New Day Jazz
Justin Desmangles
Joining me this afternoon, in the 5 o'clock hour, author Elizabeth Nunez. We will be discussing her most recent book, Not For Everyday Use.
“Nunez ponders the cultural, racial, familial, social, and personal experiences that led to what she ultimately understands was a deeply loving union between her parents. A beautifully written exploration of the complexities of marriage and family life.”
—Booklist (starred review)
“Through her thoughtful and articulate writing, Nunez offers a valuable perspective on the racism that she experienced, even in America, and the damage the Catholic Church does to women who follow the ‘no artificial birth control’ rule. Recommended for memoir enthusiasts and readers interested in Caribbean literature.”
—Library Journal
“An intriguing . . . courageous memoir.”
—Kirkus Reviews
“A narrative that feels like a close friend talking about her past . . . An insightful, generous story.”
—Oprah.com
“A powerful memoir . . . this non-fiction narrative pulls the curtain back upon the Caribbean woman known as writer, mother, sister and wife . . . Definitely peruse how this writer’s narrative plays out.”
—Ebony
“Nunez reflects on her mother’s legacy as she works through her grief, and demonstrates mastery of her craft.”
—Huffington Post
“A celebration of understanding and empathy.”
—Chicago Center for Literature and Photography
“I loved Not for Everyday Use by Elizabeth Nunez . . . a must read.”
—Carry On Friends
“A sensitive memoir . . . The Caribbean is home for many excellent writers, and Elizabeth Nunez is one of the best.”
—Me, You, and Books
“Not for Everyday Use is a gorgeous tapestry of mourning and redemption. Nunez is an astonishing writer, approaching the page with both skill and heart. Her memories are well-deep and love-strong. With insights that are both sharp and tender, this is a memoir that will change the way you understand your family, and the world.”
—Tayari Jones, author of Silver Sparrow
“Elizabeth Nunez has written a book about love: love of family, love of place, love of literature, and even the love of human flaws. Not for Everyday Usemanages to be a memoir rich with tenderness that doesn’t shy away from pain and loss. Reading this book was like sitting with a dear friend for a long conversation and only later realizing I’d been in the presence of a true artist. It’s not easy to sound casual but attain the profound yet somehow Nunez pulls it off, page after page.”
—Victor LaValle, author of The Devil in Silver
“At the heart of this memoir are the moving portraits of parents. Elizabeth Nunez, in a clear, unsentimental, hard-hitting, and direct voice, skillfully structures the story of a mixed-race Portuguese and Trinidadian Roman Catholic family around the preparations for her mother’s funeral, exploring their ancestry, their survival, and success in a British colony during its journey toward independence and beyond, finding a way through its complex racial history. Also, at the heart of this story is the relationship between a mother and a daughter, a daughter who leaves home as a young girl to continue her education and make her life in the United States of America. Some of the most poignant moments are those in which the author describes her feelings of belonging and not belonging to ‘home.’ This is a story that will speak both to Caribbean people ‘at home’ and those who have left to make their home elsewhere.”
—Lawrence Scott, author of Light Falling on Bamboo
“Elizabeth Nunez’s Not for Everyday Use is that powerful and essential work which redefines our understanding of the experience of emigration and its impact on families. It is, quite simply, one of the most important books I’ve read about the intellectual and emotional work we must do to understand our forebears’ lives in the context of history and colonialism.”
—Louise DeSalvo, author of Writing as a Way of Healing: How Telling Our Stories Transforms Our Lives
Genre
Blues & Classical & Experimental & Jazz & Poetry & Literature
Missed the Show?
Artist | Song | Album | Label | Comments |
---|---|---|---|---|
Charlie Haden | Song for Che | Liberation Music Orchestra | Impulse! | |
Charlie Haden | War Orphans | Liberation Music Orchestra | Impulse! | |
Ornette Coleman | Lonely Woman | The Shape of Jazz to Come | Atlantic | |
John Tchicai | Mothers | Timo's Message | BlackSaint | |
David Murray | Flowers for Albert | Conceptual Saxophone | Cadillac Records | |
Airbreak | ||||
Charlie Haden & Hampton Hawes | Hello / Goodbye | As Long As There's Music | Artist's House | |
Ornette Coleman & Charlie Haden | Human Being | Soapsuds, Soapsuds | Artist's House | |
Charlie Haden & Don Cherry | Out of Focus | The Golden Number | Horizon | |
Airbreak | ||||
Albert Ayler Quartet | [tune Q] | Holy Ghost | Revenant | |
Albert Ayler Quintet | [untitled minor waltz] | Holy Ghost | Revenant | |
Albert Ayler Quintet | Japan / Universal Indians | Holy Ghost | Revenant | |
Sidney Bechet | Blue Horizon | A Decade of Jazz: 1939 - 1949 | Blue Note | |
Airbreak | ||||
Air | G.v.E. | Air Time | Nessa | |
Niels-Henning Orsted Pederson & Sam Jones | Little Train | Double Bass | Inner City | |
Airbreak | ||||
Johnny Dyani | Magawaza (excerpt) | Witchdoctor's Son | SteepleChase | |
Interview with Elizabeth Nunez By Justin Desmangles | Interview with Elizabeth Nunez By Justin Desmangles | Interview with Elizabeth Nunez By Justin Desmangles | Interview with Elizabeth Nunez By Justin Desmangles | |
Johnny Dyani | Magawaza (excerpt) | Witchdoctor's Son | SteeplecChase | |
Airbreak | ||||
Harold Budd | Let Us Go Into the House of the Lord | Pavilion of Dreams | Obscure | |
Harold Budd | After the Rain (Sunday Butterfly) | Pavilion of Dreams | Obscure |