Performance poet Sapphire unflinchingly probes the consciousness of an all-too-real teenager from a severely abusive household...Written as an internal monolog and journal entries by Precious, with her rudimentary spelling skills and abrupt transitions, Push is compelling, graphic, and occasionally facile but disturbing and not soon forgotten. Library Journal 2/1/96.
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5 comments:
The impact of learning to read is striking in this novel. Even though Precious’ reading levels are slow rising, what she learns gives her enough motivation and self-esteem to reclaim her life from an abusive family and failing school system. This book is a good reminder that opportunities to learn and express oneself are empowering and essential parts of being human.
For me it was heart breaking, but a very good read. I am looking forward to hearing the author speak at the library in April. What a thrill!
Heavy reading for such a short book, it made me cry.
The influence of a teacher who cares is also an important point in this novel. Ms. Rain was interested enough in the well-being of Precious to fight for her in a way that really nobody else did.
I read this title last week and it has really stayed on my mind. Precious Jones is one of those powerful characters that is impossible to forget. While the abuse her character suffers was even worse than I anticipated when I picked up the book, I was blown away by the overwhelming sense of hope that came through this work. Precious and her classmates all keep striving and hoping for a better life even though they could not be faulted for giving up completely. I understand why this novel is so upsetting to some and so inspiring to others. Precious is crafted so well that it is difficult to remember that this is a novel. This is an instant classic in my opinion.
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