Alex Plesnar’s Reviews > The Best American Essays 2025 > Status Update

Just finished “Love and Murder in South Africa,” and it had me thinking about Topeka and James Baldwin. Brown v. Board of Education helped desegregate schools, but led the way to subtle forms of segregation that exist today. Baldwin mentioned that to be a true ally for any oppressed person, one must recognize that they too are oppressed by the same systems that gives them advantages over others.

Reading “Love and Murder in South Africa” by Eula Biss reminds me of the power inherent in African American Literature. While Apartheid and Jim Crowe America have similarities, it has a some differences too. To my understanding, Apartheid was a lot more overt while America remained more covert. I am conflicted by the observation though because racism in America is overt. It is not done in the shadows.

Just finished “Homeland Fictions” by Hannah Keziah Agustin. She recounts her life in the Philippines, recalling the government corruption and gentrification displacing lower class Manila. I found it profound that the government was only concerned with concealing the poverty of the nation with multi-million dollar projects. It makes me more cynical about government programs.

Just began an essay about a woman’s life outside the Philippines. I just finished her reference to Edward Said who states that in exile our old habits and traditions mix. The author sees this similarity with moving countries, and I can relate to this by my move to Kansas. We keep traditions that we had in New York alive in Kansas. I wonder if we will take traditions from Kansas back to New York?

Just finished “Man Crossing and Ice Field” by Laura Glen Louis. What a trip. Given what is going on in my life, it gives me a profound clarity. I cannot predict the future, and despite my best efforts, I can become a burden to the people whom I love most. I think selfishly, I would want my family to take care of me if I were sick, but would it not be better for them to not let me weigh them down?