Happy Christmas/Holidays/Quaid-e-Azam Day. I hope everyone
out there have something happy to hold on to. This is it, by the way, this is
the last 5BF and week of 2020. I stopped writing these back in January and
resumed it once again in September. Like for most of us, it was a difficult year
for me, but at least it has come to an end finally. We’ll start 2021 with new
hopes and renewed energy. And we shall! With that said, this is 2020’s last 5BF:
a novel about its hectic times, belief in humankind, year-end lists and more…
1: What I Read
Girl, Woman, Other by Bernardine Evaristo: this novel won, alongside
Atwood’s ‘The Testaments’, last year’s booker prize which is like the best
movie Oscar for books. Having read it, I think it absolutely deserves all the
prizes and praises. It’s not only a novel but a triumphant work of art that
both complicatedly and beautifully represents its times. Evaristo brilliantly
talks about today’s gender issues, identity craze, individualism, hatred, hypocrite
politics, islamophobia, and so much more with a set of four parts and twelve
chapters that tells 12 interconnected stories of mostly queer black Britain
women. A must read, indeed!
2: Year-End Lists (so far)
December is always a months of year-end lists. So far, I’ve come
across lists of best smartphones (I’m also a tech enthusiast) by MKBHD and ultimate
best books of 2020 by Eric Anderson which is a roundup of books mentioned
across 45 different list. You check out the videos by clicking on the links
below:
3: This Week’s Articles
This is humankind @aeon – this article written by a Russian
Jewish girl who is living in Germany in response to many questions she gets
about ‘forgiveness’ and ‘revenge’. The author, Polina Aronson, beautifully, with
the help of her father’s story, shows us that how forgiveness is a choice we
get to have against our enemies, and that our enemies are never a race, a nation,
a sect, but only a ‘special breed’. And that revenge is never, ever, the answer.
What good is religion? @aeon – this articles takes on the
relentless and often times misdirected focus of countries on economic growth
and development as the only end goal of human flourishment. With our focus on
increasing GDPs, we’re forgetting that we are humans and that we have spiritual
and human needs, which money and wealth, however abundant, cannot fulfill. Religion,
then, has been and is and will be the answer to shift our focus on things that
really matter, while also aligning it with our economic needs to make a win-win
situation.
4: A Glance on Upcoming Weeks
I recently came across a collection of best articles of 2020,
so I’m pretty excited to read and share them in the coming weeks.
I am working on my year-end lists as well of my favorite
books, songs, and possibly movies. I am also awaiting some other lists as well
which I’ll share in coming weeks.
I also have a reading agenda for 2021, where I’ll read a
specific genre a month with the goal of learning more about a specific topic. I’ll
be sharing about it coming weeks.
Although it’s just a change of calendars, I, like most
people, am excited for 2021 despite the bleak signs. Maybe, it’s just another
chance for trying again. Maybe.
5: This Week’s Quotes
[we both] send you lots of love and absolute knowledge that
things will be OK.
– Cathy Rentzenbrink