Zami: A New Spelling of My Name

Zami: A New Spelling of My Name

Adult nonfiction
"To whom do I owe the power behind my voice, what strength I
have become, yeasting up like the sudden blood from under the bruised
skin's blister...
To whom do I owe the symbols of my survival?"
Audre Lorde was born black, female, and gay into a world that
considered two aspects of her identity to be inferior and the third
taboo. As a child she encountered racism, even in her Catholic
school, as she reveals in discussing an incident in which her
principal requested her mother to give her a more "becoming" hair
style after her classmates made fun of her braids rather than address
the bullying.
"...At Saint Catherine's School, the Sisters of Charity were
downright hostile. Their racism was unadorned, unexcused, and
particularly painful because I was unprepared for it..."
Home had its own pains. Lorde's two older sister's excluded her
from their activities and secrets. She yearned for a little sister
she could be close to. Her mother was beloved and terrifying at the
same time, a big believer in corporal punishment with rigid standards
for daughterly behavior. When she came home heartbroken from losing
an election her mother gave her a beating.
"'Sure enough, didn't I tell you not to come in here bringing
down tears over some worthless fool election?' Smack! 'What the hell
you think we send you to school for?' Smack!..."
There is a lot of sadness in this book that follows Lorde's life
trajectory from birth to early adulthood. But there are also times of
triumph and discovery. And there are rich strands of myth, legend,
and current events woven throughout the volume.
If a deeply personal, unwhitewashed narrative of a woman growing
into a forbidden identity in a hostile culture is your cup of tea,
you'll find this book to be a must read.
On a purrrsonal note, the highlight of the first half of this week was
my birthday. It started sad because I was remembering how in
nonpandemic years I'd be surrounded by friends. I couldn't tune out
the isolation of shelter in place like I usually do. But I was
getting letters from friends. All my children called. Eugene got us
MacDonalds drive thru for my birthday supper. We stopped at Goodwill
where I bought sock monkey pajamas, 2 unicorn shirts, and 4 books for
my second spike library. At home something truly amazing happened.
My manager, Anna, stopped by. She had a cat toy for Tobago and yummy
cupcakes and a card signed by my supervisors and coworkers for me.
All the sweet messages made my heart sing. I miss them so much! Of
course I had candy for my evening reading and a beer happy hour. It
was amazingly good for a day for which I had low expectations.
As of today Tobago has been with Eugene and me nine months. (Jules)
The growly thing is awake. The house is nice and warm (Tobago).
A great big shout out goes out to everyone who helped to make my
birthday a happy one.
Tobago and Jules Hathaway


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