Rating: 
Summary: A hard look at a woman crippled by her own decision.
Review: Though many might shy away from this book because of the subject matter--ritual female genital mutilation--I feel it is an important look into the whys of the custom. Tashi Johnson makes her own choice regarding female circumcision, and through vignettes of her life and interactions with others--her family, friends, therapists (even one of the prominent forefathers of psychology tries to unlock her mind), the reader slowly unravels the tangled threads that lead to the roots of this misogynistic, barbaric custom that is still practiced today in many cultures. A must read for anyone committed to women's rights worldwide
Rating: 
Summary: Empowering, Impressive and Enlightening
Review: Walker has outdone her previous standards of excellence in this book. Again, Walker uses her novel to fight for the rights of women. Her revelations about the purpose of the mutilation ceremony make a good deal of sense. I escpecially enjoyed the format she employed to recount Tashi's story. And, I also thought that the continuation of previously minor characters, such as Tashi, Adam and Olivia, worked exceptionally well. Overall, I love this book and it has inspired me to consider minoring in women's studies.
Rating:
Summary: Besides a great feminist book, a valiant document on H-AIDS
Review: What few readers/reviewers seem to realize is that the character Hartford in this book brings up an extremely important message on the possible origin of HIV-AIDS (HAIDS). Not the only, not even the most important explanation, the violent violation of ecology through the trapping, breeding, slaughtering and consumption of African monkeys for the production of polio vaccine; and then the exportation and re importation of simian viruses to and from America (more than 300 African children experimented on), surely contributed to the havoc of HAIDS
Rating:
Summary: My All-Time Favorite!
Review: When I first came across this book, it beckoned me. The fact that it was only in hardback didn't even deter me from buying it, despite my limited budget, and I was not disappointed. I read it three times that week, and couldn't put it down. To this day, I read Possessing the Secret of Joy once or twice every year, to recharge the inspiration that it always provides. After some twenty readings over the years, I firmly believe that this is a book of chilling import as a literary masterpiece. Walker's craft is marvelous in this book. From the story of the panther named Lara to the chilling conclusion, this book is impossible to put down. My only reservation about recommending this book to everyone freely is that some people can't stomach the frightening reality of female genital mutilation. Despite the fact that it is a difficult issue to read about, the presentation of the topic is artfully done. I am an avid reader and have read a multitude of classics and contemporary works. I have read most of Alice Walker's fiction and nonfiction as a result of my love for Possessing the Secret of Joy, but this remains my all-time favorite work of literature!
Rating:
Summary: SECRET'S FOUND
Review: When I first started reading this book, the first thing that caugth my eye was the stlye of writing. Every couple of pages Alice Walker would change the speaker and would headline the section with the name of the person talking. The book was about one women and her struggle with her african heritage and trying to find her self and the "secrets of joy". This book seems familar to another book of her's that I have read called "The Color Purple" which also about the struggle of one women and her society. The reading was interesting and I enjoyed the way she wrote the book because I could the view's of everyone in the story. But sometimes it would get confusing and I would lose the idea. Overall the book would go up and down, but in the end the story came together and left a good imprint.
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