No maths jargon, no incomprehensible ideas, no cryptic symbols, just the artistic pursuit of mathematics. I quite enjoyed it and almost anybody would, you don't even have to like numbers to appreciate all that this book contains, only intuition and being able to relate to reality.
The authors wrote in a light tone and made use of humorous nuances. There is an abundance of math trivia too, the origins of the many questions that exist in the math world and its human history.
To loosely sum it up: There is a story ready to unfold whenever we look at something, and pay it close attention in the intense light of focused simplicity.
Kelley's foreword already had me sucking air through my teeth in short timely intervals, breathing in the scepticism. It's an unauthorised biography, which means that it is written without the subject's cooperation or control but completed by using various sources; related or unrelated to the subject. People have always been in a hurry to sprinkle dust over Oprah's name, she's been fighting that battle since I can remember watching her show and following her career. So my expectations as to what was to follow had already been tainted. Some parts I enjoyed, the bits I never knew about; other times I felt that I was reading a bunch of ramblings. It's an interesting take and Kelley is a renowned best-seller of this genre (unauthorised biography), and you can tell why, the book is the compilation of a vast amount of history and notes. She has been quoted as saying that her writing is about "moving an icon out of the moonlight and into the sunlight."
In a short summary the book sums up this about Ms Oprah Winfrey: "Sometimes generous, magnanimous, and deeply caring. Sometimes petty, small-minded, and self-centred."
And then, The Color Purple by Alice Walker. You know, when something is entirely too good for any words? Well, this is it. The story is narrated through letters written by one character. I am not going to give away much, because you should get it yourself to read, you'll thank me after. The narrator's English is poor, she isn't schooled plus it's written in the Southern American tone - a little difficulty grasping it at first but you soon get a hang of it.
Alice wrote the story in wonderful depictions of human sacrifice, compassion, empathy and apathy, the roles of loved ones in your life and the lack and loss of them too, negligence and abandonment; she touches eloquently on the subjects of God, the bible, religion, African History and so much more. It ends on a note of reconciliation, forgiveness, mediation, understanding, love, caring and personal development and growth of the characters. A heart-rending story that tugged at my heart strings, I found my eyes filling at the brim with warm tears every-so-often.
I love how poignantly educative this novel is, people have a tendency to dismiss novels as wishy-washy stuff but most of the ones I've read have been filled with an abundance of knowledge and not too mention literary beauty. I will forever regard The Color Purple in high-esteem, I'm a fond reader of Alice Walker's poetry and short prose - this would be my first novel of hers that I've read and certainly not the only.
Currently, am reading Iyanla Vanzant's Peace from Broken Pieces, I've only just started so there's not much to elaborate upon - although, I can say that some of what I've read resonates and I will probably finish it with more terms in hand to express life's throes.
