TRAVEL all the pages
  • Blog
  • Book List
  • Travel List
  • Amazon Pairings
  • Links
  • Favorites
  • About
  • Contact
  • Privacy Policy
  • Blog
  • Book List
  • Travel List
  • Amazon Pairings
  • Links
  • Favorites
  • About
  • Contact
  • Privacy Policy

travel all the pages

Circe                                                                           by Madeline Miller

2/21/2022

0 Comments

 
Picture
A powerful woman, characterized as a witch to demean and vilify her success, is a tale as old as time; one that all women can relate to in some form or another. Madeline Miller takes Circe out of The Odyssey and tells how her story is more than just a woman who turns men into pigs. I’ve never really been into mythology and so I was surprised at how quickly I became entranced by Circe’s story. It’s incredibly sad and empowering all at once but showcases her as a feminine force in a world made for men and gods. Circe is the lesser nymph daughter of the mighty Titan, Helios, and she’s outcast immediately as a weak, insignificant nuisance until she discovers the powers of witchcraft, specifically transformation. She’s banished to an island to live out her days as an exile. Circe lives a lonely existence until she chooses to take her power back. She hones her skills, tames the wild beasts roaming free, and makes the island not only her home, but her strength. She’s flawed in many ways, but Miller doesn’t shy away from showing Circe’s weaknesses as this is exactly what makes her such a relatable and compelling character.  A host of familiar mythological figures cross paths with Circe including Icarus, Daedalus, the Minotaur, Hermes, and Odysseus, but it’s clear that they’re only fleeting elements of HER story. I ached for Circe; her pain and loss, so raw throughout her lifetime, is a constant that she faces and accepts but never succumbs. She suffers as a daughter, lover, and mother but ultimately uses her scorn as fuel for triumph, and I rooted for her on every, single page.  ​
0 Comments

Prey: Immigration, Islam, and the Erosion of Women's Rights                                                       by Ayaan Hirsi Ali

2/6/2022

0 Comments

 
Picture
Ayaan Hirsi Ali is a champion for women, and her research is thought-provoking on many levels. Her candor is revealing and challenges perspectives on immigration and women’s rights. Ali uses staggering statistics and mounds of data to present her argument that the increase in sexual violence against women in Europe is linked to increases in immigration from Muslim-majority countries. Stringent gender roles, polygamy, and a lack of legal protection for women all contribute to oppressive ideology. Ali points out how European women are changing their behavior by avoiding certain locations and types of transportation to ensure they don’t become victims of sexual violence. European leaders are afraid to discuss the connection for fear of being labeled racist or xenophobic. Subways offer female-only cars. Parks offer benches for women exclusively. Cafes and bars in parallel community neighborhoods consist of all-male Muslim patrons who sometimes intimidate female citizens if they try to enter. As Muslim asylum-seekers flood into Europe, attacks against women have escalated. Ali asserts that Europeans are putting their heads in the sand instead of facing down a problem that is slowing eroding women’s rights and changing society’s attitudes toward women. Ayaan Hirsi Ali is an immigrant herself, raised in Somalia and having suffered from genital mutilation, she does not advocate against immigration but instead believes that asylum seekers should be required to assimilate into the societies they wish to join. Young Muslim men, as the primary demographic for asylum seekers, must be taught that European culture gives voice and equal protection to women, and they must integrate into this type of society or be denied entry. They will have women colleagues in the workplace, women as bosses, and women in public, dressing as they please. Ali believes that immigration laws have become too loose, and both legal and illegal immigrants have little to fear when seeking refuge in Europe.  Ali’s research, while unpopular and contradictory amidst liberal values, has given voice and legitimacy to a concern that has dire implications for European women and sets off warning bells for Americans.  
0 Comments

    Author

    Travel All the Pages is inspired by my two loves - travel and reading, a combo I can't resist.  Enjoy these little pairings.

    Archives

    December 2022
    November 2022
    October 2022
    August 2022
    July 2022
    June 2022
    May 2022
    March 2022
    February 2022
    January 2022
    November 2021
    October 2021
    September 2021
    August 2021
    July 2021
    May 2021
    April 2021
    March 2021
    February 2021
    January 2021
    December 2020
    November 2020
    October 2020
    September 2020
    August 2020
    July 2020
    June 2020
    May 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    January 2020
    December 2019
    November 2019
    October 2019

    Categories

    All
    Adventure
    All-Inclusive
    Assateague
    Budapest
    Christmas
    Classic
    Contemporary
    Cusco
    Diverse
    Dog
    Dystopian
    Fall
    Fantasy
    Fiction
    Hiking
    Historical Fiction
    Horror
    Humor
    Hungary
    Iceland
    Lancaster
    LGBTQ+
    Louisiana
    Maryland
    Memoir
    Mexico
    Middle Grade
    Miraflores
    Mystery
    New Orleans
    Nonfiction
    Pennsylvania
    Peru
    Retelling
    Riviera Maya
    Romance
    Salt Dough
    Science Fiction
    Series
    Social Distancing
    Supernatural
    Thriller
    Travel
    Verse Novel
    York
    Young Adult

Powered by Create your own unique website with customizable templates.