The Rabbi's Cat

To start off, I think it's funny that the cat does not have a name. It reminded me Breakfast at Tiffany’s where the main character, Holly, has a nameless cat. I think this story is relatable because I believe that everyone has conflicts with religion. This cat interacts with different characters throughout the story, each on their own quest for religion and faith. I was pleasantly surprised to see that this is NOT a children's book. The cat even has a mistress in the story. Some characters are confused and bewildered like the rabbi, some are set in their ways like the father, and some are questioning the religion entirely like the Cat.

In addition to this not being a children's book, it's also a humorous one. This cat is born Algerian but it wants to be Jewish! As it was said in class, this is NOT a "Disney kitty". This cat is a foreign creature who's voice in written in cursive to symbolize that. The cursive is harder to read and used a lot less by the average person. The rabbi represents tradition and the cat represents modernity.

I understand the Cat's dilemma with religion as most people would. I think most people can agree that when we are young abstract ideas like religion are harder to grasp. This was a good example of how there can be such a closely connected group of people so many conflicting ideas about religion and faith.

                              
               

Nervous Conditions

Tsitsi Dangarembga's Nervous Conditions is a book about colonizations and the different phases that it takes to be colonized. I like it because it shows the reader how a person is actually colonized and the stages that a person goes through to get there. I also really enjoy the book because I have terrible ADD and Dangareembga's style of writing is perfect for someone with a small attention span. She tends to jump from scene to scene and therefore I never lose interest. After I began reading Nervous Conditions I noticed the important issues that Dangareembga brings up through the story: education, living, money, gender roles, family, and even abuse. She introduces us to Tambu, Nyasha, Lucia, and Ma'shingay and Maiguru (the two mothers). Tambu is obviously not sorry about her brother's death and doesn't seem to feel bad about it at all. I can't imagine not feeling bad about my own brother's death. Each one of Dangareembga's characters is going through some sort of issue with colonization. There have been times where I have felt like I am losing myself. I made a new group friends that totally changed my way of thinking, luckily  I was able to realize is though!