Book and Movie Reviews

  Before We Say Goodbye:  Toshikazu Kawagichi Before We Say Goodbye by Toshikazu Kawagichi- What a beautiful, heartwarming book that explores emotions of love, regret, sadness, may be gratitude. In 4 short stories, characters visit a cafe and are taken to their past to relive one memory. The first story is about a man who wants to say something important to his wife who’s in coma, the second is about a pet parent, and third is about a woman who rejects a marriage proposal. *The 4th and last story is about a college going daughter who wants to apologise to her father for pushing him away, and she wants to tell him how lucky she is to be his daughter.* Each story stirred up a ton of emotions and I wondered what would I do if I could travel back in time? Who would I like to meet? What would I say? Then again what’s the point of visiting the past if we can’t change the present? May be to say things we weren’t able, or may be to seek an explanation? Oh the complexities of life, we ...

 How to be an Adult in Relationships  - by David Rocco Lately I've been thinking how hard we work to maintain our household or place to stay just so we can enjoy our relationships. Our ancient wisdom literature also mentions the fact that even though happy relationships are where the real taste in life is, they’re only temporary. The book, *How to Be an Adult in Relationships, by David Richo*, describes how to be more loving by just being in the moment. The author explores the keys that open us to giving and receiving love in all of our relationships (with partner, kids, friends, parents, helpers, and most importantly, with our own selves) and these are the 5As: 1) Attention = someone gets us. 2) Acceptance = feeling safe. 3) Appreciation = fostering closeness. 4) Affection = loving uniquely. 5) Allowing = being free. This book prompted me to closely examine my relationships, wrt the 5As. Definitely, I felt that there was so much more I could and should do! The author offers ...

  Movie Review: Detachment  I watched the movie ‘Detachment’ this weekend. It is about a sensitive high school English teacher who works as a substitute in various schools so he doesn’t stay in one school long enough to bond with his students. He ends up in this particular school where students are unruly, their parents careless, and the teachers frustrated (though good at their jobs). Firstly, the movie sheds light on our society and how overly *detached* we have become from each other. Parents are not always able to bond with their young teenagers and teenagers often find themselves to be lonely and disconnected with other people. The only thing they crave is that they are liked and accepted by others. The other thing this movie touches upon is the incredible role a teacher plays in a student’s life. How it’s the responsibility of a teacher towards these young ones so that they don’t ‘fall apart, fall on the way side or feel insignificant.’ The message of the movie then may ...

A Random Thought on Chutney Music by CV  Something got me thinking about ‘chutney music’ today , One song that I remember being played often in the Brooklyn neighbourhood (where I lived for 6 yrs) is Lotela, by Sonny Man, that has some Bhojpuri lyrics. The beats resemble that of the folk music of UP, the state I grew up in. History tells us that chutney music was a way of cultural exchange between people of Caribbean islands and Eastern UP. While walking in the streets of Brooklyn, I would meet many friendly and fun-loving Guyanese and Trinidad people with this unique blend in cultures. As I immersed myself and adapted to this new environment, I felt it was so crucial to my personal growth and self-reflection. I was proud to be a UP gal and immediately developed a liking to that way of life. It seems that living in different cultures comes naturally to me. My childhood was spent in rich cultures, as I went to a Catholic school and a Muslim University. I consider myself lucky. Well,...

 Tiny Beautiful Things - Cheryl Strade The first book in 2022 took me a long time to finish because I had to pause and ponder everytime I read a few pages. ‘Tiny, Beautiful Things’ by Cheryl Strade is a collection of letters that people like you and I have written to the author to seek her guidance. The book, as the author puts it, is ‘an advice on love and life from someone who’s been there.’ Cheryl Strade is naturally gifted in identifying people’s concerns simply based on what they write (or don’t write) in their letters, and then offers a solution in an extremely loving, genuine and hilarious manner. People address her as ‘Dear Sugar,’ and the reason her solutions are highly relatable is that she always begins by drawing similarities to her own life (and love). What’s really beautiful about the letters is that we see a common thread of issues that binds us all and, indeed, we need someone highly empathetic to offer fixes. I also realised that it is only when we write anonymousl...

 A Moment of Lift - Melinda Gates  As 2021 nears its end, I would like to write about the book ‘The Moment of Lift,’ by Melinda Gates, which I enjoyed reading, specially the epilogue. Although we can guess from the title that the book might be about uplifting women, there are 5 themes on ‘inclusion, connection, love, poverty, disease,’ that indicate that it’s really about uplifting our society. What Melinda Gates and her team have been able to do to make a difference in the world is truly commendable. In her book, she shares her stories about individuals she has met through the philanthropic work of her foundation. She comes across as very brave and open minded to be able to work in new/foreign countries with total strangers. Obviously, without the above mentioned themes that emerge through her writing, her organisation wont be so successful. Loved this text: ‘The supreme goal for humanity is not equality but connection…When people are connected, they feel woven into each othe...