Bury My Heart At Wounded Knee by Dee Brown

 

   When Christopher Columbus and his crew discovered America, they gave the people of America the name Indios. When Columbus wrote to the King and Queen of Spain, he was impressed by Indios’ kind nature and spirit. “So tractable, so peaceable are these people, that I swear to your Majesties there is not in the world a better nation. They love their neighbors as themselves, and their discourse is ever sweet and gentle, and accompanied with a smile; and though it is true that they are naked, yet their manners are decorous and praiseworthy.”

      It was also kindness what led the Native Americans to help the Englishmen at Plymouth in 1620.  They would have starved without the aid of the friendly natives of the New World. “They shared corn with them from the tribal stores, showed them where and how to catch fish, and got them through the first winter. When spring came they gave the white men some seed corn and showed them how to plant and cultivate it.”

      Some white settlers may have endured religious persecution in their country of origin; yet they did not respect the spiritual and religious beliefs of Native Americans. Furthermore, the kindness of the natives was considered a sign of weakness, and the white settlers looked down on them and labeled them as “savages.”

   Before the invasion of white settlers, a variety of Native American cultures thrived in various regions of America. Some of them were semi-nomadic and relied on buffalo for their survival; others were established on a specific area and their lifestyle depended mostly on agriculture. This is the case of the Ponca community located initially in what is now known as Nebraska and Iowa.

  The Indian Removal Act and its impact

 The president responsible for the Indian Removal Act was Andrew Jackson. This legislation, which was also supported by Congress, enabled President Andrew Jackson to impose treaties on Native American communities. Through these treaties Native American people were forced to leave their ancestral homelands. If the Native Americans resisted the removal of their communities, the military was sent to force them out violently. The treaties were used by the U.S Government to send them to barren areas called “reservations,” where they starved and did not have enough clean water and resources to survive. If the Native American people tried to escape from those reservations they were persecuted and either killed or imprisoned.  The forced removal of Native Americans cut off the intimate connection they had with the land, where their ancestors had lived for centuries, where they had learned how to interact with the Earth in harmony with the seasons, practicing their religious ceremonies and rituals.

 The violent removal from their ancestral lands destroyed their livelihoods and disrupted their cultures in various ways. Not only did the white men force them out of their lands, but they also destroyed the environment Native Americans relied upon to live in harmony with the Earth. For example, white men drove buffalo to extinction; they logged forests and mined the land for gold. White men viewed land as a commodity to create wealth and help America become a prosperous country. To do this, they were prepared to exterminate the native people. They were determined to kill or to imprison them whenever the Native American people refused to move to the reservations. To justify their power over the native people, white Americans promoted the idea of Manifest Destiny.

 

 Manifest Destiny

   Manifest Destiny was the belief that white men had the divine right to seize the lands where Native Americans lived. White Americans believed that it was their Christian right to do so, because they considered themselves the ones entitled to manage the land, even though the native people had lived there for hundreds of years; Native Americans were not even considered Americans in those days. White Americans viewed native people as “savages.”  For this reason, with the support of the U.S. Government, white men forcibly transferred Native American people to regions where they could not grow food. Those places assigned to Native Americans were called “reservations.” On those reservations they were destined to perish because they did not have access to food and clean water. In other words, they were transferred to uninhabitable lands and expected to survive there.

 Broken promises and betrayals

   The U.S. Government promised to support them by sending them food and other resources, but it never sent the supplies needed, and the Indians had two options: they could either escape from those reservations or they had to die there. If they escaped, they were persecuted by the Government and then they were either imprisoned or hanged. Their desperate situation of deprivation was blatantly ignored; no compassion was offered. When Native Americans defended themselves, false accusations were made against them and promoted by the press.

  The false promises of food, blankets and other supplies worsened the suffering and frustration that Native Americans experienced. Chief Joseph of the Nez Perce community expresses this reality in the following words:

 “I have heard talk and talk, but nothing is done. Good words do not last long unless they amount to something. Words do not pay for my dead people. They do not pay for my country, now overrun by white men… Good words will not give my people good health and stop them from dying. Good words will not get my people a home where they can live in peace and take care of themselves, I am tired of talk that comes to nothing. It makes my heart sick when I remember the good words and broken promises.”

  The forced removal was driven by the belief that Indians’ lives were of no value.

  This is clearly stated in the words of Captain Chivington in the state of Colorado, “Damn any man who sympathized with Indians!” he cried. “I have come to kill Indians, and believe it is right and honorable to use any means under God’s heaven to kill Indians.”

   Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee provides information and context to gain a deeper understanding of the tragic events that led to the slaughter of thousands of Native American people. It is also an introduction on how the different cultures of Native Americans lived in harmony with the Earth before the white settlers interfered. It reveals the ways in which Native Americans confronted the white men who questioned their right to exist on the lands they had inhabited for hundreds of years. It exposes the brutality the native people had to brave.

  You will learn about the Nez Perce, the Cheyenne, Arapaho, Navajo, Sioux, Seminoles, Ponca, and many other Indigenous communities in North America. You will understand why and how they fought to protect their communities against the invasion of the white men.

 

  Their forced settlements on reservations had serious consequences for Native American communities. The pattern of violent displacements led to a long history of marginalization and institutionalized discrimination. Bear in mind that Native Americans were not even considered U.S. citizens until 1924.

   Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee focuses on the events of the nineteenth century, but it does not include the actions of boarding schools that Native American children were forced to attend. In these schools children were obligated to let go of their culture; they were physically, sexually and emotionally abused. Many of them were even killed. I wrote about this in previous posts on My Writing Life: Awareness, Reflection, Inspiration. This topic is not included in the book by Dee Brown.

    It was heartbreaking to read about the slaughter of their horses and ponies, the plundering of their homes and the destruction of the food they had carefully stored; the massacres and the humiliations Native Americans endured for merely trying to exist is deeply disturbing. It was also hard to read how the U.S Government betrayed them repeatedly, taking advantage of their trust and falsely accusing them of actions they were not responsible for. Moreover, the Government also manipulated them to make them fight against each other. 

   The Indian Removal Act triggered a pattern of abuse of Native Americans that forced their communities to fight against the white men to defend themselves and the land. It was hard to read at times, but I now have a deeper understanding of their plight and history.

    It would have been important and necessary to include the voices of Native American women to learn more about their experiences, hopes and frustrations, but only the men’s voices are taken into consideration in this account. Unfortunately, Dee Brown did not seem to care about the Native American women’s perspectives. 

  We are expected to learn history from men even though women make up half of the population.

 

  The legacy of Andrew Jackson

   Andrew Jackson played a big role in setting in motion the pattern of abuse and persecution of Native American people. His decisions and actions led to the massacre of thousands of Native Americans from several communities. They were attacked and killed systematically, and this book explains how it happened. The survivors were demoralized, sad and angry. They were also subjected to a life of deprivation and were vulnerable to the spread of diseases. Their cultures had been ravaged by the forced relocations; their hopes were shattered by the broken promises and the arduous attempts to survive in hostile environments with scanty resources.

 

  The situation today

    Even though most of the events described in the book happened between the 1860s and 1890s I found it even more disheartening to read when I remember that Donald Trump has expressed that he admires Andrew Jackson. He shared his intention to follow the legacy of this white supremacist.

  Far from learning from the devastating consequences of Andrew Jackson’s actions, seventy-seven million people in America voted for a white supremacist in November 2024; similarly, ninety million people in America empowered a white supremacist to become president by the simple act of not voting. Trump has even questioned the citizenship of Native Americans.  

  The consequences of the November 2024 presidential election should not be ignored; the consequences impact not only America as a whole but also the planet we all inhabit. We cannot ignore the interconnections that bind us as members of the human race, and we should not forget our reliance on a healthy planet to survive.

  Today, various Native American communities are struggling to protect their education, environment and public health. Native American communities are also working against all odds to create a sustainable path of energy production. They want to become energy independent. Their reservations are good sources of wind and solar energy; as you know, clean sources of energy are necessary not only to tackle the climate crisis but also to protect the quality of the water and air. Let’s support their efforts to make this happen.

  Even their basic right to exist and move across American territory is now at stake. Please watch this video by DW to understand the plight of Native American people:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9_gkLA-7cXY

 

 Chief Joseph of the Nez Perce community died of a “broken heart” in 1904 on the Colville Reservation in Washington. His words continue to be relevant today:

 “Let me be a free man—free to travel, free to stop, free to work, free to trade where I choose, free to choose my own teachers, free to follow the religion of my fathers, free to think and talk and act for myself—and I will obey every law, or submit to the penalty.”

 

Other relevant links:

https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20231204-native-americans-are-building-their-own-solar-farms

https://www.networkadvocates.org/recommit-to-racial-justice/legacy/

 

If you enjoyed this post, feel free to check my writing on the following books:

Braiding Sweetgrass by Robin Wall Kimmerer

Spirit Woman: The diaries and Paintings of Bonita Wa Wa Calachaw Nunez

Unstoppable Native American Women by April Riverwood

Fox by Joyce Carol Oates

 

  I was in the mood for a good mystery this month. I promised myself that I would read more books by Joyce Carol Oates after writing about We Were the Mulvaneys. Making a choice was not easy. Joyce Carol Oates is a prolific writer, so her list of books is endless... I ended up picking Fox. To my surprise, it happened to be her latest release.

   Joyce Carol Oates’s writing is engaging; her stories are always immersive. This specific book is about a serial pedophile. It was distressing to read how he had gotten away with the act of abusing several twelve-year-old girls. This sexual predator had a preference for abusing pre-pubescent girls. Ironically, the students admired him, and the narrative hints at the idea that because he was a man he galvanized the students’ and parents’ respect and trust.

    Somebody murdered Francis Fox, the pedophile. Who did it? Joyce Carol Oates ignites intrigue on every single page. The suspense is coupled with vivid settings. Yet she does not bog it down with senseless descriptions. In other words, she never bores the reader. I always appreciate the ways in which she reveals the nature of the characters and their social situations. She does so in a way that heightens emotions and shocks you. When you least expect it, she will throw a dagger to expose the perverse cruelty of society.

   Characters, setting, pace, plot and ending are all carefully crafted, blending into a thought-provoking novel with elements of “black humor.” Joyce Carol Oates subtly mocks the nature of many of the characters. Her writing is brilliant. Her themes illuminate the darkest aspects of society. Strangely enough, I knew what the ending would be like… but I did not know about the details, and there are “surprises” along the way.

  The story was eerie, disturbing, sad and extremely unpleasant. The actions of the pedophile were horrific, but the people surrounding him did a good job of denying, ignoring and pretending that there was nothing wrong with the pedophile. Those who were responsible for holding him accountable were effective at looking the other way and letting him off the hook. 

  It was equally outrageous to see that when one of the “deniers” had access to the photos of what he had done to these girls, she tried to deny it or to make excuses.

    As you can imagine, Fox is a novel that triggers strong emotions. It was repulsive to read how people described this monster as charismatic, kind and intelligent, even though he was abusive and manipulative. The pedophile preyed on the most vulnerable girls, and he had a way of twisting and distorting events and situations to make himself look good and to pretend that he had been treated unfairly.  

  The constant adulation of Francis Fox was infuriating. Unfortunately, Joyce Carol Oates showed it too many times on the pages of the novel. I was almost ready to close the book, but reaching the end was a must. Sadly, the students and other adult characters kept fawning over Mr. Pedophile ad nauseum. To make matters worse, this irrationality transcends the boundaries of the story if you consider that an Amazon reviewer mentioned that Francis Fox was a “fascinating man.” Not only did the pedophile abuse the girls, but he also made a profit out of doing so. 

  How did he manage to do what he did and be praised like that? It is hard to believe, isn’t it? Or perhaps it isn't.

  Take a look at the following paradox: Francis Fox talks to the librarian about the need to ban the book Lolita. He likes to control others. Francis Fox gave the girls treats coated with sleep medications such as Ativan or Ambien to sexually abuse them. Where did he get these medications from? Joyce Carol Oates did not fully address it, but she gave a hint that may explain it. I am not going to reveal it.

    Joyce Carol Oates is also adept at exposing the misogyny and gender prejudices that pollute society, but I will let you find those moments when you dive into this unsettling story. There is a lot to discuss and analyze. Moreover, I would like to have the opportunity to discuss some points about the novel- loose ends- that triggered questions, but I do not belong to any book club and I have no interest in joining one at the moment.  I do think this book would be a suitable choice for a book club, so make sure you add it to your list.

   I wish I could say that once you finish this sinister novel, you can relax and forget about it, but the truth is that you can’t. Not when you know that a convicted child sex trafficker enjoys special privileges. Not when you know that seventy-seven million people in the United States of America voted for a convicted sexual abuser who happened to be the best friend of a sex-trafficker for fifteen years; not when ninety million people did not even bother to vote and enabled a convicted sexual abuser to become president. 

   I do have a few quibbles about the novel. I did not like that Oates picked the name “Fox” for the pedophile. I do not like it when people compound human cruelty with non-human animals. On the other hand, there may be another reason for the use of that name; it may have something to do with the  kind of “media” using it… Also, the word “pig” applied as an insult is a habit that should become outdated. Pigs are intelligent, compassionate beings. They do have individual personalities--just like human beings--so we are not supposed to make generalizations about them. 

    In conclusion, Fox is a thought-provoking novel, but it is also disturbing. There is, however, a spark of hope in it. Yet that spark of hope is not enough to quell the outrage it provokes. I recommend it.

  If you enjoyed this post, make sure you check my writing on the following book:

The Last interview and Other Conversations with Octavia Butler

  Make sure you also check this relevant video by David Pakman, an independent journalist:

 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lrtP0O9Zd4Y

https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2025/nov/26/epstein-victims-justice

 

The Book of Hope: A Survival Guide for Trying Times by Jane Goodall and Douglas Abrams

 

  

 It is hard to put into words how sad I felt when I learned that Jane Goodall had passed away. Her physical body may not be with us, but we all know that her indomitable spirit lives on in the spirit of those who care deeply about the Earth, the animals and the people. Her indomitable spirit is the light that keeps shining amid the darkest times, and we need her hope to guide our journey…

  The Book of Hope: A survival Guide for Trying Times took me on a magical journey. I had no idea it would be such a unique gift; it is more than a call for tenacity, solidarity and care. I came back from it with a renewed sense of hope and inspiration. I did not want the book to end.

 Jane Goodall and Douglas Abrams recorded and put together a series of conversations they had. They share true stories; they share her experiences and they dare to believe that despite the most awkward and grim circumstances, the human spirit can move forward…

 From the first page, we can tell the book is relevant and essential:

 “Democracy is under attack in many countries." The abuse of power and disregard for life of authoritarian men-dictators-is evident and destructive on many levels. The corruption is distressing. The effects of hate and discrimination are happening. The effects of the climate crisis are real and they are happening right now. "The gap between the haves and the have-nots is widening." Yet we can all choose to be part of the solution. We all have a unique role to play in the complex mosaic of life. Our talents and motivation can be the resources that help us. 

 Apathy is not the answer. We can all choose to be part of the solution using our awareness to move forward in the right direction.

 

 What is hope?

 Hope is necessary for survival. Hope builds resilience and relies on perseverance. It is not blind optimism. Hope is aware of the facts-no matter how dark they are—and keeps moving forward, finding ways to meet the reality with new resources and ideas. It is not passive wishful thinking. Hope is about action, but even when actions are not possible, hope can still exist.

  There are cases in which action can’t take place. Jane Goodall says, “I don’t think all hope requires action, because sometimes you can’t take action. If you’re in a cell in a prison where you’ve been thrown for no good reason, you can’t take action, but you can still hope to get out. I’ve been communicating with a group of conservationists who have been tried and given long sentences for putting up camera traps to record the presence of wildlife. They’re living in hope for the day they’re released through the actions of others, but they can’t take action themselves.”

 Jane Goodall stated that hope is what enables us to keep going in the face of adversity.

  Far from being an empty rambling on hope, this book shares the real experiences of people who were able to overcome the greatest challenges and obstacles.  

    This book is a very special invitation, so settle in your favorite spot, grab your beverage and take the time to “witness” these conversations. The wisdom of Jane Goodall’s words will kindle the power of your own resilience. 

 I felt I was right there with Jane and Abrams contemplating their setting, breathing their air, sharing their thoughts and traveling to the past. Some of these conversations take place in Gombe; others in Netherlands. Finally, they had to complete their talks via Zoom because of the pandemic. Jane in her home in England, Douglas in California.

 I was planning to share some of the stories here, but I will keep this post simple. Find out more by readng The Book of Hope. Read it and pass it on. 

  I enjoyed learning about Jane Goodall's mother. She played a crucial role in Jane's success as a naturalist. I believe that her mother was an empath, and her qualities were passed on to Jane. Intuition, wonder and empathy can move together, as if connected through an exquisite dance.

  Jane Goodall says that “As a naturalist, you need to have empathy and intuition—and love.”

 The book of Hope touched me deeply. Its wisdom will always stay with me, like the spirit of a good friend.

  Jane Goodall reassured me on my belief that the power of our good intentions and choices matters. This is hope.

  We have to honor her legacy by protecting the animals, the people, the planet. Jane Goodall always tried to make people aware of the fact that we are all interconnected. By helping people, she also helped the animals.  

 This past week I was horrified to read about the torture of dogs, monkeys, cats and other animals in laboratories. Animals have personalities, minds, feelings, emotions. I read the experience of Jeff Brown, a scientist who witnessed the terrified eyes of monkeys who were subjected to torture. He had to speak up about the horrors that take place in these laboratories. I make donations and sign petitions to end this torture, and I hope that other human beings will awaken to this reality and do their part too.

  I invite you, dear reader, to become aware and do your part to help animals, people and the planet. Sometimes, a simple click can help to make a difference. 

https://www.idausa.org/take-action/

https://earthjustice.org/action

https://www.peta.org/

 

 And please, don't miss this video of Jane Goodall being hugged by Wounda, a rescued chimpanzee. Wounda hardly knew Jane, but Wounda had the intuition to “see” the love Jane Goodall encompasses, and this hug expresses that.

 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ClOMa_GufsA

If you enjoyed this post, feel free to read my writing on the following books:

 

Untamed: the life of Jane Goodall by Anita Silvey

 

What a Bee Knows by Stephen Buchmann

 

Addendum to this post:

Here's a wonderful documentary that you can watch for free from You Tube. It was made by National Geographic recently, so relax and enjoy it! 

 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4ST6pqfCTy0

The Unseen Body: A Doctor's Journey through the Hidden Wonders of Human Anatomy by Jonathan Reisman, M.D.

 

  Due to the nature of my work, I love to read books about functional anatomy and movement. I love what I do and I like to read and learn as much as I can. However, I do not review these books in my blog because I assume they may be of no interest to the general audience of My Writing Life. However, when I searched for these books a while ago, I came across The Unseen Body: A Doctor’s Journey Through the Hidden Wonders of Human Anatomy, by Jonathan Reisman. The title intrigued me, so I borrowed it from the library and I soon realised it would be a good choice for My Writing Life: Awareness, Reflection, Inspiration.

  The book delights the reader with a unique, captivating style of writing, delving into a thorough exploration of the human body. Each chapter focuses on a specific part or system of the human body. In didactic ways, the doctor explains how sometimes those systems or parts of the body are compromised due to specific medical conditions. Moreover, Dr. Reisman shares several personal experiences as a doctor and a medical student. He has practiced medicine in various medical settings. For instance, he travelled to India and he shares interesting anecdotes about his work there.

   The Unseen Body will pique the interest of medical students, physicians, nurses and other healthcare professionals, but it will also entertain audiences that simply have an interest in the human body.

   There are cases of patients that I will never forget. For example, the case of Juan, a patient he took care of when Dr. Reisman was a medical resident. It was shocking to learn what Juan went through. 

  Juan’s liver failed in response to a simple antibiotic treatment. He did not drink alcohol; he did not take drugs; he was not a smoker, either, but one day he had some kind of infection that required the use of an antibiotic and his liver failed in response to it. It bothered me that Dr. Reisman did not mention the name of the antibiotic Juan had been prescribed, but his book does that. Sometimes it misses important details. The bottom line was that through no fault of his own, Juan’s liver went downhill and the only solution to save his life was to have a liver transplant. During the months he waited for a liver, Juan endured several complications. 

  Dr. Reisman did his best to address every complication. He did not think Juan would survive, but when Dr. Reisman was transferred to another medical unit, the awaited liver arrived. Juan’s life was saved thanks to the procedure and the medical care he received.

 Stories like this one make us cherish every moment of health we have in our lives.

  Juan’s experience made me think about the parts of our lives that are outside of our control… it made me reflect on the miracle of being alive and healthy each and every day. This may be something that many people take for granted, but losing one’s health can be a death sentence for some people in America…

  Juan’s story also made me thankful for the medical teams that specialize in this medical field. I’ve had friends working in this field. Reading about Juan made me remember them with renewed appreciation and gratitude.

    The Unseen Body adopts a very introspective outlook. It explores several medical conditions through the life stories of patients. It also offers the wisdom that emerged from the personal experiences that shaped Dr. Reisman as a human being and as a physician.  

  I was impressed by Dr. Reisman’s writing skills. He is gifted with a rich imagination and an ardent curiosity about the human body. Through unique comparisons and descriptions, he offers a creative way of revealing the human body, embarking on a narrative that turns out to be adventurous and even poetical at times.

  He educates the audience on the evolving nature of new therapies and ways of understanding different systems of the human body. He describes himself as both a physician and a naturalist.

  His reflections on the relationship with patients are insightful. The chapter about eyes meditates for a moment on the eye connection as a meaningful part of human communication.

 “Eyes become crucial here since they carry a heavy social weight in the doctor-patient relationship, just as they do outside of healthcare. The eyes of other people are a natural focal point for our own gaze—when we look at others, we generally look at their eyes, as if we believe each individual self rests, more than anywhere else in the body, within the organs of vision. Eye contact is the epitome of human connection and one of the first social behaviors seen in young infants.”

 I want to challenge Dr. Reisman to understand that gazes and eyes are not unique to human connection. For example, we can feel a strong connection with our furry friends through our gazes. This appears to be beyond the scope of Dr. Reisman’s interest and care even though he calls himself a “naturalist.”

    It was distressing to learn about the challenges he faced when he had to look after a morbidly obese woman who required an urgent computed tomography that could not be done due to her weight. He had to call several hospitals to find one that would accept her. It was a heartbreaking experience. 

  When Dr. Reisman discusses obesity, however, he blames physicians for not having clear recommendations on how to address the problem of obesity. He blatantly ignores the research on adequate nutrition to prevent and treat obesity. For example, the research on the benefits of plant-based diets for obesity is well established. We know that drinking sugary drinks will not help them because pop drinks provide calories without nutrition; we know that hyper processed foods are a common problem in this population of patients. The benefits of incorporating an adequate intake of fresh vegetables, legumes, nuts and fruits into their diets should not be underestimated. Yet Dr Reisman ignores this information in his book, putting more people at risk. I suspect that better education on adequate nutrition would help to reduce the number of patients he has to see in his daily practice.

  Dr. Reisman discusses new therapies for various medical conditions. For example, he describes the use of fecal microbiota transplantation in selected cases of patients whose Clostridium Difficile diarrhea does not respond to treatment. Unfortunately, he missed an opportunity to explain how to help maintain the health of the microbiome on a regular basis. I also noticed that he also fails to address the topic of climate change in relation to human health.

  Last but not least, I was very disappointed in the fact that he ignores the need for empathy toward non-human animals. He does not appear to have any awareness on the emotional lives of non-human animals. I found this disconcerting. I think he will benefit from reading the book The Animals' Agenda: Freedom, Compassion and Coexistence in the Human Age by Marc Bekoff and Jessica Pierce.

   Dr. Reisman’s book is an adventurous exploration of the human body, and there are several fascinating topics that make the read entertaining and engrossing, but his lack of empathy for non-human animals is evident and deeply disturbing. I also believe that he missed an opportunity to encourage readers to improve their diets and to make mindful choices that support not only their health but also the health of the planet we inhabit.

 

Relevant links:

 https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S1530891X24005135

 

https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC9493195/

 

https://hsph.harvard.edu/news/this-dietary-pattern-could-save-lives-and-the-planet/

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/ng-interactive/2025/nov/16/human-exceptionalism-essay

   Jonathan Reisman is a doctor of internal medicine and pediatrics who has practiced medicine at Massachusetts General Hospital as well as in the world’s most remote places—in the Arctic and Antarctica, at high altitude in Nepal, in Kolkata’s urban slums, and among the Oglala Sioux in South Dakota. He lives with his family in Philadelphia.

  If you enjoyed this post, feel feel to read my writing on the following books:

The Animals' Agenda: Freedom, Compassion and Coexistence in the Human Age by Marc Bekoff and Jessica Pierce.

Running For Good by Fiona Oakes

Gaia's Own: Every Child's Guide to Living in Harmony with Nature by Darshana Bajaj.

Owner Of A Lonely Heart by Beth Nguyen

 

  It is heartwarming to discover a sense of familiarity and kinship in somebody who has a different background, and this is what happened to me every time I came across Beth Nguyen’s descriptions of her grandmother.

  “My grandmother Noi has been gone for almost fifteen years. I use the word gone because somehow it makes more sense to me than the word dead.” My understanding of her words did not need any more explanations, but I still welcomed her wish to clarify her statement.

  “I know she is gone, but, at the same time, I do not feel that she has left us. The feeling of who she was to me—safety, care, generosity-- stays with me.”

   These mesmerizing moments of connection threw me into a delightful journey of introspection and reflection. There is more, of course, about Noi, so I will let you explore those passages yourself from her book Owner of a Lonely Heart.

   Noi was fifty-five years old when she migrated to the United States of America from Vietnam. She left Vietnam in the summer of 1975. Beth Nguyen was only eight months old when they moved to the United States of America as a way to survive the war. Her father and uncles migrated with them. 

 They had to leave because her dad and uncles had been in the South Vietnamese military. The end of the war meant reeducation camps for them, or something even worse. Beth's mother, on the other hand, was left behind in Vietnam and would move to the United States years later. Beth would grow up in America without her mother, but she would have a step-mother instead…

   Owner of A Lonely Heart is a memoir about Beth's childhood and youth and about motherhood. It plunges into the depths of what has been unsaid for so long.

  She explores the experience of growing up in Grand Rapids, Michigan, as a refugee and an immigrant. Beth belonged to a family of newcomers, and she carried their fear within her. The fear of not knowing what most people were supposed to know. The fear of not knowing the slang, the words, the habits that shaped what the mainstream considered what it means to be “American.” She illustrates this reality with several examples.

 “Always there was a sense of not knowing how things were supposed to be done. Who would even think to tell us? In your first experience of winter and snow, how would you know what to do with an iced-over windshield? In a pre-internet world, how would you know there was a thing called a scraper?”

   As a girl the fear she carried inside herself propelled her toward the library, where she found a refuge in the books she read, in the stories she sought, in the knowledge of the language she obsessed over since she was little.

  The world around her was hostile. If her family asked questions in stores, people would just stare. They may tell you “to go where you came from all the time, as if you could, and they looked at you as the enemy because they did not understand the war, and to them all Vietnamese were the same.”

   The narrative she heard about the war came from “white people and their movies, their gaze, their versions, their depictions of Vietnamese bodies as disposable sites of violence and blame determined the stories that most Americans knew.”

  How is it possible to be a person when one is subjected to the violence of prejudices, stereotypes and misconceptions? She somehow grew up with a social message she could not ignore: “If you’re Asian in America, you’ll always be regarded as foreign, at least a little bit suspect, a possible carrier of diseases and viruses. For those of us who grew up here it’s nearly impossible to avoid the effects of these views.”

  When the COVID pandemic hit the United States of America, the effects of these prejudices erupted in full force. The politicians in charge referred to the COVID virus as the “Chinese flu” and blamed immigrants from China. As a result of this hateful message, hate crimes against Asian people proliferated. For example, a white man murdered eight people, six of them were Asian women at three spas in Atlanta. Elders were being shoved on the streets. Asians were being punched and attacked on sidewalks and subways.

     Many years earlier, Beth Nguyen had endured a very unpleasant, traumatizing experience she shares in Owner of a Lonely Heart in which she exposes the trauma of being humiliated because of the demeaning stereotypes that fetishize and degrade Asian women; and I dare say this is not unique to Asian women. I am well aware of a similar disrespect toward Latina women, but let’s focus on this specific experience to underscore the reverberations of such an experience.

   When Beth Nguyen was a teenager, she was invited to the theater to watch a musical performance in New York city with her white boyfriend and his step-mother and dad. The name of the performance was Miss Saigon. Beth was not prepared for what she had to deal with. In Miss Saigon a Vietnamese woman falls in love with an American soldier who eventually ditches her for another woman. He married the Vietnamese woman first, and they had a child, but he ends up leaving her to marry another woman in America. In the story the Vietnamese woman was depicted as some sort of sexual, disposable object to satisfy him. When she was no longer convenient for the story, the plot made her commit suicide; the man ends up raising the kid with his respectable new American wife. As a teenager Beth was not able to put into words the humiliation she experienced when she watched the performance. The humiliation led to helpless tears.

   Her reflection on this makes it clear, “Like everyone in America, I had seen plenty of racist Asian stereotypes in movies and shows; mocking accents; jokes about eating dogs. But it was much worse when it was live, right in front of me, the reduction of Vietnamese characters into sexualized women and evil men speaking in broken English.”

 This made me think about the experiences of children and teenagers in America going through similar experiences today when they watch television or movies that do exactly that. They follow a pattern of degrading other human beings due to their background, making false assumptions about who they are, what they think or about how they feel. (I do not watch television, but the few times I did so in the past I noticed the tendency to put people into boxes and to judge them based on their ethnic background).

    One aspect of the book that I did not like is her tendency to refer to “whiteness” as if it were some sort of culture and race. There is no such thing. Whiteness is not a human race; it is not a culture either. It was not her intention, of course, but it is a sort of trap nonetheless to refer to it that way.

  Owner of a Lonely Heart can be an invitation to embrace diversity without holding onto stereotypes and prejudices, but "traps" can emerge anywhere…I appreciate the title of the book: Owner of a Lonely Heart. It encapsulates so much about being an immigrant in the United States of America. 

  In my humble opinion true diversity means giving space to people to be authentic. It means opening ourselves to see others with fresh eyes, irrespective of their background. This can lead to meaningful friendships and interactions. True authenticity leads to new perspectives of understanding, and it may help us to find that we have more in common than we think.

  I highly recommend Beth Nguyen’s book and I will be exploring more of her works.

  Many of the books I read for My Writing Life are from public libraries and little free libraries. Owner of a Lonely Heart, on the other hand, is one I purchased last December from a small independent book store. I will be passing it on by dropping it in a little free library. (You may be the lucky one to find it!)

  Today is World Migratory Bird Day, so celebrate by being aware of the needs of migratory birds. Turn off any unnecessary outdoor lights at night. Leave some clean water for them in case they need it...

 

 Relevant links:

https://www.npr.org/2021/03/19/979336512/for-asian-american-women-misogyny-and-racism-are-inseparable-sociologist-says

https://pressbooks.claremont.edu/las180genderanddevelopmentinlatinamerica/chapter/chloe-gill/

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qE9MNMBh5k4

Not My Type by E. Jean Carroll

 

   E. Jean Carroll’s courage compelled me to read her memoir. I borrowed Not My Type from the library.

   It is not the kind of book I like to read but the fact that she risked her life motivated me to pick it for My Writing Life: Awareness, Reflection, Inspiration.

     Not My Type: One Woman vs a President reveals what she went through when she came forward to expose the truth: the revelations of the sexual assault and the perpetrator. She shares the details of her traumatic experience and the context of the situation.

   Going to court to stand up for justice meant risking her own life. She received all kinds of threats. The cultists threatened to rape and murder her. She received thousands of hateful, misogynistic messages. This should not come as a surprise considering that these people constantly make excuses for the behaviors of a convicted sexual abuser who also happened to be the closest friend of a sex trafficker for fifteen years, and who recently moved a convicted child sex trafficker to a more comfortable prison. In the past he even bragged about sexually assaulting women, and when he was asked about it, he said that was “locker-room talk.”

   I can’t believe I am writing this but let’s say it: sexual abuse is a criminal act. It does not matter if the perpetrator is white, black or orange. It does not matter whether the perpetrator is rich or poor. It does not matter whether the perpetrator is Republican or Democrat. Sexual abuse is a violation.

  My question is this: why is a convicted sexual abuser allowed to become president in the United States of America? Is misogyny so deeply ingrained in American society that this is acceptable in the minds of seventy-seven million voters and ninety million people who did not even bother to vote?

   Seventy-seven million people voted for a sexual abuser because they chose not to believe women, while they preferred to believe a man with a history of lying consistently. They did not even bother to pay attention to the facts in this specific case because their misogyny blinded them, so let’s review some of those facts here.

   Fact number one: the sexual abuser stated that he had never met E. Jean Carroll. This was proven to be a lie.

 Fact number two: the sexual abuser stated that he never shopped at Bergdorf Goodman. This turned out to be a lie.

 Fact number three: he stated that “E. Jean Carroll was not his type.” This is another lie. The sexual abuser mistook E. Jean Carroll for his own wife.

    I will let you find more evidence in her book. You will also learn about the evidence that was not even used in court.

   I do not understand how E. Jean Carroll manages to use humor to make the narrative more palatable. Her humor and wit did not prevent the waves of nausea and disgust I experienced as I learned the details of her situation. Yet I forced myself to complete the read. I skimmed through some passages about clothing because I found them redundant and irrelevant.

  One of his defense attorneys was obsessed with the victim’s clothing. There was an irrational interest in her clothing. I also do not understand why his defense attorney had an inappropriate focus on Ms. Carroll’s private life when the focus should have been on the abuser’s behaviors instead. The twenty-first century is not free from misogyny and gender double standards.

  The current social and political landscape in the United States of America is clear evidence of how serious it is to let misogyny dominate a society. The irrational voters did not believe E. Jean Carroll, but they have no problem with the sexual abuser’s lies: No, he did not stop the war on Ukraine on day one. In fact, he made it worse for Ukraine. No, he did not lower the prices of groceries. In fact, the prices of groceries have been rising. He did not make housing more affordable and “the concept of a healthcare plan” never materialized, but the mainstream media never holds him accountable for anything. The sexual abuser promised to release the Epstein files but then he found out it was a better idea to keep them hidden because the files are “boring” according to him, and he moved the sexual trafficker’s helper to a better prison. What can be wrong with that?

  Yet the mainstream media treats him with special care because they lack the courage that E. Jean Carroll has.

  One obsession of the trump regime is to persecute the people they label as “illegals.”  In Nazi Germany they would have been the Jews, the Gypsies, the Communists and people with disabilities. In Nazi Germany they also persecuted those who disagreed with Hitler’s regime. The trump regime appears to follow on the same steps…

   Under the trump regime the dictator’s minions scapegoat groups of people and go after them while wearing masks, a mafia style of action that should shock every citizen in America. Yet the mainstream media dutifully promotes the dictator’s propaganda. The media did the same in the 1930s in Germany.

  The trump regime disregards science and public health. Those who voted for him were concerned about the economy and the border because the mainstream media had promoted a false narrative about the border, hinting that trump was the right person “to fix it.” The narrative of the mainstream media about the border paved the way to this regime through lies and exaggeration. This is what Hitler did to arouse anger and to trigger scapegoating behaviors. Yet unemployment is rising and the dictator did not improve the economy in any way unless you refer to the financial situation of multibillionaires.

   Math and economy are not the dictator’s strengths. He said he would reduce the cost of medications by 1,500 percent. Will people get paid to take their medications? We do not need a college degree to understand that this is a lie.

    It is exhausting to watch the mainstream media constantly normalizing him, but the most disturbing part of the mess we are in is that the dictator recently passed an executive order to enable the regime to go after anybody who opposes fascism in America, because he created an imaginary enemy called “Antifa.” In his imagination, Antifa is a terrorist organization. With his executive order, the dictator gives the regime the green light to go after anybody who stands up against fascism. How is this acceptable?

  Do you remember when he said he could shoot somebody on Fifth Avenue and not lose supporters? It is the sign of a cult.

   The fact that he bragged about sexually assaulting women should have been enough to stop him from becoming president.  Yet now we have him in power mansplaining pregnant women over the use of Tylenol, without any kind of scientific evidence. This is dangerous for the health of women. It is hard to believe that this is happening in the United States of America. Please, make sure you educate your daughters to make mindful choices when voting... Did self-respect go out of fashion in America? Seventy-seven million voters have channeled their insecurities into a very insecure man, a sexual abuser, a bully.

      Despite the threats to her life and the violent messages she received, E. Jean Carroll did not surrender to fear, and she beat him. Yes, she is the winner and he is the loser in this case. The sexual abuser will have to pay her over 89 million dollars because he defamed her in addition to sexually abusing her.

   E. Jean Carroll said she will be donating most of that money to the things that the sexual abuser hates: women’s reproductive rights, voting rights, climate solutions…

    The end of her memoir brought tears of joy to my eyes, but perhaps, some of those tears were tears of sadness, because how can we surrender our country to an abuser?

   What we do matters. The dictator tried to get a comedian fired recently, but the people responded and the comedian is back on air. The determination of the people was more powerful than the power of a dictator. Let’s keep the momentum. Do not get distracted.

   Share this book with every person you know. It deserves to be read. I am thankful for her bravery. I am thankful for the bravery of those who supported her, and, of course, I am thankful for the dogs who helped to guard her life.

 

 Independent journalists who report facts with authenticity and clarity:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vIUwQxsf4fE

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Uyf80CwUjzo

 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IuqIpMvYxPk

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9qCCFzoFrGk

Relevant links:

 

  https://apnews.com/article/trump-tough-it-out-pregnancy-women-pain-acetaminophen-dc48caddabef2f086a50b48c5b86a3ca

https://time.com/7317383/political-violence-america-trump-crackdown-right/

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c0jqvz24llyo

https://www.pbs.org/newshour/show/what-is-antifa-and-why-trump-wants-to-label-it-a-terrorist-organization

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9qCCFzoFrGk

If you enjoyed this post, feel free to check my writing on the following books:

On Freedom by Tim Snyder

The Echo Machine by David Pakman

We Were the Mulvaneys by Joyce Carol Oates