Feldman's Faves: March 15, 2021

Happy Monday everyone,

I hope everyone is looking forward to March Madness (sorry Paula (aka Big Duke Fan), probably everyone but you….)

This week I am back to award winners – fiction and podcasts.

The Underground Railroad By: Colson Whitehead – Two weeks ago I was watching 60 Minutes where TWO TIME Pulitzer Prize winning author, Colson Whitehead was interviewed. I had read his 2020 winning novel The Nickel Boys, which is a disturbing story about the US equivalent of “residential schools” in Florida but never read this book, which won him his first Pulitzer and which is equally disturbing and thought provoking. The basic plot is about two Georgia based slaves’, Caesar and Cora, escaping their “masters” and seeking freedom on the Underground Railroad (which in the book is actually a railroad that is built underground) and what happens along the way. The book is devastating. Whitehead describes, in painful detail the experience of slavery from the theft in Africa, atrocities on the plantations and the horror of people trying to escape. This book is so impactful because even though it is historical fiction, it describes the human tragedy and crimes against humanity that took place during this dark period in vivid an painstaking detail. A difficult and sometimes uncomfortable read but worth it. Here is a helpful and insightful article about the book and Colson himself from the Guardian - https://www.theguardian.com/books/2017/jul/07/colson-whitehead-underground-railroad Below is a plot summary (copied from Wikipedia) you can read if interested.*

Masters of Scale with Reid Hoffman Tyra Banks: The Power of Personal Brand - Wisdom comes from everywhere and Reid Hoffman (a founder of Paypal and the founder of Linkedin and the host Masters of Scale PODCAST) searches for gems every week and usually it relates to the tech / start up world. At the same time, Hoffman understands the importance of bringing in experience from all aspects of life in an effort to learn about universal principles that can be applied to business. Tyra Banks is case and point. I love the message of this episode, which is “Personal brand is a promise of a solution” , which has real application to the practice of law. Think about your own brand and what you are doing to make yourself stand out at Goodmans and beyond. Are you an expert in something? Are you known to be a hard worker, a great problem solver, a creative thinker, a business developer, some of the above, all of the above or none of the above? I think self knowledge and the ability to figure out and leverage your strengths is one key ingredient to professional success. Tyra’s life lessons apply to us all. That said, I do not expect to become Canada’s Top Model any time soon…

Here is a description from Reid himself: “To succeed in the modern business environment, you need to strut your stuff: to cultivate a personal brand that supports career growth. No one represents this better than Tyra Banks. As a model, a producer, and an entrepreneur, Tyra has forged a personal brand that has enabled her to make multiple pivots, building fame, wealth, and meaningful impact on the issues that matter most to her. Startups can come and go, and so can employers. In our very uncertain landscape, the thing that remains constant is YOU: how you solve problems, how you learn from mistakes, how you build networks and relationships. And what you stand for. At its core a personal brand is a promise to a solution – and everyone, from your customers to your investors to your extended network, will want a clear and compelling picture of who you are and what you bring to the table. “https://podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/masters-of-scale-with-reid-hoffman/id1227971746?i=1000512220015

Thanks to everyoe for you ongoing insight and discussion. I love hearing from you on this and know everyone is super busy (so thank you).

And remember to stay safe and to docket daily.

*Underground Railroad Plot Summary The story is told in the third person, focusing mainly on Cora. Scattered single chapters also focus on Cora's mother Mabel, the slavecatcher Ridgeway, a reluctant slave sympathizer named Ethel, and Cora's fellow slave Caesar. Cora is a slave on a plantation in Georgia and an outcast after her mother Mabel ran off without her. She resents Mabel for escaping, although it is later revealed that her mother, in an attempt to return to Cora, died from a snake bite and never reached her. Caesar approaches Cora about a plan to flee. Reluctant at first, she eventually agrees as her situation with her master and fellow slaves worsens. During their escape, they encounter a group of slavecatchers, who capture Cora's young friend Lovey. Cora is forced to kill a teenage boy to protect herself and Caesar, eliminating any possibility of merciful treatment should she be recaptured. With the help of an inexperienced abolitionist, Cora and Caesar find the Underground Railroad, depicted as a literal underground train system that runs throughout the south, transporting runaways northwards. They take a train to South Carolina.

slave catchers

Upon learning of their escape, Ridgeway begins a hunt for the pair, largely in revenge for Mabel, who is the only escapee he has ever failed to capture. Meanwhile, Cora and Caesar have taken up comfortable residence in South Carolina under assumed names. South Carolina is enacting a program where the government owns former slaves but employs them, provides medical treatment, and gives them communal housing. The two enjoy their time there and put off the decision to leave until Cora learns of plans to sterilize black women and use black men as test subjects in an experiment to track the spread of syphilis. Ridgeway arrives before the two can leave, and Cora is forced to return to the Railroad alone. She later learns that Caesar was killed by an angry mob after having been caught and jailed by Ridgeway.

Cora eventually arrives in a closed-down station in North Carolina. She is found by Martin, the son of the station's former operator. North Carolina has recently decided to abolish slavery, using indentured servants instead, and violently executes any runaway slaves found in the state (as well as some freedmen). Martin, terrified of what the North Carolinians might do to an abolitionist, hides Cora in his attic for several months. Cora becomes ill and is reluctantly treated by Martin's wife Ethel. While Cora is down from the attic, a raid is conducted on the house, and she is recaptured by Ridgeway, while Martin and Ethel are executed by the mob.

Ridgeway takes Cora back toward Georgia, detouring through Tennessee to return another slave to his master. While stopped in Tennessee, Ridgeway's traveling party is attacked by escaped slaves who release Cora. Cora travels to a farm in Indiana owned by a free black man named Valentine, along with one of her rescuers, a man called Royal. The farm is populated by a number of freedmen and escapees, living and working in harmony. Royal, an operator on the Railroad, begins a romantic relationship with Cora, although she remains hesitant because of rape by other slaves in her childhood.

A small faction of freedmen, fearing that their peaceful life will be ruined by the presence of escaped slaves, tips off slavecatchers to their presence. The farm is burned, and many people, including Royal, are killed in a raid by white Hoosiers. Ridgeway recaptures Cora and forces her to take him to a closed-down Railroad station nearby. When they arrive, she pushes him down a flight of stairs, severely injuring him. She then runs off down the tracks. Eventually, she emerges from underground to find a caravan traveling out West. She is given a ride by one of the wagons' colored drivers