Joanna Kadi, self-described as a "working-class Arab half-breed queer girl," knows well that she is impacted by class, race, imperialism, gender, and sexuality. In her new book, Thinking Class (South End Press, $14), Kadi explores herself. In doing so, she has something to say of importance to those who suffer and endure the inequities of life today in these United States.
Entranced by books, voracious in her appetite for reading, Kadi noticed something important: Arabs were not represented except as people not to be trusted, with never a word in their favor. After several years as a working author, she still fears to label herself, asking, "Who ever heard of a working-class Lebanese writer?"
Raised by an abusive father who counted on her to remain silent, she came to realize that "all systems of oppression -- from child abuse to racism to ableism -- function most effectively when victims don't talk. Silence isolates, keeps us focusing inward rather than outward, makes perpetrators' work easier, confuses and overwhelms."
Kadi, whose writing sparkles with earnestness and intensity, believes that present-day artists/activists "must push past the static, false categories of traditional and ethnic, and broaden our definitions of art/culture."
She contends that class must inform any political work around culture: "we need to become aware of how class integrates itself into cultural expression."
Kadi's essays are important. And the book also contains a generous sampling of her poetry, which deftly lays out her humanistic perceptions.
Thinking Class is an important book because of its brilliant melding of personal history with a wise overview of the status of the underclass in today's society. Kadi's clear vision, her sensitivity, her extraordinary writing skills, make this book a must read for any progressive.
Back to Front Page