Dec 09 2009
Sometimes it’s the common things that are remarkable
When I read the excerpt from “Where Did You Sleep Last Night?” I was immediately struck with Danzy Senna’s story, not so much because of the details of her plight, but of how much it sounded like everyone else’s.
It would be a huge exaggeration to say that Senna was the only one in the world to have experienced familial problems, but the way she captures her quest in finding her father was captivating.
She precisely discussed the symbolic nature of her parents’ marriage. It was a union of two different worlds to say the least, not only in race, but in upbringing.
She mentioned how her mother was brought up in a sort of “American Aristocracy” with her family steeped in history of education and success. On the opposite side of the coin, her father was a nobody, with no history.
I loved how she likened their marriage as a symbolic union. It was almost as if their marriage was symbolic of the promise of future multicultural unity, though it does end violently with beatings, stalkings and police intervention.
Despite this, Senna chronicles the ordeals she went through artistically in her story. How she does in front of a live audience is, however, a different story.
I don’t know if there’s a lot of pride in how she presents her family. In a way, there is because she claims them and their history, but on the other hand she isn’t absolutely enthusiastic about her pedigree. In fact, she speaks of her mom’s heritage in passing almost. Or at least that’s how I felt.
True, think it is the mark of a successful write to convert ordinary tales into extraordinary!!!! That’s what Danzy Senna does. It is also a matter of courage. not everyone is brave enough to put forth his or her family problems i front of the world. Plus I also feel that because she was able to write a book about her relationship with her family, it shows how much they mean to her and how much she values them in spite of their faults.
True, what I think can make her book a success, is not her familial struggles (which are common with the ever rising divorce rates), but as you said her quest to learn more about her father.
I do not understand how she is able to describe her family in such an artistic, beautiful manner. I could never describe my family so vividly and tell a story in the powerful way that she did. I could tell that she is proud of her family and loves them greatly despite the differences.