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kimberly_levaco's review against another edition
dark
emotional
informative
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
An important piece of documentary theatre that pales in comparison to Twilight LA
quitecontrarymary's review against another edition
5.0
I'm obsessed with Anna Deavere Smith. Would love to see this performed live.
gabjd's review against another edition
4.0
“ain't no justice,
ain't never been no justice,
ain't never gonna be no justice.”
a play made up of powerful monologues that i could read like poetry for much of it. an ominous and informative firsthand look at the ways this conflict affected the different communities within one brooklyn neighborhood
ain't never been no justice,
ain't never gonna be no justice.”
a play made up of powerful monologues that i could read like poetry for much of it. an ominous and informative firsthand look at the ways this conflict affected the different communities within one brooklyn neighborhood
hellowormemoji's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
informative
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.25
okay like the writing here was great and super informative and like obviously one must appreciate the archival work going on here. AND ALSO the pictures of smith are fire throughout. but at the same time like. whose name is on the cover. like though the role of the archivist and the one who orchestrated bringing everything together is deeply important, it doesn’t necessarily feel as though smith deserves this level of credit? this reads as an art book. which is all well and good, but it does have the self-congratulatory quality of that genre.
all this to say, the work that i think is intended to be done with this volume could better be done by something like a documentary. or a community playwriting collaboration or monologue cycle. what does it mean to LITERALLY TAKE the names and bodies of individuals of this community on. do they understand the implications going in. as always, there are ethical implications of interviews like this and of presenting all these interviews as equal, side by side.
if smith is getting credit for this work, the structure of this book of the monologue cycle should be much more intentional and sound. i appreciated the words of those interviewed and how they were divided out on the page, but as a whole work of art and cultural reflection, this fell flat and continued to feel incomplete.
thank you tris for listening to the first draft of this review on the walk to dinner xxx
all this to say, the work that i think is intended to be done with this volume could better be done by something like a documentary. or a community playwriting collaboration or monologue cycle. what does it mean to LITERALLY TAKE the names and bodies of individuals of this community on. do they understand the implications going in. as always, there are ethical implications of interviews like this and of presenting all these interviews as equal, side by side.
if smith is getting credit for this work, the structure of this book of the monologue cycle should be much more intentional and sound. i appreciated the words of those interviewed and how they were divided out on the page, but as a whole work of art and cultural reflection, this fell flat and continued to feel incomplete.
thank you tris for listening to the first draft of this review on the walk to dinner xxx
jwinchell's review against another edition
4.0
Wow. My mind has been opened to this way of storytelling. Very excited to do similar work with a teacher and students at my school.
sachcoops's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
informative
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
literal must read play by the most underrated talent in tv, inventor of documentary theater, insight into crown heights. anything else by smith is also a must read.
ahobbitsreadinglist's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
manoushp109's review against another edition
4.0
so interesting and amazingly done
hate the actual performances
hate the actual performances
teriboop's review against another edition
5.0
I adore Anna Deavere Smith, so I was excited to read this book. Smith uses oral histories of the people of Crown Heights section of Brooklyn, New York who were involved or witnesses to the racial riots of 1991. Tensions were already strained in Crown Heights between the Lubavitcher Jewish community and the Black community.
The event that sparked the riots was an accident caused by a drunk Jewish man driving the Lubavitcher Hasidic Rebbe swerved off the road and hit and killed a young Black boy named Gavin Cato. Jewish bystanders called immediately for a private Jewish ambulance that arrived promptly and cared for the driver and the Rebbe, who sustained little to no damage, ignoring the boy who lay dead. An ambulance for the young Cato arrived later. In retaliation, a group of Black men fatally stabbed a young Hasidic scholar, Yankel Rosenbaum, visiting from Australia. Riots broke out for 3 days.
Smith interviewed twenty-six locals, both Jewish and Black, and utilized their oral histories to write a one-woman play, using language as a vehicle to understand the viewpoint of those affected by the riots and to "learn about her own time." (See the Introduction for the quote) This book is the script of her one-woman show. For each monologue, Smith details who she interviewed, the setting in which the interview took place, how they dressed, and any particular mannerisms. She later performed the show and it has been televised. You can find the show on YouTube.
Smith is a master at the use of authentic voices in acting. As I read the book, I considered how Smith, as an interviewer, was both an insider (to her Black narrators) and an outsider (to her Jewish narrators) and wondered how this affected the stories each person had to tell. They all seemed very open and honest and found it a provocative way to record this piece of history, utilizing the voice of those involved, as well as inserting their raw emotions. This is a unique way of recording and analyzing history.
It is worth reading the script and then watching the play on YouTube. Plus Anna Deveare Smith is a wonderful actor.
The event that sparked the riots was an accident caused by a drunk Jewish man driving the Lubavitcher Hasidic Rebbe swerved off the road and hit and killed a young Black boy named Gavin Cato. Jewish bystanders called immediately for a private Jewish ambulance that arrived promptly and cared for the driver and the Rebbe, who sustained little to no damage, ignoring the boy who lay dead. An ambulance for the young Cato arrived later. In retaliation, a group of Black men fatally stabbed a young Hasidic scholar, Yankel Rosenbaum, visiting from Australia. Riots broke out for 3 days.
Smith interviewed twenty-six locals, both Jewish and Black, and utilized their oral histories to write a one-woman play, using language as a vehicle to understand the viewpoint of those affected by the riots and to "learn about her own time." (See the Introduction for the quote) This book is the script of her one-woman show. For each monologue, Smith details who she interviewed, the setting in which the interview took place, how they dressed, and any particular mannerisms. She later performed the show and it has been televised. You can find the show on YouTube.
Smith is a master at the use of authentic voices in acting. As I read the book, I considered how Smith, as an interviewer, was both an insider (to her Black narrators) and an outsider (to her Jewish narrators) and wondered how this affected the stories each person had to tell. They all seemed very open and honest and found it a provocative way to record this piece of history, utilizing the voice of those involved, as well as inserting their raw emotions. This is a unique way of recording and analyzing history.
It is worth reading the script and then watching the play on YouTube. Plus Anna Deveare Smith is a wonderful actor.
dkrane's review against another edition
5.0
It's a pretty essential document that illustrates just how anti-semitism fluorishes as a distracting form of white supremacy to pit Jews and Black people against one another as well as the messiness of talking about race and racism in the US. It admirably doesn't reach (or reach for) any neat conclusions. Reading this on Yom Kippur near Crown Heights, this still feels relevant.