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Summary: Just PUSH...
Review: "Push" by Sapphire, is an inspiring story about Claireece Precious Jones -- better known as Precious, a girl who grew up in a unimaginably rough enviornment.
Precious was abused by her mother, and raped by her father. She is bitter, depressed, illiterate, and has given birth at the tender ages of twelve and sixteen, both children belonging to her father.
Her teacher is the one person who believes in her, and changes her life.
Emotionally, "Push" was a VERY hard novel to read. There were many times when it stirred all of the hurt, anger, and disgust I had in me, and I had to put it down for a minute to regroup. Sapphire did an excellent job in portraying the life of Precious.
This novel will truly make you appreciate the life that you have, and make you understand that when you think things are hard for you, there is always someone out there who has it worst. Well done Sapphire, this book deserves more than 5 stars.
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Summary: Haunting
Review: Push is a haunting story of an inner city teenager, forced to endure sexual, psychological and physical abuse at the hands of her so called "parents" and her climb out of ignorance. She becomes a virtual slave to her overweight, slovenly mother and a sexual toy for her depraved step father. Precious attends school but is so far behind in her education, she literally becomes "invisible" as she sits in the classroom without moving from her seat all day. The author's use of slang and the crude spelling of words and sentence structure allowed me the change to identify with the level of intelligence Precious had. The book held my attention as I read page after page of her journey. It was really marvelous to see the progress Precious makes thru her journal writing she actually become "visible". Definately worth the read.
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Summary: PUSH: A Stunning First Novel
Review: To call "Push", the first novel by noted African American poet and singer Sapphire, shocking or devastating would not adequately describe its incessant power. The book is basically a diary that is both stark and realistic, as we are offered a look into Clareece Precious Jones' world: pregnant for the second time by her step-father, mentally and sexually abused by her own mother and neglected by an overwhelmed school system that makes it all too easy for a 16-year old from Harlem to fall through the cracks. In the beginning the book may cause many readers to backtrack to get a true understanding of what they have just read. I would implore all to keep at it for "Push" drips with realism -- a realism that is all too often ignored or disbelieved. Luckily for Precious, her salvation comes at the hands of one dedicated teacher from an alternative school and her fellow students with whom she quickly bonds. Sapphire, herself a former reading teacher, was clearly influenced by real-life people and that is conveyed strongly throughout the novel as all of the characters -- major and minor -- are complete and three-dimensional. A very brief novel, "Push" does not offer a storybook ending and may even disappoint many with what they see as an incomplete ending. However, it concludes realistically as we AND Precious will have to wait and see what the future holds.
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Summary: Aboused by parents
Review: This book is a very good book. I think that what this girls mother and father did to her was wrong and they should have known better then that why is it that her mother knew what this girls father was doing to her and this girls mother didn't do any thing about it.
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Summary: You'll find out what "Push" means and it ain't pretty
Review: One of the professional review quotes on the back of the book (Newsweek) says: "Brutal, redemptive . . . you just can't take your eyes off Precious Jones." They weren't wrong about that.
But through all the brutal, demoralizing, and dehumanizing events in the life of Precious Jones, I kept looking for the "redemptive." When I finished the book I still didn't think I'd found it. OK, so Precious finds salvation and pleasure in education, reading and writing. But why should anyone have to live that kind of nightmare to appreciate the power of reading and writing? Makes me realize how very much I take it for granted.
As long as our society rewards the rich, talented, and beautiful out of all proportion to the lost souls falling through the cracks, it is beyond vital to have writers such as Sapphire giving us the straight talk. (If we remain as deaf as most of the white people in this book, heaven help us.)
The author's use of spelling and speech, suggestive of black illiteracy, shapes Precious perfectly in our minds and hearts. The story is absolutely compelling -- I read it in one sitting. Something like devouring a jumbo bag of potato chips and a bowl of marshmallows for supper. You can't stop, even though you're horrified.
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Summary: What Is A Black Unicorn?
Review: This book has been on my list for some time, after reading a review of it in the paper. So sharp and painful, Sapphire's writing skills leave no truth hidden in telling the life of Precious Jones, who at 16 has two children by her father, cannot read, is merely a welfare addition for her mother, and is about to learn the damage her father has done is beyond words.
The flow reminded me of one of my favorites, THE COLOR PURPLE, but moved to the modern setting of Harlem - with so much less room for love, laughter or redemption. Yet, Precious thrives and learns and comes out of this story a fiercely loud voice and song of her own.
The writings at the end of the book, a short, quick collection of the lives of the women that Precious meets and learns with, tied the story of nicely. And left me in tears.
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Summary: Daddy Pushis On
Review: This book is really exiting and a great pleasure to read. It's also crazy and grouse what a father and mother can do to there own child. Precious lost her virginity in the 7th grade and at the age of 17 she is living on her own in a half way house with two children from her father. The neighborhood she is living in is not to good Harlem N.Y. a lot of drugs and gangs. She is getting an education by going to G.E.D school. Her father dies from the HIV virus leaving you thinking? In the beginning I struggled to read it because of the grammar and it was really annoying me, but as I went on I got used to it and enjoyed it. The only person that precious really gets along with in the novel is Ms. Rain her teacher. Ms. Rain really cares about precious and is the one that put her in the half way home. So get out and get the book and read on.
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Summary: Please read very intresting
Review: This book was hard for me to get in to because this wasn't my type book i like to read. I use to the urban, drug related books. But after I got into it it was like i felt for Precious. Shouldn't nobody have to go through so much at the age of 12 and even am earlier ge than that. The mom was a pig. The dad was a dead beat rapist. It never was any police involved so it was just hard core for precious. This is a good book so read it
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Summary: push review
Review: The novel push is a tragic story about a young girl named Claireece Precious Jones, who lives a rough life in Harlem. She grows up being abused by her mother and being raped by her father and runs away from home because of her mother. She ends up with two children by her father at the age of twelve and sixteen. Precious was kicked out of school for being pregnant and decided to continue learning at an alternative school were she makes meets new people and makes new friends. She likes her new class and the people in it including the teacher, they become like a little family for each other, supporting each other.
Precious is portrayed as a strong girl with problems in her life. She has to deal with an abusive mother and a father who rapes her. She hates the fact that when her father rapes her, she likes how it feels. Her mother abuses her and yells at her for having a child and having sex with her dad. Its not like precious wanted to, her dad raped her. Her first child, Mongo, is a girl and comes out retarded. She doesn't get to care for little Mongo because her mom sends the baby to stay with the grandmother. She gets to care for her second child, Abdul, who is a smart little child. Buy the time she had Abdul, she had moved out of her mom's house because she didn't want her baby to get take away from her. She is afraid for her children when she finds out that her father died of aids. She doesn't want her children to grow up with aids. Precious continues going to school so she can get her G.E.D. and go further in life.
I thought this book was good yet sad story. It's a tragic portrayal of life in the ghetto. Its sad how a young girl has to deal with that kind of life. Precious has to be strong in her environment dealing with crack heads on the street and fending for her self since she left her house because she didn't want her mother to take away her second child. This book is strong in content but is to better display the attitudes of the characters and to show how people would actually speak and display their feelings toward other things or people. This book wasn't all well written; it could be to the fact that the author cant spell or that it was meant to be like that. It made the reading a little difficult. I didn't like how the book skipped around cause it made feel kind of lost in some parts. I didn't like all the graphic language but it was part of the character. I did like the story though, it was a good story of how a young girl grows up raped and abuse and wants to try to do something with her life and wants her son to grow up and accomplish something. I liked reading this book, it kept me interested to see and find out what was going to happen.
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Summary: Push
Review: In the novel entitled Push written by an author named Sapphire, the story's main focus lays on the shoulders of Clareece Precious Jones an illiterate abused young teen, living a harsh district of New York City. While just attempting to survive and carry on with her everyday responsibilities she must deal with various distracting circumstances.
The setting takes place in Jones home where she lives with her mother; Mary Johnson in an urban ghetto apartment in Harlem. Additionally, the setting switches over to an alternative school throughout the book and it is there where the novel develops its full foundation for ideas. It briefly mentions Jones' school before she moved on to the alternative school as well.
As far as characters go, the spotlight shines only on a few select individuals. One main individual the author emphasis on is Jones' teacher at the alternative school. Ms. Rains a compassionate instructor that bends over backwards to educate her students with basic writing and reading skills so that they can eventually gain enough of a education and build a solid base to be able to function in a real world environment. Clareece is the main character and builds most of the plot. She is an illiterate robust unattractive girl that has been raped by her father twice and gains no support from her mother. Left with two infant children she is committed to gaining an education and providing the best for her kids, Mongo and Abdul. Some attention is also given to Jones' parents. Mary Johnson plays the role of Jones' unsupportive and cruel mother. Carl Kenwood Jones plays a key role that gives the book its twist and ultimately transforms the story's plot. Other characters such as Jones' fellow classmates defiantly take an effect on the book such as Jermaine, Rhonda, and Rita, but don't have an impact on the outcome of the story and therefore just act as fill in characters.
Although this novel does at times touch on some inspiring issues it contains flaws on many various levels. First off the character descriptions are vague. Sapphire doesn't give any of the character any type of dimension and so when reading through the story; it feels as though the characters are just silhouettes, and that really takes away from the development of the plot. For example Sapphire describes her mother by using foul and obscene language and the same goes for her father. Another problematic topic that arises is the unprofessional writing structure and word choice Sapphire chooses. The overall text of her novel distracts the reader from focusing on the story and what is happening because you constantly have to struggle to figure out what a sentence is indicating or trying to figure out what word the author is using. This problem also makes this rather short novel a slow read and frustrating. Her technique of attempting to add an authentic flare to the book only backfires because it diverts the attention for the reader. Furthermore the story wanders into long spans of narration, mostly consisting of racial oriented themes, offensive language or sexual content which actually turns the book into a travesty and cuss fest than a life story about an illiterate and challenged young girl trying to survive. This element gives the novel a childish feel and makes for an unattractive storyline. Moreover the writing structure is unorganized and the sentences are full of contractions and misspelled words which are spread throughout the novel. When finished with the novel one gets a foggy view of what it is like to be a young abused sexually abused poor teen in a tough neighborhood, but you can just find that out in a textbook or searching the internet and you don't have to deal with profanity and disturbing sexual content and will get better straightforward information. This novel was more of a nuisance than an enjoyment and it is not recommended at any level.
The book contains strong language, offensive racial views, inappropriate sexual situations, and undeveloped writing structure, which makes this book unsuitable for younger audiences, therefore it is recommended for ages 13 and up.
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