During Women’s History Month, we usually celebrate women who have made significant contributions to society like Hillary Clinton, Shirley Chisholm, Dolores Huerta and countless other women. I recently read Roxanne Gay’s latest book, Difficult Women. This work of short stories explores the different lives of women you will never hear about in a history book. These women are considered on the edge of society or eccentric. Many of them are people we may know, like our mothers, sisters, wives, co-workers, who don’t live perfect lives.
I really loved this book. In fact, I read it in two days! Check out this interview with the author.
I made sure all my electronics were fully charged on Monday evening to safeguard myself from a potential power outage during the snow storm. As I was charging my mobile, Kindle, and computers, I was made again to appreciate one of the few things in life that don’t require a battery – a physical book. So I spent most of the storm catching up on some much-needed reading. I just started reading Difficult Women by Roxanne Gay. It was an enjoyable reminder that you don’t always need technology to find enjoyment in life.
Here are some other reasons to appreciation the physical book:
Unlike a Kindle, you can read physical books outside without worrying about a glare (unless you have a Paperwhite Kindle).
You can read them anywhere and everywhere.
Physical books help you fall asleep.
You don’t get eye strain.
You can drop a physical book and not worry about breaking it.
A brand-new, physical book smells awesome.
Book covers are gorgeous.
Physical books make great gifts
Unlike an ebook, authors can sign physical books.
You can take book “selfies” like I do all the time on Twitter.
Who doesn’t love browsing bookstores and libraries just to touch a book!
Physical books make great home decor and can be used as furniture and decoration.
A couple of years ago I read and enthusiastically reviewed Pamela Newkirk’s Spectacle: The Astonishing Life of Ota Benga. It was not just a story about racial discrimination, but also about the lack of protections for the most vulnerable in our society.
Like Ota Benga, the circumstances around how the Muse brothers came into the circus world are cloudy. Descendants of the Muse brothers still living in Virginia today hold the position that they were kidnapped from the plantation by a bounty hunter, or “freak” hunter. However, author Beth Macy gives some evidence that puts doubt on the family’s long-held story. It is entirely possible that their mother Harriet knew the hunter intentionally took her sons in exchange for a hefty fee.
Most likely we will never know the truth of how they came to the circus. Harriet Muse was an illiterate, black female sharecropper in the Jim Crow South. She had no rights and no say over most things happening in her life, including her sons. It is highly likely that her children were just snatched up from the plantation by people who took advantage of her weak position. But it is also likely that she sold her kids into the circus to make money and give them a better life, who would have otherwise been limited by their albinism. The author interviews the Muse brothers’ grand-niece Nancy, who holds the strong opinion that they were kidnapped. I don’t know if this woman is lying, in denial or telling the truth. Who would want to admit that a mother essentially sold her sons in child slavery for money? And who are we to judge the mother if she really did sell her children to the circus? Unfortunately, there is very little documentation to prove anything and the Muse brothers were never interviewed about their experiences during their lifetimes, so we just don’t know.
The author interviews the Muse brothers’ grand-niece Nancy, who holds the strong opinion that they were kidnapped. I don’t know if this woman is lying, in denial or telling the truth. Who would want to admit that a mother essentially sold her sons in child slavery for money? And who are we to judge the mother if she really did sell her children to the circus? Unfortunately, there is very little documentation to prove anything and the Muse brothers were never interviewed about their experiences during their lifetimes, so we just don’t know.
The author interviews the Muse brothers’ grand-niece Nancy, who holds the strong opinion that they were kidnapped. I don’t know if this woman is lying, in denial or telling the truth. Who would want to admit that a mother essentially sold her sons in child slavery for money? And who are we to judge the mother if she did in fact sell her children to the circus? Unfortunately, there is very little documentation to prove anything and the Muse brothers were never interviewed about their experiences during their lifetimes, so we just don’t know.
However, we do know that they were not allowed to go back home for many years, as they were told their mother was dead. They were part of a larger group of “freak show” performers who were exhibited because of physical “deformities” and special abilities – the bearded lady, people eating swords or fire, conjoined twins, people with dwarfism, etc. This type of entertainment was quite common at a time long before radio, television, Facebook, and Game of Thrones, and making fun of and gawking at other people’s deformities was politically correct.
The Muse brothers accentuated their albinism by growing their hair out and up into dreadlocks and playing instruments. They were marketed as Eko and Iko and had different names over the years, ranging from “White Ecuadorians” to “Ambassadors from Mars.” Although this book focuses mainly on the harsh realities of being black and poor in the early 1900s, it is also the story of why we still need to protect the rights of children and people with disabilities.
The brothers were briefly reunited in 1927 with their mother, who would later successfully sue the circus for back pay. However, the brothers did go back on the road to help their mother out financially, who would die a few years later.
Luckily for them, they were able to “retire” and live comfortably for the rest of their lives in a house that was purchased from the lawsuit money. Unfortunately, Ota Benga and many others who performed or exhibited in circuses, world’s fairs and human zoos were never adequately compensated and lived sad lives.
Truevine is a fascinating read, as they were many lessons from it that we could use today.
The holiday season should be a time to think about our common humanity. This has been a really ugly year, and now is a good time to step back and to maintain our courage under fire.
My favorite book from this year was The Book of Joy: Lasting Happiness in a Changing World by the Dalai Lama and Desmond Tutu. These two men have faced harsh adversity in their lives and it was great to read their perspectives and advice on dealing with life’s struggles.
Desmond Tutu has been a role model to me for many years and I have had the pleasure of meeting him a couple of times. He is a true fighter and definitely someone that everyone should listen to when he speaks.
During Women’s History Month, we usually celebrate women who have made significant contributions to society like Hillary Clinton, Shirley Chisholm, Dolores Huerta and countless other women. I recently read Roxanne Gay’s latest book, Difficult Women. This work of short stories explores the different lives of women you will never hear about in a history book. These women are considered on the edge of society or eccentric. Many of them are people we may know, like our mothers, sisters, wives, co-workers, who don’t live perfect lives.
