Brown Eyes ed. by Nicole Moore

Thoughtful anthology of poems, interviews and essays by black and mixed race women. Some of the poems I did feel had been included as they had been written by black or mixed race women, rather than because they were particularly "good", but the essays were very insightful, full of reflection on issues such as whether one should be described as mixed race or black, and what sort of a role race plays in forming one's identity. I was a bit concerned that some of the women only just seemed to have discovered Toni Morrison and Maya Angelou, but was pleased that a couple also mentioned other writers such as Jane Austen. Good to read a variety of authors, I think. Glad to have read this anthology.
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When She Was White by Judith Stone

This is a curious biography of Sandra Laing. Sandra's parents were white, so obviously when she was born, in apartheid South Africa, she was classified as white. However, her dark skin and frizzy hair resulted in "scandal-tongues" gossipping about her mother, and made her life very difficult. She was expelled from her whites-only school, was reclassified as coloured, eventually reclassified again as white after a long and bitter campaign waged by her father, then ran away from home to live with her black boyfriend in Swaziland.

The story seems to come out in fits and starts as Stone tries to piece together what happened to Sandra, as Sandra herself seems to have blanked many of the events of her childhood and struggles to understand the things that happened to her as she was growing up.

Stone peppers the narration with psychological sidenotes relating to the effects of living in apartheid South Africa, identity confusion and family breakdown. She also picks up the story from a variety of friends and from documents in Sandra's government file. It makes for a slightly awkward read at times, but is very interesting and informative.


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Father Brown Stories by GK Chesterton

What a revelation! I loved reading these. Was particularly struck by the character of Flambeau. In the first couple of stories he was a great villain, and, I surmised, a Moriarty-type figure, whose scheming ways would be pitted against the intellect of the short, dull priest. But no! Soon he was a close friend of Fr Brown's! This seemed to epitomise the difference between Poirot and Brown. Father Brown works out who did it, hears their confession, counsels them - then appears to let them go! His eyes are always on the bigger picture. Great stories, thought provoking morals. Highly recommended.