Push
There are some parts of Sapphire's Push (the basis for the movie Precious, which I hope to see soon) that are fantastic. Precious's voice and emotions are rendered with skill and provide the reader with a strong sense of who she is, the things that have made her who she is, and who she wants to become. In those moments where Precious's internal life shines through, the book is at its best.
As a writing and literature teacher, I also appreciate the emphasis on the liberatory potential of reading and writing. It moves me to see someone changed so positively because of the ability to communicate and connect through language.
In many ways, this is an updated version of The Color Purple (which is one of my all-time favorite books) and in many ways it succeeds as such. However, the one big thing that this book does not have that The Color Purple does have, the one big thing that would've made this a book I could give 4 or 5 stars instead of just 3, is development. Precious comes through clearly and her past comes through clearly, but later, as she changes, as Sapphire tries to give the reader a sense of the future and what lies ahead for Precious, it feels as if too much effort is elided, too much change is glossed over. It feels too easy. This is not an easy topic or an easy book and the ending should not be easy, either. As is pointed out in the book, The Color Purple has also faced criticism of its ending as some people say that they think the conclusion of that novel is too easy, too much of a fairy tale; the conclusion of Push is perhaps less open to the criticism of being a fairy tale ending, but it is also not earned in the way that Walker earns her ending.
As a writing and literature teacher, I also appreciate the emphasis on the liberatory potential of reading and writing. It moves me to see someone changed so positively because of the ability to communicate and connect through language.
In many ways, this is an updated version of The Color Purple (which is one of my all-time favorite books) and in many ways it succeeds as such. However, the one big thing that this book does not have that The Color Purple does have, the one big thing that would've made this a book I could give 4 or 5 stars instead of just 3, is development. Precious comes through clearly and her past comes through clearly, but later, as she changes, as Sapphire tries to give the reader a sense of the future and what lies ahead for Precious, it feels as if too much effort is elided, too much change is glossed over. It feels too easy. This is not an easy topic or an easy book and the ending should not be easy, either. As is pointed out in the book, The Color Purple has also faced criticism of its ending as some people say that they think the conclusion of that novel is too easy, too much of a fairy tale; the conclusion of Push is perhaps less open to the criticism of being a fairy tale ending, but it is also not earned in the way that Walker earns her ending.