The Lacuna is a book by Barbara Kingsolver which I just finished. Is was a powerful read. But that is just my opinion as the reviews I read are mixed. This historical novel covers the period from 1929 to 1959 following the life of Harrison Shepard (fictional character) from his early years in Mexico through to his time in Asheville, NC then back to Mexico. The "historical" part is based on his relationship with and employment by real-life artists, Diego Rivera and Frida Kahlo, and Lev Trotsky, one of the leaders of the Russian Revolution. This relationship lands him before the House Un-American Activities Committee. Enough of the story line.
I found it powerful and engaging since a lot of the book could just as well be referring to our current political environment. Maybe not to the same degree as the time period in the book, but there is still some commonality. For example, if it is in the paper (and now on the TV and the Internet) it must be accurate regardless of the facts. Guilt by association - again regardless of facts. Discrimination based on a label assigned to a person; then Communist, Black, or Gay; now Muslim, Immigrant and still race and sexual orientation to some extent.
I guess the book spoke to my own liberal biases, whether it was Mrs. Kingsolver's intent or not.
I liked the book and would highly recommend it to others.
That is just my 2 cents in this normally non-political blog. And trust me, the blog will stay that way.
1 comment:
Heartily agree with your comments regarding our current political situations, and I'm well aware of the prejudices of the past which have not gone away. They have only somewhat moderated, and even that is uneven across the country.
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