A Few Words On "In Other Words"

I purchased "In Other Words" by Jhumpa Lahiri in February of 2016. It was a Sunday morning in New York City. I escorted my parents to the Met and left them to do a tour I had already done several times before. Sunday morning in the City is the best time to roam around. Everyone sleeps in and the usually bustling city is almost eerily calm. I made my way to Shakespeare & Co on Lexington and 69th and browsed the shelves for the book that would serve as a memento of my move to New York. Books have always been keepsakes of my travels and important moments in life. I like to write where I was and what I was doing on the inside cover. It brings me a great deal of joy when I look at my books. They represent so many good moments.

Four years and some change later, I finally nestled in for a good read. I like to think that I picked this book up at just the right time in my life. I'm not entirely sure that it would have meant as much to me back then.

Here's what I learned:

About others... "Here is the border that I will never manage to cross. The wall that will remain forever between me and Italian, no matter how well I learn it. My physical appearance." Lahiri grew up between worlds, not quite fitting in completely at home with her parents' culture and not quite fitting in with the culture around her. She says, "As a result, I consider my mother tongue, paradoxically, a foreign language too...I'm a writer who doesn't belong completely to any language." As an adult she chose what felt right to her... Italian. But no matter how right it feels to her and no matter how well she masters the language there will always be people that, because of her Indian appearance, will believe that they cannot understand her when she speaks Italian.

Whether you are trying to speak another language or not, I think Lahiri's experience resonates with most of us. Physical appearance can often stand as a wall to being understood and no single group has carte blanche on that. We all do it to each other. It left me thinking a little less about myself and thinking more about my interactions with others. How can I take people less at face value and understand more accurately who they are and what they are trying to tell me?

About learning... "The unknown words remind me that there's a lot I don't know in this world." I love this sentence. Language is not finite. Language is constantly changing and adapting. Words present endless possibilities. I can think of no better way to add to your collection of words than by reading. If you are ready to take yourself to the next level Lahiri has the answer: "I think that translating is the most profound, most intimate way of reading. A translation is a wonderful dynamic encounter between two languages, two texts, two writers." Who knows, maybe I'll pick Chinese or Spanish back up...

About myself... "In the beginning I wrote in order to conceal myself. I wanted to stay far away from my writing, withdraw into the background...because I needed distance between me and the creative space." I enjoyed reading this book at this point in my life as I finally begin to figure out what writing means to me. It was both enlightening and encouraging to be in the autobiographical mind of another writer who has already forged a path to a destination I would like to travel to. The take away for me was that it requires a lot of time, hard work and dedication. It sounds so simple, but my whole life consists of "someday I'd like to..." It was a gentle nudge in the right direction.

In Other Words... The lazy afternoon it will take you to read the hundred pages or so in English will be well worth your time. Surely, the lyrical style of the book will provoke some thoughts for you, too. I'd love to hear your feedback. We can start a little book club.