After 2 years of careful rule following, of mask wearing, of
hand washing, of social distancing, of jab, jabbing, and jabbed I have had over a week,
so far of covid. Whilst wiping out the whole week of work this has meant quite
an impressive 4-day headache, a colossal sore throat and among other things has lead to a
loss of taste, general woozyness and weakness. How did my eyes get to ache? But
in the positive column a by-product of sleeping outside in the day has been the
beginning of a summer tan and in the last couple of evenings an easing of symptoms
but an inability to sleep has meant I have read and read.
The Go-Between: A Portrait of Growing Up Between Different Worlds by Osman Yousefzada an interesting and slightly reminisce led book of a
childhood that wasn't mine but returned me to another time. The parallel
experience of the Asian children of my youth is exposed in a thoughtful and open way. https://www.anothermag.com/design-living/13904/the-go-between-osman-yousefzada-book-review-author-interview-202 The Escape Artist: The Man Who
Broke Out of Auschwitz to Warn the World, the story of Rudolf Vrba's life by Jonathan Freeland was told with exquisite precision. What an
extraordinary life. https://www.google.com/amp/s/amp.theguardian.com/books/2022/jun/08/the-escape-artist-by-jonathan-freedland-review-the-first-jews-to-escape-auschwitz Reading it has meant that I went on to watch episode 20 of World at War, reliving the fear I felt as a child, the burning faces
within the opening titles. Whilst it was fascinating to see a man whose life I
had just read about living and talking the death camp footage was as shocking
as the day I first saw it and images of men marching through streets with
burning torches, and the talk of purity and nationalism had a disturbing
resonance. So, then there is the obvious move onto rereading Primo Levi's If This is a Man, more detail of pain and human degradation but also
strength. Onto screens - Coda, a beautiful feel-good story, smart, clever, and funny. Bull, a brutal revenge tale with a twisting reveal, wince
inducing and a little traumatizing. Meddler, a tale of loss and connection, sad and yet warming. Hustle, Adam Sandler is on a roll, fast paced and believable, especially
enjoyed the travel montage. Chivalry – the tone of the series sometimes feels
random, each episode feels almost separate from the next - there is a handbrake turn of a direction in episode 3 - the whole thing pervades a sense
of unease and discomfort - which I think is the point. Fresh – it has
comedy thriller on the box but I struggled to find laughs with the level of oppressive
activity, the central premise is a believable, interesting internet niche market idea
but ultimately sad and dark.
