Weblog of Quotes and Rants

Overall, I enjoyed this book.  I liked the semi-epistolary format, wherein it alternates between the diary of a Japanese schoolgirl, and the life of the American woman reading the diary.  There was a lot of interesting cultural information (to me, as an American) and very interesting settings.

At times I found the tone/language of the diary segments a little bit annoying or silly, but of course, that's precisely how they should be, in the voice of the young girl.  I especailly liked the parts with the grandmother, probably because the reader (this was in audiobook format) did a great job with her voice.

And now for a couple quotes that I liked:

“Sometimes when she told stories about the past her eyes would get teary from all the memories she had, but they weren't tears. She wasn't crying. They were just the memories, leaking out.” 

― Ruth Ozeki

“Information is a lot like water; it's hard to hold on to, and hard to keep from leaking away.” 

― Ruth Ozeki

This was a very interesting, personal look into the world of slavery in the early and mid 1800s. It also touched on women's issues as well, so I could relate and be extra outraged.  I definitely enjoy this book, and the audio version is great. It alternates between two readers, one for the daughter of slave owners, and one for the slave she (unwillingly) owned.

A couple of quotes I liked:

“If you must err, do so on the side of audacity.”
― Sue Monk Kidd

“I saw then what I hadn't seen before, that I was very good at despising slavery in the abstract, in the removed and anonymous masses, but in the concrete, intimate flesh of the girl beside me, I'd lost the ability to be repulsed by it. I'd grown comfortable with the particulars of evil. There's a frightful muteness that dwells at the center of all unspeakable things, and I had found my way into it.”
― Sue Monk Kidd