8. Andrew Solomon
There are a couple books that have changed the way that I view my life and the human condition. These books include: The Grapes Of Wrath, The Rise and Fall of The Third Reich, The Warmth Of Other Sons, and Andrew Solomon’s essential book on parenting and identity, Far From The Tree.
Solomon writes in Far From The Tree, about a feature of parenting that many people see as a flaw in children. Many of us share vertical identity with our children. For example, Ollie is a cis-gendered male, so am I. However we do not share racial identity, which Solomon defines as horizontal identity. I am Asian-American, and Ollie is bi-racial, or multi-racial. This and other facets of Ollie’s identity that I do not share with Ollie is important to notes. I do not have the lived experiences with this facets Ollie's identity, which means that I am ill-equipped to help Ollie work through this part of this identity development.
Far From The Tree takes this idea and applies it to parents who do not share facets of their children identity, included children who are disabled, have special needs, suffer from mental illness, and are criminals.
This book is filled with stories of struggles, tragedies, and triumphs. It is a book that reveals the reality of parenting for many people in our society and forces us to ask difficult questions about what it means to be a parent. He interviews the parents of one of the shooters at the Columbine Massacre, and parents who spend their elderly years caring for their children with disabilities who are unable to care for themselves.
In all of these stories, and in all of these struggles, these parents are resilient and admirable in their commitment to their children. As hard as their lives have become because of their children, they do not regret having these children in their lives regardless of the consequences.
Yes, this book was published in 2013, but it was this part year that I read this book, and 976 pages of this work spanned most of the year. So that’s why I’m putting it on a list of important influences for 2019.
Far From The Tree shows us what parenting is really like in America and how the flaws in children, really are features in experience of parenthood. It’s an essential primer for anyone who is interested in being a parent. For those who are parents it provides forgiveness for feelings of frustration. More importantly, it helps us understand the journey of parenting, that for many is all-encompassing, more difficult than not, and for many the most meaningful part of life.
7. Ali Stroker
Oklahoma is a very problematic musical. It’s based on a play Green Grow The Lilacs which is about settlers in the area we know now as the state Oklahoma. The original play had characters that were Native Americans. These roles were cut from the musical, which only romanticized further imperialistic western expansion, and exploitative attitude of American settlers. This is a very white musical, that continues myths of the western expansion that ignores America’s crimes and atrocities.
Then there's that song, "I Cain't Say No." Most of the time this song didn’t do the character who sang it. I always get feeling that it’s a girl who is flirty and lacked intelligence. Saying that she can’t say no in this song is not flattering.
Ali Stroker changed all of this with her interpretation. Her confidence and bravado transforms this song into a Declaration of Independence. Stroker makes this song more about owning sexuality than being easily-manipulated by men. Her version is humorous, powerful, and vocally astonishing. And she sings better than anyone has ever sang it in this musical's almost 75 year history.
And she did this all sitting down.
The producers and directors of this new revival of Oklahoma made the admirable, brave and important decision to hire for diversity and the highest level of musical achievement. They cast at Ali Stroker in this play considering her talent in her work more than her disability. They didn’t change her character to explain why she was in her wheelchair, instead they added ramps, changed the choreography and made this facet of her identity. They don’t hide the wheelchair but they didn't’t feel a need to make the show abut this character having a disability...and it works.
And another awesome thing about this show is at the main female protagonist, played by Rebecca Naomi Jones, who is traditionally played by white actress played by black woman. During the Tony awards performance when she sings and yells right in the face and the male protagonist it feels wonderful. It’s like a glorious exclamation back through generations filled with confidence and power. She is saying in that moment, "I am here and no one can take this away from me, because it is mine."
Sometimes we have conversations about what we do with art that is not diverse, and that has racist themes. Sometimes it's best to bury that work and forget about it. However, sometimes we can do do more and fix a show. The new production of Oklahoma featuring showed all of us that with imagination a deeper sense of humanity we can transform the most white and exclusive piece of art into a celebration of diversity.
No comments:
Post a Comment