "Big Brothers" are given depth and are perceived in diverse ways by what may be assumed to be a monolithic group (Black Africans in the colony). This diversity and depth problematizes the idea that one can easily identify "sell-outs" and "authentic" members of one's group.

Again, like "Nervous Conditions", "The Book of Not" is a shockingly accurate depiction of the lived experience of colonization on the part of the colonized. I was somewhat shocked at how dead-on much of the story was to my own experience with the American higher education system and my experience with being a severe minority in the workplace. I strongly recommend this book to all, yet I do think it could be a seemingly boring and disappointing read for someone who doesn't really see the connection between colonization and the lives of the characters (which would be kind of strange seeing as the author is pretty clear that colonization is central to the story).

Also a thought "The Book of Not" made me question the legitimacy of treating "Nervous Conditions" as primarily a coming of age novel. I was actually kind of surprised to see that people weren't picking out colonialism as the central theme and I think it's no accident that this book is less popular if that's how readers were viewing "Nervous Conditions". I also am wondering if the reception of "Nervous Conditions" had anything to do with the nature of the reviews on the book cover for "The Book of Not" (e.g. explicit statement that "It is not about repressed sexuality but about repressed identity" and explicit reference to the centrality of colonialism). This raises a question for me is it actually evidence of modern day colonialism if the author's intent to discuss colonial violence is instead sanitized and characterized as simplistic parallel of everyone else's growing up experience?