Harlem Diary

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The (dis)order of the readings

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The (dis)order of the readings

April 18th, 2023

Alfredo Ávila
Apr 18, 2023
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The (dis)order of the readings

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I am somewhat overwhelmed with work and reading. As my readers know, I read a lot. I read for pleasure and also for my work. Some people have told me I spend a lot of time reading fiction. The reason is the same: I read them for the pleasure they give me and for my work. Historians must also read novels, essays, journalistic chronicles, and diverse narratives. I have learned many things about my craft thanks to those literary genres.

In the previous weeks, I read Tongolele no sabía bailar, by Sergio Ramírez. I didn't particularly like it, but it taught me a lot about Nicaragua and the authoritarian and irrational drift of the Sandinista government. I also read Asalto al banco central, by Mar Esteban Padilla. I know better chronicles about the early eighties in Spain, although it also allowed me to learn many things I did not know.

A better read was undoubtedly Colson Whitehead's Harlem Shuffle. As with the previous two books, this one allowed me to learn history, but it is also very well-written and has an exciting and well-crafted plot.

Right now, I have several readings in process. These days I've been reading Before She Met Me, by Julian Barnes. I have been doing it gradually because I have many more assignments. I started reading The Church of the Death, by Jeniffer Hughes, an investigation into a severe epidemic in Mexico in the 16th century. I must also read a report on cholera in New York in 1834, not to mention the vast amount of documents in the archives and newspapers for my research. Tomorrow I will address precisely the swamp of academic research work.

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