World Literature in Review (January-February 2010), p. 161.
Agnes Arany. Love Me Black or Love Me White. Adam Makkai et al., tr. New York / Bloomington, Indiana. iUniverse. 2009. vii + 232 pages, ill. $16.95.ISBN 978-1-4401-1625-4
Love Me Black or Love Me White falls somewhere between fiction and fact in content, somewhere between imaginative narrative and travelogue in genre. Like the central figure in the stories, Agnes Arany has traveled and lived throughout much of the world, from Budapest to Russia, Egypt, Singapore, Hong Kong, and Hawaii. As a result, the interest lies as much in the atmosphere of disparate worlds as in the actions of the characters, for Arany has a sharp eye for even minor details in Budapest apartments and cafes, a Coptic monastery, a seedy Russian town in the provinces, or an aseptic luxury building in Singapore set in squalid surroundings.
At the same time, Arany exposes injustices: racism that undermines the official communist doctrine of equality; Muslim oppression of women; sexist and nationalist chauvinism in Russia that buries an accusation of rape and exposes the victim to further advances by every male she meets; the isolation of a molested child; hopeless poverty in Singapore; the easy moral superiority of the pilot who destroyed a city.
Sometimes, the moral seems too heavily enforced, as when "Clean, Cleaner, Cleanest" shifts from the pilot to a Vandal who, after a successful raid, dreams of pushing the button to bomb a city or when "Palm Branch and Typhoon" blends the violence of a Hong Kong storm with gunshots in the Chicago night.
But for the most part, Arany works more artfully. The title story moves through shifting times and viewpoints to tell the story of a Hungarian woman's failed love affair with an African medical student. The woman has written the central part of the story, but in the surrounding frame tale, the former student reads the story years later, communicates with her, and leaves the narrator open to an unexpected kind of love.
"Wives Are Best When Thrashed" is told in even subtler fashion. A series of scenes is strung, apparently at random, along trips on a tour bus. The narrator's observations are central, but the other tourists serve as conflicting choric voices as they quibble with each other even in the peaceful monastery. At the end, after the narrator learns the reason for an awful woman's behavior, she tries to assure the guide that her husband must love her enough not to beat her again. Then the bus returns past palm trees that had appeared near death in full sun but now "sense fresh energy in their leaves, although they know that the sun will scorch them again tomorrow and they must keep on struggling for their survival."
As this quotation indicates, despite the pain that fills the stories, Arany's is essentially a religious vision, connected less to a particular creed than to a sense of human resilience and a hope for its ultimate triumph.
Robert Murray Davis
University of Oklahoma
This review is from: Love Me Black or Love Me White (Hardcover)
Semi auto-biographical without being sentimental, revealing without being defensive, dispassionate yet empathetic, timeless yet grounded in precise moments that are about to be forgotten, seven artfully crafted stories form a most satisfying though quite troubling whole. Love Me Black or Love Me White is highly recommended for individual reading but also for a wide variety of courses and settings: black studies, sociology of race, gender studies, human sexuality, courses that wish to explore issues concerning human inhumanity. This might suggest that the author has used a shotgun to spray pellets into the sky, but quite the contrary Agnes Arany has woven these issues into intensely personal yet universal depictions that give vocabulary for group discussion--across the boundaries of race, gender and creed.
Each of the stories is situated in a different culture or within the clash of cultures and ideologies. Topics as controversial as rape, abortion, and racial discrimination are presented in such a way that discussion and thought are invited not foreclosed. Nothing has been sensationalized yet the author's passion does come through. This is not a imaginary journey of a writer but the written record of one who has lived through and now shares wisdom that has come with a price.
I highly recommend this significant work for all who are willing to examine, through the author's struggle, our own humanity, passions and drives as well as our ideologies and conceits.
Stephany Carvajal "S.Carvajal"(Amazon 5 stars)
Love Me Black or Love Me White by Agnes Arany is composed of numerous timeless short stories as valid today as they were fifty years ago and fifty years into the future. Arany writes from her endless travels to the world's most exotic countries like China and Hungary. She meets interesting people, creates lasting friendships and experiences romance in curiously untold ways. Her topics include love, acceptance, rejection, friendship, prejudice, racial discrimination, rape, abortion, rebellion, women's rights, ideologies, war, etc. all interwoven in her personal accounts.
She has engendered seven wonderful pieces. "Love Me Black or Love Me White" is about a young Hungarian woman named Anna who falls in love with Edmund, a black medical student from Kenya. Their love is passionate and forbidden. Other stories like "Palm Branch and Typhoon" are about her time in China and an event one can imagine to be so tragic, leaves Agnes scarred and traumatized still.
I strongly recommend this ingenious collection to anyone who is willing to broaden their views on the world, humanities, culture and compassion.
Stefan Kuster De Souza(Amazon 5 stars)
Love Me Black or Love Me White is the first story of the book by Agnes Arany that has the same title. Edmund is an African American medical student that goes to study in Hungary where he meets a Caucasian lady by the name of Anna Owens. They fall in love and begin a relationship together, causing uproar on the part of Anna's family. Her family did not at all approve this relationship and in general, Hungary in the 1970s was rather a very discriminatory place. Anna's family did whatever they could to separate the couple but she fought back and eventually her family stopped bothering her so much.
After getting Anna pregnant, Edmund decided it was time for him to go back to Kenya to practice medicine. He claimed that his own people needed his care more than the Hungarian population. The topic of abortion comes alive when Anna decides whether or not to have the baby. The story becomes very sad when Edmund leaves Anna behind. What will be in store for Anna's future? Will she ever see Edmund again? This story is also contemporary because it touches on the global issue of racism that no doubt still goes on today.
This story was extremely well written and given the fact that this is the author's first book in the English Language, I think Agnes is off to a great start. I surely hope this book is the first of many to come.
ziziJG (Barnes&Noble 5stars)
These gems of seven short stories are as timely as they are timeless - similar to the song "We shall overcome". The election of a black President is proof of a great deal of "overcoming". Agnes Arany's book offers the kinds of "teachable moments" for which our President often calls, except that Agnes Arany's stories will stay with us beyond the "moment". They will weave themselves into the texture of our lives, as the witnessing won't let us fall back into indifference. These experiences of what is universally human and cross-culturally valid are shown from their flip-side, from behind the agreed-upon façades and conventional half-truths. They carry the weight of existential quests of the human condition written with the ethereal touch of a woman writer who lived through these gruesome moments in her wonderings around the world. Agnes Arany discovers her inner resources to overcome lasting injuries and scarring in the face of rape and political coercion to silence her in the former Soviet Union ("Violations"). The title story sheds new light on the inexhaustible theme of race-relations and abortion, and compels the reader to venture behind today's American social conventions into what once had been hidden by the Iron Curtain - adding more complexities to the discourse and new dimensions to the healing process. These stories are par excellence "teachable", yet they are not mere theoretical reflections; they are flesh-and-blood experiences of the writer. It is precisely this authenticity that is so vividly capturing as if one saw it on a motion picture screen. They transport the reader to exotic places and situations, while insisting on our giving deep thought and trying to sort out basic ethical conundrums. We will find ourselves in the middle of her stories that, although they had actually happened, will remain open with the unavoidable question, "How would I have acted in her place? And then why?"
ValeriaRendon(Barnes&Noble 5stars)
Love me Black or Love me White is truly a magnificent gem. Touching upon many different controversial issues we still encounter to this day, we are left at the edge of our seats as we drink in the experiences of dealing with the aftermath of rape, the sting of racism, and the heart wrenching choice that is abortion. Arany created seven short narratives that are descriptive as they are touching. We are captivated from the first story, Love me Black or Love me White, in which two, very much in love, young medical students of different color are torn apart and faced with the trials of abortion, separation, hypocrisy, and racial discrimination. Arany created this book from her own firsthand experiences. Originally born in Hungary, she began to travel abroad and accumulated a variety of experiences worldwide. This book is both shocking and eye-opening to those oblivious to these issues we still face in the world to this day; to others, its serves as an abrupt reminder that injustice, however hidden and ignored, still exists in every corner of the world. This book very well calls to us to fight against these issues ourselves, instead of turning a blind eye to them. Arany poured out her very soul in the making of this book. She has created the beginning to a great legacy. I extremely recommend everyone to pick up this book, as it was enriching as well as informative. I certainly look forward to see more works from her.
Anonymous(Barnes&Noble 4stars)
'Love me black or Love Me White' is a series of seven novels concentrating on the hypocrisy of communism and racism through the eyes of Agnes Arany. Her first novel 'Love me Black or Love me White' is by far the best story in her book. Based on a true story, Arany demonstrates how difficult it is for a young couple to live their lives in peace and comfort because of their skin colors. The main character Anna meets Edmund, a medical student in the university and falls deeply in love; it seems that where Anna sees a loving, caring, and helpful person the rest of the world just sees him as another black man from Kenya. Anna has trouble understanding why the rest o the world can't just leave her alone and let her live her life, even her own family is prejudice against their relationship. When it seems that Anna has finally found happiness in Edmund, he leaves her pregnant and decides that going back to his mother land to help his people is more important. Anna is torn apart by the idea of having to get an abortion and finally finds the strength to kill her unborn child. The story leaves the reader wondering who the real bad guy is society for not letting her relationship flourish or Edmund for not fighting against racism to defend his true love and unborn child. Arany successfully demonstrates the hardships of life and how sometimes the people closest to you can hurt you the most.
MannyLora(Barnes&Noble 5stars)
Throughout this seven story collection; Anna Arany explains her interracial relationship and the struggles she had to overcome in order to find true love. At first, not even her parents could understand this relationship and Anna was forced to live through it regardless of their opinions. It's absurd how a bright young man with a good education can automatically be ruled out because of race and color. In the main story "Love me Black of Love me White," she paints us the picture of the hypocrisy that still lives in our society today. People still see what's on the outside and not what's hidden beneath the skin of every human being. To make this all possible, Anna tells these stories through real life events that happened to her and gives us firsthand experience to paint vivid pictures in our minds. Every story takes place in a different country and allows us to see many different views on interracial relationships in today's world. All the stories display a great deal of imagery and details to support her observations. This is a great read for the daily reader or for an individual reader who is looking gain information on the topics covered in the stories. This collection of events touches interracial relationships, African American studies, sexual issues and many more. She even touches upon controversial issues like rape, pregnancy, and racial discrimination. All in all, I recommend the book to all who look forward to reading about Anna's struggles in society. There's nothing better than having real life events lead the way.
Tony_Nguyen (Barnes&Noble 5stars)
Love Me Black or Love Me White, written by Agnes Arany, contains many controversial issues like racism, politics, war, women rights, prejudice, and abortion, etc. The author expresses her feeling towards these through seven different stories. The one that was most interesting to me was the first story Love me Black and Love me White. It's about a twenty three year old Anna, who is white, falling in love with Edmund, a black man who grew up in Kenya. Even though an educated man attending a University in Budapest, Hungary as a medical student, Anna's parents and everyone around her do not feel the same way about the relationship between them as Anna and Edmund do, and as a result they go through lots of abuse and racial controversy during their relationship together. I would have to say that the book was well written and splitting up the novel to seven different stories was a wise choice, being able to express her different feeling in each and all. I would highly recommend this book to anyone who would like to endure the same challenges and struggles together with the author. Reading this book would also open your eyes to different cultures and ideologies.
jenwilliams(Barnes&Noble 5stars)
Love Me Black or Love Me White is a fascinating love story about two young medical students, Anna and Edmund. They suffer as they face a racist humanity in which Anna's family didn't approve of her relationship with a black man from Kenya and neither did the rest of the world. These racial differences prevent them from having a life together. Through details and thorough description, Agnes is able to tell a story that involves racial discrimination, violence, and hypocrisy. The story is based on true events that are told from Agnes' personal experience. Anna and Edmund's love story is filled with inevitable struggles and hardships. These struggles and hardships give the reader more than a glimpse of what this young couple had to go through. Anna was persistent and determined to stay with Edmund but the world didn't let her. She gets pregnant and has no other option but to abort. Not only did she have to give up the love of her life, she had to give up her child as well, making it impossible for her to be happy with Edmund in a society that showed neither ethics nor morals. After reading Love Me Black or Love Me White, readers are inspired to improve the world's injustice, a world in which racism and discrimination are common amongst society. The book conveys the reality and intensity of overwhelming issues threatening the pursuit of happiness looked for around the globe. I would recommend this book to the type of readers that engage and can relate themselves to the problems and issues presented in the book, like interracial relationships, friendships, etc. Hopefully, one day, the evil part of the human race will vanish and everyone will have the opportunity to be happy.
aleiaaa_(Barnes&Noble 4stars)
The book Love Me Black or Love Me White depicts the perfect picture of the evil side of human nature. The book touches on some of the toughest and most controversial subjects we face today, such as racism, communism, abortion, rape, domestic violence, and romance. Even though the times have changed and history books say that these issues don't exist anymore, millions of people are still suffering from them. My favorite story was the first one, Love Me Black or Love Me White. Arany vividly illustrates the story of a young white woman, Anna, who falls in love with a black student from Kenya, Edmund. Their relationship becomes a constant battle against the racist community and parents around them. Every day for Anna is a fight against society as she attempts to make them see her more rational and realistic point of view. However, when Anna becomes pregnant with Edmund's baby she is only forced to abort it. I recommend this book because people need to question the morality of humans and witness for themselves the cruelty that people are out there facing every day.
Lois17(Barnes&Noble 4stars)
Love Me Black or Love Me White captures the reality behind socials issues including racial discrimination, abortion, dosmestic violence, and rape in seven short compelling stories based on true events as witnessed by the author. In the leading story, Love Me Black or Love Me White, Anna and her Kenyan boyfriend, Edmund, constantly deal with racial discrimination along with the disapproval of their love by others. Thirty years later as Edmund remembers Anna, we discover the challenges they faced during their relationship. Through an unbiased point of view yet compassionate towards the characters, Agnes Arany vividly describes her real life experiences that leave a powerful impression and will have you questioning the morality and ethics of humanity.
MCastro(Barnes&Noble 4stars)
In Love Me Black Or Love Me White, Agnes Arany illustrates life's struggles through her vivid depiction of a bittersweet romance. White Hungarian Anna Owens falls in love with a Kenyan student, Edmund, and both embark on a relationship full of inevitable hardships. Anna faces the daily challenge of trying to explain her biracial relationship with Edmund to a racist world-finding the most difficulty in explaining it to her parents. Issues of abortion, prejudice, and bigotry are found throughout the story, as Anna and Edmund try to live their lives as happily as they can. However, it all comes to an end when Anna becomes pregnant with Edmund's child and she is forced to abort it. Like any person having to abort a true love's baby, it is never easy but she unavoidably has to do it. This, of course, like all the other societal expectations, puts a strain on the relationship and ultimately leaves Anna and Edmund at odds, never to continue their passionate relationship. As the years pass and Edmund reconnects with Anna, the reader is able to see the repressed love that never perished between the two, both Edmund and Anna still addressing each other by their Swahili names: Nvdovu and Simba. Since Agnes Arany has had to combat similar issues in her life, she gives credibility to her stories and most importantly, to her point. Intolerance is what creates these unnecessary struggles in life, and as in the story, ultimately leads to one's eternal unhappiness. I recommend this book to anyone who enjoys a good read about recognizing society's faults in the individual's ability to pursue true happiness.
loloshmo(Barnes&Noble 4stars)
Love Me Black or Love Me White was set in a time where racial prejudices was at its peak. Other Agnes Arany's vivid description of love between two forbidden lovers is genuine and full of life. This story begins with Anna, a young medical student. She falls deeply in love for Edmund, who is also a medical student from Kenya. The build up of their passionate love is remarkably depicted by Arany's use of details. Unfortunately, because of their interracial relationship, Anna and Edmund are forced to go through many trials throughout their life, because of those in society who want their love to end. I enjoyed this book immensely. I truly admired Anna's confidence and determination to keep her love with Edmund. This book proves that love can take on any forms, regardless of what color you are.
gloryo009 (Barnes&Noble 4stars)
Love Me Black or Love Me White, written by Agnes Arany, presents a collection of seven short stories that pertain to love, hypocrisy, abortion, domestic violence, political oppression, and communism. Certainly Arany's best story, "Love Me Black or Love Me White", is one in which many people can relate to. It's about a young college girl, Anna, who falls in love with Edmund, a black medical student from Kenya. Unfortunately, their young love ended as the disapproval from family members and acquaintances grew stronger. Manifested by Arany's unique and intriguing use of description, this story of building passion demonstrates how surrounding prejudice may create a domino effect in interracial relationships. The descriptions used throughout her stories are dynamic and genuine, showing realism and sensibility. Without missing a single detail, Arany places readers in each story as if they are witnesses to each event. Although the author may have left some endings up for interpretation, such as in "The Old Hindu", her intentions are sought to demonstrate how events in life sometimes don't have fantasy endings. Even though this work is fictional, Arany uses her personal observations to illustrate these controversial topics with realistic interactions. Another great story Arany offers to show this quality is "Wives Are Better When Thrashed". The lively descriptions make it easy for readers to grasp the personalities of each character. For instance, Mrs. Webber is introduced as a bitter, old, and cynical woman who always criticizes everything and everyone. There are several people in the world just like Mrs. Webber, but authors rarely provide authentic character descriptions, let alone any insight on controversial topics. I recommend this greatly executed book, which inspires change and improvement in contemporary society.
MikenIke (Barnes&Noble 4stars)
Love Me Black or Love Me White is an extremely captivating book. Agnes Arany excels in this book by utilizing countless personal anecdotes for the reader to understand her bleak past, and encounters with political oppression, racism, intolerance, ignorance and prejudice to demonstrate how no one is safe from these situations. In Love Me Black or Love Me White, Anna Owens is stricken with grief as she has to pick between her own happiness, and complacency with society's norms. Her relationship with a Kenyan man named Edmund is repeatedly tested by many, including her own family. Anna's struggle with stereotypes, rape, abortion, abuse and racial profiling is presented so sincerely to the reader that the reader is enveloped by her stories and forced to think, "How can one woman tolerate such hardships?". Agnes Arany teaches us to hold true to our beliefs that all man is created equal and she teaches us the meaning of compassion for our fellow man. In Love Me Black or Love Me White, Anna feels like she wants to "jump overboard and swim to shore" to get away from the racial intolerance on board the ship her and Edmund are on. Edmund responds by saying, "Why? Is it any better there?" Arany has moved me to take a stand and fight for racial tolerance in my country. She has moved me to fight for a shore that people can swim to and be safe from the ignorance that surrounds the ship they came from. I strongly recommend this book to anyone who loves a great read.
lazfields (Barnes&Noble 4stars)
Love Me Black or Love Me White is a love story forced to end due to life's prejudice, racism, and ignorance. Anna Owens did not see color when she looked at Edmund; however society reminded her that only color mattered. She became pregnant with his child and was then forced to abort the child when he left for his country, Kenya. She never stopped loving him and after 30 years of separation and in a twist of fate their story repeats itself in the life of his daughter that fell in love and married a white man only to be tragically killed over hate, intolerance, and ignorance. Through her travels to different countries, she spoke of her experiences and put those experiences on paper to share with the world. In the stories, the author depicts the abuse and struggles of women and the superiority of men particularly in Muslim countries where men are regarded as more valuable. She then travels to the Soviet Union in order to see the beginnings of "communism" and to work as a translator for a Hungarian firm. There she is raped and left to feel as if it is her fault, alone, humiliated, and realizing that "they protect their own", there is no sense of right or wrong. While in Chicago, she was able to share her pain with Father Theo who also told her of his own sexual abuse by his own uncle! He too carried the pain and shame of his abuse in his own heart until he was able to confront the pain and understand what happened. Only when we confront our pain are we truly set free. The author is able to tell her story and release her pain.
Atilax80 (Barnes&Noble 5stars)
Love me Black or Love me White presents a collection of seven stories all related to the life of the author, Agnes Arany. She probes a variety of social problems such as racial discrimination, abortion, rape, stereotypes, abuse, domestic violence and political oppression, issues which reached their peak in the 1960's but which are still controversial in contemporary society. Narrating in the first person, she describes how she felt and how must people reacted to her unique struggles. In each story, she meets people from different cultures and ideologies, including Russians, Germans, Egyptians, Africans, Americans, Asians and Hungarians. This book provides special insight about social, moral and ethical values concerning race, gender, ethnicity, religion, minorities and people with special needs. The author's compassionate view of humanity teaches us to treat others equally and to realize that every action has its consequences. I would definitely recommend this book to anyone who wants to learn more about these topics and is willing to expand his or her knowledge and acceptance of our diversity. Agnes Arany celebrates life.
m4drummer (Barnes&Noble 5stars)
Even though I did not get to all the stories in the book, I did read Love Me Black or Love Me White, Wives Are Best When Thrashed, The Old Hindu and Clean, Cleaner, Cleanest. My favorite was the first, Love Me Black or Love Me White. The story is so descriptive and really puts you in the daily lives and struggles between Anna and Edmund. It is sad that even in this day we continue to battle with prejudices of all sorts, but this story proves that there is hope and the love of others and of principle are something to strive towards. It also shows the great importance of becoming our own individual and making decisions based on our opinions and not conforming or discriminating because of social standards. My favorite part of the book is when Anna and Edmund embark on their afternoon in the countryside. Arany's colorful and animated descriptions of the landscape and the family the couple met made me long to be there. In such a crazy city as Miami, I find it near impossible to find any place and or family that would invite complete strangers into their home to join them at dinner. I wish I lived in a place like that. This story shows the best and worst of people. Just like my little countryside family, we should befriend those we don't know and be willing to give of ourselves even if what we are giving is a simple meal or friendly "hello." And at the same time, we need to steer clear of any prejudices or the belief of superiority over others. For a book that was initially written in another language, the translations, I believe, still voiced the intended message with complimenting flow and originality. The cover design was very creative as well. Not only do the contrasting colors portray the differing skin tones of the characters but also allude to a modern understanding of black and white as being right and wrong, truth and fallacy, etc. The overlapping yin-yang sign represents that everything in this world has good and bad to it and with every trouble there is relief and in destruction there is rebirth. This is seen as a balance, and so we need to be open minded and willing to accept something that is considered different or a taboo, all while we strive for equal respect and understanding. Great stuff! Keep it up Agnes; the world is in need of a continuous "wake up call." All the best!