Jan 30, 2021
The Yellow House by Sarah M. Broom
So this book was on my list for like 6 months, and then I had a hard time finding it, and THEN it sat on my shelf for nearly a year, because I was planning to read it in preparation for a trip to New Orleans which got canceled due to COVID.
And… I’m so glad I finally picked it up.
The Yellow House is a memoir about growing up in New Orleans East.
It’s about Katrina (before & after), it’s about a house, it’s about family…
But what it’s *really* about is HOME.
What is a home? Is it a house? A neighborhood? The people around you? (Yes, all of the above.)
But what happens when you move away from home—when you move halfway around the world to carve out an identity of your own—and while you’re gone, your home gets washed away, your family scattered to the four corners of the country, some never to return?
In The Yellow House, Sarah M. Broom attempts to tackle these questions and tell her family’s story—while also shedding light on the numerous, multi-faceted, insidious ways that New Orleans’ Black population was utterly failed by its government, both before AND after Katrina, in so many ways. It’s beautifully, lyrically written, and (I just realized this) the changing rhythms are like water—at times a meandering, muddy river; at times a rushing torrent. I’ve seen some critics taking issue with the slow parts, but looking at it this way, the rhythmic changes feel just right (and totally intentional).
I recommend reading this one for real—not the audiobook. (There’s pictures.)
About Sam
Samantha Pollack is a Copywriter & Creative Director who works with ethically minded, mission driven businesses who are actively trying to reshape our culture (and possibly tear down the patriarchy). She’s also the founder of The Highly Sensitive Business Owner, a 12-week online program that helps HSPs & neurodivergent business owners create healthier, more sustainable systems in their work.
Sam also writes about feminism, privilege, pop culture, entrepreneurship, the creative process, and whatever else is on her mind. She currently lives in Asheville, NC.
Emails for cult thought leaders.
(Personality included.)
Want to learn how to craft emails that inspire action and engagement WITHOUT the “tried and true” (cough: patriarchal) norms we’ve all been taught?
I’m doing it, and I can show you how to do it, too.
(But sometimes, I also like to write about the books I’m reading, or the creative process, or the entrepreneurial experience, or why I hate Steve Jobs, or how I met my BFF. I’ll send you emails like that, too.)
*Just kidding. It’s only an email list.
Books. Cats. Rants. Drawrings.
(and every couple months or so, an unexplained absence 🤷🏻)
