"Precious" (Film)

The novel “Push” (written by author, Sapphire) has gained much attention and acclaim in the African American community over the past few years. More recently “Push” has captured the hearts and minds of a broader national audience, the book now on the Top 10 Bestsellers list in 2010. Both the novel and it’s film adaptation titled “Precious” centers around the struggle for hope and survival of a Harlem high school student, C. Precious Jones, a character based on a composite of Sapphire’s real life students in inner city New York. Directed by Lee Daniels, the film translates the novel into a compelling and revealing story of one woman’s ‘push’ for life in a way that is raw, real and yet accessible to mainstream audiences. The film is well done.

When Oprah finished watching the film, she says she was left silent. I too found I had no words to say when the film ended. No critiques or analysis the film running in my head. It just was. So, rather than comment on the film, may I suggest that it simply be watched. {see addendum below}

“Precious” won the Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actress (Mo’nique) and received nominations for Best Picture 2009 and Best Actress for Gabourey Sidibe’s acting debut. There are appearances by Mariah Carey (unrecognizable social worker without makeup), Lenny Kravitz (the nurse), Paula Patton (school administrator) and BET’s Mo’nique (Precious’ mother). I personally feel the strength of novel and storyline speaks for itself, but perhaps Lee Daniels may have felt the need to hype up the film and garner audience support by casting these Hollywood stars (esp. Carey and Kravitz)?

{Addendum}: Okay, I take back my above statement of not having comments—I loved the film, and found it a brave story to put on the big screen. Not simply because of the subject matter (rape, abuse, pregnancy, illiteracy, obesity) but because it casts the African American community in a light that works against the community’s long time agenda and struggle to cast African Americans in roles that challenge racial, class and gender stereotypes (i.e. this is not the Cosby show). Yet in its bravery, “Precious” challenges us in the 21st to embrace both the Cosbys and the Jones (Precious’ family) as equally true representations of the African American experience in the U.S., and challenges us to explore the similarities of the Jones life all of our lives. I found this to be a film that speaks less about the Black American experience, as much as it does to the universal human experience > of despondency, hope, truth, fear, suffering, faith and courage.

Summer Reading > Books on My Shelf

For the most part, I’m a quick reader and am generally able to whip through books like water. However this summer I’m having trouble starting and finishing the books I have in Hawaii. Perhaps I’m in a season of a mental hiatus (resting my brain) where it's physical activity that seems to be life giving at this time > golf, hula, yoga, running at the beach. Or perhaps I simply chose mediocre books this summer. While I've started some, I haven’t finished any. Here’s what on my shelf:

{ POP BOOKS }

“Three Cups of Tea” (Greg Mortenson and David Relin) – A mountain climber returns to Pakistan to build a school, leading to development of 55 schools for young women. #1 on New York Times bestseller list, and the most promising read of the summer. The only book I haven’t cracked open, but looking forward to turning the first page.

“Mennonite in a Little Black Dress” (Rhoda Janzen) – Memoir of a 40 year old female English professor who moves back to her parents home and hometown, a Mennonite community, after her husband of 15 years leaves her for…another man. Shortly thereafter Janzen gets in a serious car accident and after some recovery finds a way to move forward in life > she cleverly finds a way to go shopping with friends, for example, ingeniously using Velcro to strap her urine bag unto her leg as a way to hide her medical reprecussions under a long flowing skirt. The book is about Janzen's personal journey returning "home" and one I find only somewhat humorous--trying too hard perhaps, to be in the likes of “Eat, Pray, Love” (Elizabeth Gilbert). Janzen’s text, however, is more crass, the writing isn’t nearly as pithy, and by page 5 it’s clear that the prose is written for a limited female audience. Finding it hard to get through Janzen’s book, I am not sure that I will finish it…unless I am stranded at the airport or stranded on this island due to an unexpected natural disaster. Okay, I'm overexaggerating here. In all honesty, I think I just fell for good marketing--I liked the title and book cover.

“Committed” (Elizabeth Gilbert) – After the success of “Eat, Pray, Love” Gilbert tries her hand at round two…which struggles to stay afloat. This book is a cultural, almost anthropological, study of marriage in different parts of the world. How do women in Southeast Asia understand and make sense of gender roles, division of labor, love, independence, submission and ceremony? Gilbert tries to make her findings witty, humorous and engaging, but I find that I learn more about Gilbert’s own cultural stereotypes and perspectives of Asian women than I do about the exploration of marriage. She writes from a position of privilege, almost voyeuristic, clearly from the perspective of a well to do white woman from a first world nation (the United States). Thank goodness I bought the book with a 40% coupon! (“Eat, Pray, Love” junkies > the Julia Roberts film (Eat, Pray, Love) is due to open very soon! )

{SPIRITUALITY}

“Waking the Dead: The Glory of a Heart Fully Alive” (John Eldredge) A book about waking up one’s heart and reclaiming a life lived fully, the promise of the Christian faith as the key to helping all of us be set free, made whole, and be fully restored. I’m not fully captivated by Eldredge’s writing (despite his popular following of “Wild at Heart” among Christian men) but know that I will eventually finish this book. It was highly recommended for me and the themes and topics of the book seem a worthwhile read. I’m told that there is an underlying spiritual warfare theme to the book--a battle over our hearts.

“The Art of Power” (Thich Nhat Hanh) – Nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize (by my hero Martin Luther King Jr), Hanh is a Vietnamese Buddhist Zen master, poet, political activist and author. In this book he argues that “power” is generally perceived to be something that affords us freedom, security and happiness, but is in actuality an illusion that traps us, drains us, and strains our relationships. True power, he suggests in zen master fashion, lies in being happy in the present moment. Another New York Times bestseller, this book explores how to cultivate, unleash, and handle power at home, work and in the global marketplace. It’s a tad repetitive, but good and helpful to understand how a Buddhist activist conceptualizes an integration of peace and power. (He has a new book, “Savor,” on healthy eating/food/politics which I find to be a interesting way of marketing the subject matter and/or Hanh himself.)

“The Power of Now” (Eckhart Tolle) I was listening to a really mind blowing lecture by a Catholic priest on my drive home from a monastery in Montecito (Santa Barbara). The talk discussed the humanity and divinity of the historical Jesus and divine Christ, and our position as children of God to likewise embrace the embodiments of our own humanity and divine nature (i.e. life via the holy spirit). Anyway, I’m not one who is prone to reading pop metaphysical literature, but this Catholic priest kept referencing Eckhart Tolle as an expert on “living in the present moment”(Oprah herself is a fan and make him an overnight national phenomena). So, I became curious as to what this guy has to say. I may or may not agree with his ideas (we’ll see) but I think it’s still good to be knowledgeable and conversational about Tolle. So far the books seems to suggest that the everyday act of thinking keeps us grounded and stuck in a living a provincial life (which we call reality) which is simply a limited level of spiritual awareness; the busyness in our minds, acquired through the act of thinking, prevents us from obtaining true freedom and enlightenment (i.e. living at a higher level of consciousness). Tolle discusses topics of fear, the ego’s search for wholeness, notions of time, happiness , relationships, the body, addictions, surrender, and choice. Will be an interesting read.

Maila Gibson's album "More"

I saw Maila perform a duet with Hookena at the 2010 Hawaii Grammy's night at the Hawaii State Art Museum. It was an amazing outdoor concert featuring all of the state's best Grammy winners.

To see these legendary singers, groups and bands perform in a low key venue, free to the public, and without airs--in true Hawaiian spirit and hospitality, was truly refreshing. I don't imagine seeing Grammy winners gather together for an event like this in Hollywood. But here in Hawaii, it was the artists' way of saying mahalo to all of their loyal supporters. What a magnificent evening it was.

For some reason, out of the many many talented and famous Hawaiian artists, Maila's performance stood out to me. I don't know if it's because she was the underdog (newbie) of the evening (her experience mainly as a worship singer at New Hope Church) or if it was her stage presence or voice. But I liked her.

Great news is that she finally finished an album and it's due to come out soon. Ben and Maila's new 2010 album is entitled "More" and can be pre-ordered on mele.com (site to buy hawaiian music CDs) or by clicking here.

[mahalo to ry]

Koa Ukuleles

Where to find that rare and beautiful koa wood ukulele?

Bounty Music Maui
111 Hana Hwy. #105
Kahului, Maui, HI 96732