I am not so great with introductions but lets give this a shot. I am Eugenia, residing in often sunny but cold Northern California. I am a voracious book reader and have recently started a Jewish themed book review blog (http://jewishbooksareawesome.wordpress.com).
I was born and raised in Ukraine and have lived in US since 1996. I am a Jew and as I recently found out after getting my DNA tested, I am Rom as well. As Romani culture is not something I was raised with, I've decided to turn to books to educate myself and perhaps others in my situation. So by reading books on both fictional and non-fictional and telling you all about what I thought, I hope to indulge my hobby and educate myself on where I come from. So come read with me and let's see where the literary road takes us!
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My Wanderings with Bart McDowell
When preparing to review my first book, I didn't really have any specific plans how I would do it. Though possessing only 215 pages more than half of which were photographs, the book presented a major challenge to me as a learner. In the end I decided to approach my review by structuring it around several questions that presented themselves as I was reading.
The first question was of course, why this book? I first chose Bart McDowell's "Gypsies. Wanderers of the World" written for the National Geographic Society on recommendation of my adopted sister. She said that specifically this would be a very good gentle introduction into our heritage for someone like me who has very recently learned through genetic testing that a small percentage of my DNA is from East Asia and India. Upon the first glance, I thought it would be easy too. The essays were well written but not overwhelming. The story was easy to follow. The photography was breathtaking. I was in the clear or so I thought. I was hoping for a straight-forward bullet point work but instead found much controversy and complexity.
I read "Wanderings" over several weeks. Though I anticipated an easy read, I ended up taking something like 6 pages of notes which probably translate rather poorly into a synopsis of the book. The book refers to Roma as Gypsies throughout the entirety of it, but FYI, I will personally refer to Roma people as Roma only. I will only use the term "Gypsy" when it has been specifically used in the book and I can't get out of using it.
So without further adieu, it was childhood nostalgia that brought Bart McDowell to writing a book about the many named Roma. He felt a kinship with the romantic vagabond lifestyle of the Roma and wanted to learn as much as he could about the mysterious people and where they came from.Through the years he would meet many of them until his thirst brings him to Liverpool and a Gypsy scholar (who is not Roma herself) who introduces McDowell to Clifford Lee, his eventual companion on the journey of discovery from the banks of River Thames to India, the generally accepted alma mater of all Roma. As soon as they meet, McDowell feels an immediate kinship with Lee and in the course of their conversation about Lee himself and his Romani heritage, the two men stumble upon a novel idea. Wouldn't it be something to travel the route that the Roma took to get to Europe but trace their steps back to their homeland?
After planning for almost a year, McDowell, Cliff and his wife Sheila, and photographer Bruce Dale depart England in a rented car and start making their way south and onward. Through the many months of travel, all four meet hundreds of Rom in France, Czech Republic, Hungary, Greece, Turkey, and Iran and hear their stories. Walking backwards through time, we learn the stories of survival of Porrajmos, enslaved and persecuted life under the emperors and kings in Europe for hundreds of years, and ultimately of the flight west from India escaping the Turks. For Lee, the amazing things he saw and Rom in every land, ascertained the specialness of his people because of how welcome and same he felt with other Roma. Lee achieved a pilgrimage to his homeland and answered all the questions he had about where he was from. For McDowell, though he learned much, the mystery of the Roma still remains. There are no definite answers, only likelihoods and theories of who the Roma are and where they come from.
3. As for me, there is no doubt that I've learned plenty from the material presented by McDowell. Being the ever so slightly anal accountant (it's the truth!), I decided that the sheer number of observations merited a bulleted list.
First, for the positives (relatively so):
Unfortunately, the list of the negative observations I observed was much larger. In order to keep things balanced, I will only include the major ones:
Ultimately despite the negatives, I enjoyed the book. Amidst threads of racism, I got to hear stories of Roma lives, stories about their culture and families. I got to see unforgettably beautiful photographs of Roma children. I walked the path from the banks of River Thames where I've actually been, through Hungary and Greece, Iran and Pakistan, all the way to India, all the places I would love to someday visit.
Romani people have been given many names by various others in the lands they came to: Athingani, Heathens, Bohemians, Tartars, Charami, Pharaoh's People, Atzigan, Cigani, Zingani, Tsygany, Zigauner, Zingari, Zincali, Gypsy. Yet they call themselves simply Roma. Scholars know they come from India but which tribe is theirs? They could be Dom, they could be Lulis or Jats or Sansi. Or they could be all of them. They are one and many people. They were chased out of India by war and though most of them have never been back, they carry their Indian identity on their faces and in their traditions.
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Comment by Wout J. van Vloten on March 1, 2015 at 20:34
Thanks Eugenia for your personal review. Very appreciated ! Your sister was certainly right, the book is an introduction, not more and no less, written at the end of the '70's. it's a book full of anecdotes ( not speaking of their own experiences during this trip to India ), lent from very early publications up to the mid- 60's anecdotes with often a lot of old phantasy on "Zigeuner".. Too much style à la the "Gypsy Lore Soc." ! Even a lot of the photographes are well to discuss ( subjects & photo-quality ). But ....as I already said....usuable as a first simplified introduction in english to the world of the Rom(s). Further Indeep info by some USA ( Ian Hancock)/Canadian scholars ( as Ronald Lee) and further on to find in Europe and Russia. Once again Thanks for your publication here !
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Hi Eugenia, I noticed your post. I am Romani and a writer of Romani myths, folklore and culture. I wrote We Borrow the Earth: An Intimate Portrait of the Gypsy Folk Tradition and Culture which was/is popular worldwide, and also its follow-up Coming Home to the Trees: Travelling with the Gypsy Spirit of the Past. I also have The Long Reflection series of novels, another of which is due out this March. I have travelled extensively with my books, giving talks etcetera, including the USA. I have more books forthcoming. You can find my books on www.patrickjasperlee.com Hope this finds you well. Kushto bok, Jasper...
Eugenia, I was going to recommend "We Borrow the Earth." My father bought it for me years ago. Very good.
Thank you Jasper. I am very excited to check your books out. I would love to review them as soon as possible. I am still on the lookout for review #2 so this could be it!
I have been working on a project EYE OF BEHOLDER its a set of work that in this day and times needs to be placed outside and help understand the important role the female is to society not the beauty nor the mother but the heart ache the dreams the reality yes its been a challenge yet I write from a mere males listening and from mere male observation I will find some way to have it hear for review and for discussion
Dear Geoffrey,
Unfortunately Eugenia has no time to contribute regularly; that is why someone else is taking over. The best would be to share the work, because there are many interesting publications. I hope we can form a team of 3-4 people who each will write reviews and/or announcements of new books. Would you be interested?
Latcho dives,
Els
yes I would humbly accept any way I can help
actually I was commenting for the reasoning I have works I would like to share and get feed back if I was able to have authority to act on others in regards to help get publish or whatever advice I can give I would be honored I have suggested to a friend who was with me in the ill fated project the story tellers which we was scammed and burnt by ray wills and clive boutle experience is our teacher and through these folki we were cheated me and the contributors and the gypsy council I use advice from my cousin micheal smith and that valuable advice is worthy of mention thanks els
I have a page on face book called the knockabout story tellers it is private strict security so as I can work and so can others that page is not only for my writing but for others to share work if interested just pm me on face book I discuss publishing tricks and word usage also I have worked with educational institution and set up away to get people reading and writing English hope fully this will be of interest I need to learn the old language which the old ones barred in the early days in Australia and up to the 1980s it was common for those old ones of the generation from Gypsy families to not public discuss troubles yes strange but true
it was but a safe guard of a people a new beginning as I was told
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