“We clung to books and to our friends; they reminded us that we had another part to us.”
~from The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows, a novel set on the island of Guernsey during the aftermath of World War Two
Nadine C. Keels
I, a Black American woman in the United States, am an author as well as a book and film blogger.
Some folks who see my blog and social media posts might wonder on certain days, “Why/how can she go on talking about entertainment so much—books and movies and stuff? Doesn’t she know or care about all the injustices and violence and crises happening in America right now? And in more of the world?”
But whether the novels and films and such that I post about are raw and heavy or light and upbeat, please don’t mistake my arts and entertainment blogging for ignorance or indifference in regard to current events.
Bear in mind that many people who do a lot of reading, writing, and critical thinking have read much about history—so they’re likely to care all the more about what’s going on in the U.S. and around the globe at present. They’re aware of how various aspects of the present resemble what’s already happened in the past.
It would take more than one blog post to go into all the ways that art and literature have been and remain crucial parts of society and of our humanity, including in times of crisis. Just know that many of us are continuing to read, to write, to create, and to appreciate and share art and literature on purpose.
To teach and to spread awareness. To nourish and replenish hearts and minds. To give hope and to strengthen morale. To speak to fellow human beings’ souls—reminding us that there’s “another part to us.”
A part that we need. For today, and for tomorrow.
Prismatic Prospects 