Book/Film 'Linc'

I hope you all had a great weekend!

As you all know Ryan had prior commitments on Friday night (with his good friend Chris), so I made plans with my friend Vanessa for a girls night out. We went out for some delicious pizza and wine at 'Without Papers' in Inglewood, followed by a trip to the theater to watch Steven Spielberg's new film 'Lincoln'.

I didn't know much about Abraham Lincoln, but have been very interested in learning more about him, and his efforts towards abolishing slavery. Plus I love Daniel Day-Lewis and I have been dying to see the film ever since I saw the preview. I didn't give Vanessa much of a choice on the movie selection for our night out. Considering it was a two and half hour long movie (starting at 10PM), I was a little worried she might not enjoy it. I think she liked it though because when we left the movie the first thing she said was 'I think I have a crush on Abraham Lincoln.' I laughed, but then realized I might just feel the same way!
The movie had a lot of dialogue, and not much action, but there were a lot of funny, sad, touching, and of course, heartwarming moments. It definitely did not feel like a two and a half hour movie. Daniel Day-Lewis was outstanding and portrayed Abraham Lincoln as a very endearing man. The idea of abolishing slavery was such an unbelievable thought to so many people at the time. Some of the dialogue, including an exclamation of "What's next?! Women will have the right to vote?" demonstrate how much some things have changed in the last 150 years. There were people in 1865 fighting for what they believed in, who made such a difference in shaping our society. Despite the efforts of people like Abraham Lincoln, issues such as racism and prejudice remain prevalent in our world today. Watching this movie, I was reminded of the importance of our actions and how we treat one another. Watching the story of Abraham Lincoln was inspirational.

After the movie, I was reminded of the way I felt after reading 'The Help' by Kathryn Stockett.

The novel focuses on the lives of African American maids working in white households in Jackson, Mississippi. Eugenia 'Skeeter' Phelan, is a young aspiring author who moves back home after completing her university degree. She is inspired to write a novel from the perspective of the black maids working in her community because she is troubled by the frequent acts of discrimination. The novel is also a tribute to her maid, Constantine, who raised her as a child.

The efforts made by Skeeter to inform and pass along the stories of  injustice, fear, and mistrust to which many of the African American maids were subjected, become impactful on the lives of all the women in her community. This re-enforces the idea that regardless of the time we are living in, the strong and positive actions of people are what we should remember.

I highly recommend both this movie and novel to those of you in need of thought-provoking and inspirational stories.

Happy reading!
Domi