Euphoria

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The anthropologists Nell and her husband Fen, opposed poles but a research team on the life and culture of the tribes in the area, bump unexpectedly into a colleague in the field, Andrew Bankston. That meeting will represent the starting point of a battle of egos that will accentuate the unbalanced power dynamics between the married couple, triggering a turbulent love triangle that will turn upside down the lives of the three protagonists.

Also included are excerpts from Nell’s journals, so we get glimpses into her work and her complex feelings for the two men, as well as her memories of another colleague and former lover, Helen. Being agender became less of a burden I felt squashed by, in terms of having to tell people and confront it, and it became something that I admitted finally that I wanted to embrace instead of pushing away,” Laird explained. The study of cultural differences by these individuals is not a tendentious prop to raise our consciousness. Rather, there's more of an allegory that coils and tightens, and ultimately astonishes. The intersection between the anthropologists and the tribes that they study is the predominant theme and the fulcrum of suspense in this story. I finished this novel a few days ago, but the parallels between the text, subject matter, and reader continue to heighten and captivate me. As the story progressed, it revealed clues that were intensified by the reader's observation of the anthropologists and the their immersion in the cultures. Cat Laird, a freelance comic artist and illustrator, told PinkNews they often find their gender a “difficult topic” to talk about when they’re “the focus of conversation”.

So too are the encounters between the Stones and Bankson and the tribes under their study: Tam and Kiona, respectively. These are the genius moments of Euphoria, as these three Westerners assume the role of cultural scientists with the arrogance born of ignorance. Theirs is a new science and they are eager to experience the euphoria of discovery and understanding. When a breakthrough is made, they feel they could “rip the stars from the sky and write the world anew.” Here too there is intrigue, as Nell is allowed deeper into the female-dominated society of the Tam while Fen, with all his petty jealousy and arrogance, secretly plots to obtain his own piece of fame. CAP Ward’s memoir-style comic in ‘When I Was Me: Moments of Gender Euphoria’ is based on their experiences of gender while exploring nature. (CAP Ward/Quindrie Press) He continued: “It’s been a great reminder of just how meaningless a lot of the outside views the trans community is because, at the end of the day, they’re just people.

In another journal entry she has just awakened from a dream about “Helen”, a fictional version of Mead’s mentor Ruth Benedict, who she had a brief affair with near the time Fen was entering her life: Because he has limited access to the tribe Nell and Fen are studying, what he witnesses is limited, and we have to do the work of connecting episodes and judge whether we can trust his observations. The winning volume in the 1982 Yale Series of Younger Poets competition is Cathy Song’s Picture Bride, a book about people and their innumerable journeys. Distinguished poet Richard Hugo says, ‘Cathy Song’s poems are flowers: colorful, sensual, and quiet, and they are offered almost shyly as bouquets to those moments in life that seemed minor but in retrospect count the most. She often reminds a loud, indifferent, hard world of what truly matters to the human spirit.'” Citizen: An American Lyric by Claudia Rankine (1963–) They find it “easier to talk about through comics or written word”, especially as they’ve “never formally come out to the world”, just a “select few people”. Nel Stone and her husband, Fen, have been married for about three years when they meet another anthropologist in New Guinea - Bankson. Bankson is recuperating from a failed suicide attempt and does his best to help out Nell and Fen, who aIt is undisputed that Maed´s work was colossal and regularly challenged by her environment, but ultimately contributed to extending human perception. John Donne was an English poet, preacher and a major representative of the metaphysical poets of the period. His works are notable for their realistic and sensual style and include sonnets, love poetry, religious poems, Latin translations, epigrams, elegies, songs, satires and sermons.” On Love and Barley: Haiku of Bashoby Basho (1644–1694), Translated by Lucien Stryk The story is mostly told by Bankson in a first person narrative where I got a sense of his personal losses, his frame of mind, and his feelings for Nell. Nell’s journal entries are interspersed and they reflect her deep commitment to the people she is studying, especially the women and children and a sense of how she feels about the people in her life . We only learn about Fen, my least favorite character, through these narratives. While I went into this thinking it would be Nell’s story, I ended up thinking that it was as much Andrew’s story. He was my favorite character and I have to admit I fell a little in love with him. Keats published three volumes of poetry before his death at age twenty-five of tuberculosis…His poetry and his remarkable letters reveal a spirit of questing vitality and profound understanding and his final volume, which contains the great odes and the unfinished Hyperion, attests to an astonishing maturity of power.” Leaves of Grass by Walt Whitman (1819–1892) To enjoy the experience, you have to be honest and allow yourself to be very vulnerable, be seen, be known,” Sarson said. “And that’s so hard.”

In poems complex in meaning yet clear in statement and depiction, Hirshfield explores questions of identity, aging, death, and of time and the variegated gifts brought by its relentless passage. Whether meditating upon a button, the role of habit in our lives, or the elusive nature of our relationship to sleep, Hirshfield brings each subject into a surprising and magnified existence.” Urban Tumbleweed: Notes From a Tanka Diaryby Harryette Mullen (1953–) Loosely based on the experiences of real-life anthropologists Margaret Mead, Reo Fortune, and Gregory Bateson, Euphoria is a captivating work of historical fiction. Set in the 1930’s Territory of New Guinea, the setting is exotic and the various cultures in the region are intriguing. I became immediately interested in learning about the tribes living along the Sepik River right along with the fictionalized characters Nell Stone and her husband Fen, and the depressed and isolated Andrew Bankson. These three are drawn to one another; and their interactions, both professionally and romantically, are well developed and quite irresistible. I admired Nell and could feel such empathy for her at times as she struggled not just to understand the people of New Guinea, but humanity itself. “I think above all else it is freedom I search for in my work, in these far-flung places, to find a group of people who give each other the room to be in whatever way they need to be. And maybe I will never find it all in one culture but maybe I find parts of it in several cultures, maybe I can piece it together like a mosaic and unveil it to the world.” The novel is told from Bankson’s point of view, which I found very appealing as his character was more approachable to me and lent an air of nostalgia to the story. Snippets of Nell Stone’s diary entries are also interspersed throughout and add additional perspective to the narrative. Okay, breath caught. Pretty obvious, I loved this book! Yes, it's the story of early anthrolopology, loosely based on Margaret Mead. When I started reading, I thought it was good, but also a little slow. However, once I got into the second half I literally couldn't put it down! The story revolves around three main characters, Nell, her husband Fen, and fellow anthropologist Bankson. What blew me away was how I felt like I was seeing with my own eyes, native cultures never before seen, never touched by anything or anyone outside of their own society. Here's a quote from early on. " Anthropology at the time was in transition, moving away from the study of men dead and gone to the study of living people and slowly letting go of the rigid belief that the natural inevitable culmination of every society is the Western model." Huh, almost a century later, and is this not still our rigid belief? No, it isn’t. They know their ancestors have a plan for them. There’s no sense that it was wrong. Tragedy is based on this sense that there’s been a terrible mistake, isn’t it?’There is a strong sense of place, but there aren’t any overly long descriptions, yay! I hate it when the writer feels the need to describe every gorgeous, striated leaf in the place. The writer does a great job of letting us use our own imaginations to visualize the details. Some authors don’t know how to do this; King is a pro. I have to laugh that I enjoyed the setting so much—I’m an indoor bunny who recoils from bugs, crocodiles, and heat, and yet I was totally digging this river-side living in the tropics. The setting reminded me a lot of State of Wonder, one of my favorite books, so I’m sure I was predisposed to liking it. Each poem is a vivid snapshot, painting pictures with words that offer a glimpse into the possibility of hope during life's most challenging times. With its elegant design and soul-stirring content, c hasing euphoria makes for a thoughtful gift for anyone in need of a little inspiration and healing. I have lost patience when dysfunctional relationships become the center of a love story, particularly when it’s easy to predict how badly they will end for everyone. If I am in need of one of those, I turn to the classics. Michael Ondaatje. Karen Blixen. A.S. Byatt. My Review: Five stars were well within reach, in fact were more or less guaranteed, but there was a problem. Well, isn't there always. But this is my happy place: