Blue Wolf Reviews

Tag: today

  • Today, Tomorrow, Forever Being Rohingya

    Today, Tomorrow, Forever Being Rohingya

    Born of a project launched by Westwords in 2021 the beautiful, heartbreaking anthology full of sadness, joy and hope Today, Tomorrow, Forever Being Rohingya has been created by four young people, all immigrants, all having faced racism, hardship, dispossession from their homeland, family and friends.

    Coming to a country which while safe from many of the horrors already faced in their young lives, also became a strange and frightening place; a place they needed to confront, find a way to live and be accepted and build a life not just for themselves but also for their families. Something that has not always been easy. Today, Tomorrow, Forever Being Rohingya tells their and many others stories.

    Pan Sandar Myint, Khin Maung Thein, (Abdullah) Maung Maung Hla and AS Junike share their journey through the healing words of their poetry, setting in words and pictures the depth of feelings as they tell their stories and those of their people as they struggle for the right to live their lives freely and without boundaries.

    Each verse or collection is accompanied by photographs taken by Abdullah as he documented the lives of Rohingya refugees in the Camp, not only capturing what was now and then, but also offering hope for the future as, through his sensitive and skillful photography he has created a timeless picture of the strength of the human spirit.

    Each of the young men and women have in simple, spare phrases and words captured not just their feelings but the spirit of their people, their love of country, religion and culture; their hope and fear as they rebuild their lives in a country far from their homeland.

    Westwords with the guidance of poet Ali Whitelock have woven together two art forms to create a timeless, beautiful and healing work that reaches out, offering answers to unasked questions, slices of a life that is different, which people can find confrontational and in doing so have structured a beautiful, permanent offering of great emotional and physical beauty.

    Today, Tomorrow, Forever Being Rohingya; crossing borders, confronting change, exercising resilience, filled with love.

  • Today a Woman Went Mad in the Supermarket

    Today a Woman Went Mad in the Supermarket

    When Today a Woman Went Mad in the Supermarket was published, Hilma Wolitzer was 90 years old. The short stories that make up the book are a collection of stories she has had published over the years and although they were written many years ago, they still bear a familiarity that we can relate to today.  Wolitzer feels that “All life is extraordinary,” and yet her stories are so recognisable. Because of the loose structure of these tales, we can easily put our own experiences into the gaps.

    The first story is poignant because we would recognise how desperate that woman in the supermarket is and hope there would be someone to help her. Depression or post-natal depression was not a condition that was seen as a genuine illness. As with many of the other stories, we have a greater ability to understand tragedy or illness and rather than bury our feelings, we try to discuss them.

    Another story deals with a young girl who is puzzled by the early disappearance of her father. When she asks her mother or grandmother, they just tell her that he vanished one day. The girl tries to compensate for her loss by experimenting with sex. The stories are vastly different. One dealing with a husband who has been arrested for exposing himself, and another describing a family obsessed with death.

    Today a Woman Went Mad in the Supermarket is certainly collection of quirky tales, but the dispassionate and observant way they are told makes the reader feel as if they too are an observer of the behaviours exhibited. It is unusual and rather unsettling, and different.

  • Tomorrow Girl

    Tomorrow Girl

    For those children that were born to run and rush through life, Tomorrow Girl is a steadying story. Learning to slow down and appreciate the things around you can be hard for children with energy and curiosity. However, if they meet someone who can show them the benefits of contemplation, these children can have the best of both worlds.

    “Tomorrow”, is a young girl who has always rushed through life. While at Kindy, she meets a girl called “Yesterday,” who is worried about playing in the sand pit because of what happened yesterday. There is also a boy at Kindy. He sees the most marvellous cloud patterns while lying in the grass. He also sits in a tree and enjoys looking at nature. His name is “Today,” and he begins to show “Tomorrow” what she is missing by rushing about.

    This is an attractively illustrated Picture Book, with soft water colour drawings and a small amount of text on each page. The names of the children and their matching personalities could lead to interesting discussions about each person’s natural behaviour and how we can all slow down a little and observe life around us.

    Tomorrow Girl is an interesting way to focus on being in the moment and appreciating people and places around you. The story and illustrations are calming and enjoyable.