Read this on galpod.com. TL;DR: read this book. Like, right now. I usually try to do a review without spoilers, but I think the great thing about this book is that it’s too rich for me to discuss the early parts alone. So if you haven’t read it, just go and read it. Because it’s probably the best thing I’ve read all year. Now, I’ll create some scrolling space for anyone who DOESN’T want spoilers. THERE ARE SPOILERS BELOW THE PICTURE. This book is ostensibly about a pair of tw

Read this on galpod.com. Racism is a hot topic right now. What's happening over in the US about it gives me hope, but it's been a long journey. I wanted to write a little about the journey I've been through, from being entirely oblivious to the issue, to making #BLM signs to put up in the windows with my kids. If you know nothing about racism in the US and around the world, start with Chenjerai Kumanyika and Salma El-Wardany, they'll show you the way. First, a little backgro

Read this on galpod.com. Yesterday was the LitSalon's last meeting of a 7-week study of Invisible Man by Ralph Ellison. If you haven't read it yet, I highly recommend it. It's about racial relations and finding your identity within a racist society in America of the 1940 or thereabout. It's fascinating if at points a bit heavy-handed. What resonated with me most is Ellison's ideas about social responsibility. In the introduction, which he wrote 30 years after the book was pub

Read this on galpod.com. I've been deliberating about this post for a good ten minutes now. Because I want to do justice to this incredibly complex topic, but I also have to get going with my own work. I finally decided that I can't let it pass so I'll just share with you an incident I witnessed last night. Last night, my daughter performed at a concert called "Winter Sounds" in Croydon. Both my kids participate in the Wandswork Music Services, which are doing a fantastic job