Tim: The Red Convertible

Hey boys,

It’s late, but it’s still Monday. Ya’ll were probably hoping for some free beer…next time.  Caleb, did you ever watch Victoria? Ben- did you ever finish it/figure out how itunes fucked you? Hope we can all catch up to date on our Macduties this week. Caleb- read all of the articled you shared in your Mac the other week. So excellent. I particularly was hooked to the journalists going undercover as refugees and fleeing to Australia. That shit blew my mind. The article you wanted us to read for the Mac Monday was really interesting. Fear is violence. Man, how true a statement, especially during a presidential campaign where Trump rules from his fear mongering…I was left feeling quite sad at where we are in America; that after all this “change” in the last 50 years….there is still a deep-routed divide between white and black. I guess that’s been largely evident in the news the past few years with Police brutality and #thewhiteOscars, but Biss paints such relatable picture of her own experiences with that divide. Ben-Juarez was insane/intense/bad ass/terribly real/sad, but still amazing to witness, and its a side of the war on drugs that no one really sees. Like I said before, I really want to read that dudes book on Juarez and the drug trade in Mexico…I think there are some very dark truths to be uncovered in there as well.
Eula Biss ( what a fucking weird name) took passages from Little House on the Prairie to aid her in her arguments…specifically referencing the Indian Removal Act in 1830 that Congress passed during the presidency of Andrew Jackson, where Native American tribes were forced by the American government from their lands so that “pioneers” and frontiersmen could gain access to south eastern lands. I’m not sure where in me that triggered this memory…but after reading that article I went online and found this short story I read my sophomore year at Bates in an English class.

It was called “The Red Convertible” by Louise Erdrich. Its about a Native American man in North Dakota and his relationship with his brother who went off to fight in Vietnam. Its a somber tale, but a very visceral story. For some reason this piece stuck with me through the years…maybe because it was written by a Native American woman, a voice not nearly heard enough these days, but also the story itself is very powerful. Anyway, it’s a quick read.I found a link online so here it is.

Hope you all have fantastic and productive and fun weeks.

Tim

“The Red Convertible”

http://www.napavalley.edu/people/LYanover/Documents/English%20121/English%20121%20Louise%20Erdrich%20The%20Red%20Convertible.pdf