It's great to be back in NZ and received the seminal book called "Caste The origins of Our Discontents" by Isabel Wilkerson (2020). I had ordered it online before leaving for Samoa as I wanted to read it before anticipating the watching of the movie which I think it hitting NZ theatres soon early this year.
It's a very difficult read for me and I find myself putting it down and walking away for sometime to let it all sink in. It definitely has changed the way that I see historical accounts of the world as I once understood it. I'm also taking my time with reading this work as it's hard hitting and challenges me in ways that have to consider deeply as a teacher.
In anticipation of watching Isabel Wilkerson's book turned into a movie, I am so glad that they were able to acquire our NZ's, Maori artist Stan Walker, to sing such a haunting song that I think sums up the beauty and horror of the subjects that she speaks about in her book.
No spoiler alerts yet, as I think one needs to take the time to read it. It reads like a dissertation (Ph.D. non-fictional work) yet accessible for many. However, it is definitely not an easy read, in fact my eldest gave me a thick almost 400 page Post-grad romance novel that I was able to finish in around 24 hours as a way of light hearted reading as opposed to the heavy topics that Wilkerson's book deals with.
From my own perspective, it's hard to fathom the atrocities that have happened over the ages and the apparent evil that some cultures and peoples have lived through as both oppressors and victims. Her book was the Winner of the Pulitzer Prize and highly recommended by many critics, writers, celebrities etc.
I'm currently about a third of the way through the book and I'm not rushing it. I think one needs to ponder on much of what she has said. I think it also makes me reconsider what I'll be teaching and will be taking my children to watch the movie when it comes out. I'll be interested to know the angle that the movie will take in telling her stories...
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