Quotable: I've Been Meaning to Tell You: A Letter to My Daughter by David Chariandy

"But I find myself wondering just when a child begins to dwell in that place of tomorrow. I wonder, most often, about your life in the place of today, and what you have already seen and heard, have already understood and been made to feel. I wonder if there are moments, despite your tough postures, when you have felt neither confident nor safe. I wonder about the persistent message sent to girls in the news, in movies, in language and image, and in the rhetoric of politics and business, especially girls who share your ancestry but who have not had your special opportunities."
— David Chariandy

I spent a lot of time reading in the garden across from my office this summer, and of all the books I read this season, none has stuck with me as much as I've Been Meaning to Tell You: A Letter to My Daughter by David Chariandy. Chariandy, of course, wrote one of my favourite books of last year, Brother. In both books, he reveals an ability to pack so much depth into small, tightly packed, volumes where each sentence is perfectly refined and meaningful. I can't recommend both enough.