Push by Sapphire
I just finished reading the novel Push by Sapphire. I have also seen the film. I enjoyed the movie, but I think the book is better; it goes into greater depth about the abuse the protagonist, Precious, suffers at the hands of her mother and father, and you get a better sense of who Precious is and where she is coming from. Don't get me wrong, the movie is wonderful too, and I highly recommend everyone go out and see it, but the book is very powerful and different characters are revealed in different lights. For instance, Sapphire's teacher Ms. Blue Rain isn't as white-washed as in the movie, and her original math teacher is revealed to be more of a coward than he is in the film. It also deals with the politics of Louis Farrakhan and addresses the inequity in the system more than the movie does. I wish I had read the book before seeing the film, but I am glad that the movie inspired me to read the book!