the things i am thinking while smiling politely
Sharon Dodua Otoo English
Paperback, 104 pages
110 x 180mm
978-3-942885-22-5 / 2-116
12,80 Euro
Publication date: 02/2012
English
Paperback, 104 pages
110 x 180mm
978-3-942885-22-5 / 2-116
12,80 Euro
Publication date: 02/2012

Content

“the things i am thinking while smiling politely” is the story of the decline and break-up of a marriage as well as the consequences for close family and friends. Ama loses her sista, Kareem learns to mistrust a good friend, the siblings Ash and Beth have to fight for their mother’s affection, Till and his wife drift away from each other… Sensitively, honestly and with a special sense of humour, the woman with all these roles describes how she rediscovers herself – and not only in the positive sense. Following years of activist work in the Black German community, Sharon Dodua Otoo continues to pursue empowerment as a theme, this time in the field of literature. Sharon weaves her observations on everyday racism and privilege into the story of a Black British woman whose marriage breaks down.


Author

Sharon Dodua Otoo — Sharon Dodua Otoo is an author, activist and editor of the English-language book series “Witnessed.” Her first novellas “the things i am thinking while smiling politely” (2012) and “Synchronicity” (2015) were published in German translation by edition assemblage in 2012 and 2014 respectively. read more

Reading Sample / Cover

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Reviews (3)

Otoo’s writing is efficient and brutal with a journal-like quality. This writing style effortlessly explores complex issues like white supremacy in intimate relationships, cultural colonialism, immigration, the mine-field of divorce and universal human failure. None of these issues are at the center of the story, yet are weaved through everything that happens. Her narrative gives us a sneak peek into the unsaid and often felt universe of a black woman in Berlin —  Denise Van der Cruze, The Mic Movement
Reading this brings flashes of recognition: how it is to be loved and overlooked, to be thought exotic and scorned, to be adored and ignored- all at the same time. Sharon Otoo strings us along, spellbound, with fragments of language that fill us with the thought: this is how the heart breaks. —  Fawzia Kane, Poet and Author of „Tantie Diablesse“
An intense and penetrating account of the emotional fallout, secrets and lies that shadow the death of a relationship. —  Neil Ansell, Author of „Deep Country“