Licia Flynn's Book and Movie Review Blog

Aphra Behn's Oroonoko was published in 1688, the same year as the Glorious Revolution which established the supremacy of parliament over the British monarchy. One can only imagine the tense political atmosphere that existed while Ms. Behn crafted her novel. Literature often masked political stories because laws known as lese majeste prevented criticism against the monarchy. With Oroonoko, Behn created a formula that was adopted by American abolitionists in the 19th century. Such didactic stories depicted sympathetic black characters, often quadroons passing for white, who were educated and raised with aristocrats, but due to unfortunate circumstances found themselves enslaved. And in some cases, chose to be butchered alive rather than live the rest of their lives as slaves. Amazon eBook: Firm Resolve Facebook Author Page Twitter: Firm Resolve #AphraBehn #Oroonoko #1688 #Glo...

The development of Briony Tallis is a compelling aspect of Ian McEwan's Atonement . While her character remains consistent, her analysis eventually matures. As a thirteen-year-old, Briony acts with the best of intentions but ultimately distorts the truth to fit a false narrative. As a result, a young Cambridge student, hopeful to transition from being a cleaning boy's son into a doctor, is sent to prison and later to fight in World War 2. Years later, Briony continues to fabricate the truth. She tells a dying soldier that she loves him so that he dies a less painful death. And in the end, she tells the reader what we want to hear even if it's far from reality. Amazon eBook: Firm Resolve Facebook Author Page Twitter: Firm Resolve #Atonement #IanMcEwan #WorldWar2Literature #BritishSocialClasses #Elitism #Class #Fabrication #Fanciful #Regret #Guilt...

Truong Nhu Tang's A Vietcong Memoir is an easy read IF you're familiar with Vietnam's lengthy colonial history. Prior to reading A Vietcong Memoir, I read several books on Vietnam: The Pentagon Papers, The Sacred Willow (Four Generations in the Life of Vietnamese Family) , and a history book that began in the 5th Century. The history book was particularly important because it chronicled Vietnam's constant battle with invaders: the Spanish, the French, the Chinese, the Japanese, the French again, and the Americans. The aforementioned books help illuminate Tang's work. Vietcong Memoir is gripping because it depicts an elite part of the communist party by an individual who was born into wealth and educated at the Sorbonne in France, but chose to leave his corporate position to fight against his own people. I think too many readers focus on the effects of the Vietnam War (Marxism), as opposed to the cause. After all -- Would communism have occurred if Vietnam...

When I was fourteen, I told Mom that I admired Scarlett O'Hara because as an anti-belle, she rejected conformity and succeeded by being selfish, opportunistic, and trigger-happy. Driving like a banshee, my red-haired mother slammed on her brakes and fiercely condemned Scarlett O'Hara for her lack of morals. Mom also questioned my taste in literature and suggested I read about the Chinese revolution. My sister who was reading Wild Swans, a book about three generations of Chinese women, took the opportunity to ridicule my ignorance regarding Deng Xiaoping. I replied, "I'm a 4.0 student. If that guy is so important, why didn't I learn about him in school?"  As a teenager, the lesson I gleamed from Gone with the Wind was -- you can live in the past and romanticize a time now "gone with the wind," or you can live in the present, collaborate with your enemies, and move on. I frequently applied this analogy to Asia where southerners frequently expr...