beccavogel's review against another edition
5.0
Possibly the best short stories I've ever read. Beautifully written, profound, inspiring.
rebeccajmoran's review against another edition
4.0
A collection of clever, short and snappy stories.
misspalah's review against another edition
4.0
And so, Lucy, you and I will be friends again because I will talk you out of caring about heroines whose real source of power, as well as the literal shape and condition of their bodies, comes from the people they oppress. But what of the future? What of the women who will never come together because of what they saw in the relationship between "mistress" and "slave" on TV? Many black women fear it is as slaves white women want them; no doubt many white women think some amount of servitude from black women is their due. But, Lucy, regardless of the "slave" on television, black women do not want to be slaves. They never wanted to be slaves. We will be ourselves and free, or die in the attempt. Harriet Tubman was not our great-grandmother for noth-ing; which I would advise all black and white women aggressing against us as "mistress" and "slave" to remember. We understand when an attempt is being made to lead us into captivity, though television is a lot more subtle than slave ships. We will simply resist, as we have always done, with ever more accurate weapons of defense.
- A letter of the times : You cant keep a good women down by Alice Walker
.
.
Visceral, Gripping and Hard Hitting stories. Alice Walker can do no wrong to me and once again she proved it in this book. In her stories, we found many black women - all crafted with different kind of shades and personality that has suffered , dealt with rape, abortion, lust, racism, pornography, body image and even infidelity. I dont think i will be able to summarize each stories featured in the book , scared that i could not do justice to her craft. Funny how despite not knowing much about Elvis Presley as i am not American but when i finished first story, i knew right away it is about Elvis Presley (and how he ‘allegedly’ has profit off from black musician). Once i researched it, only then i knew it is based on Elvis Presley’s relationship with Mama Thornton. Another story, Advancing Luna - and Ida B. Wells left me speechless. Imagined that your friend , a white woman told you that she were raped by a black man. What would you do with that information? When you asked your friend why she didnt report it and she said ‘have you seen what they did to Emmet Till”? as so many black men were lynched for just looking / seducing / accused of sleeping / raping white woman. Do you stand up for your stance as woman or do you keep silence to protect your own people? She captures the nuances and questions about race and feminism into this story brilliantly. Another story that i would like to highlight is the depiction of Black Women in Pornography in the story titled ‘Apart’. As the husband felt it was harmless hobby or indulgence and the debate that went back and forth between them. The body image and the question of exploitation on women. White women were seen as an objects but black women were seen as an animals. As both were equally bad for women in general, you can see that one was placed slightly upper than the other. Ultimately, this book should have been a required reading for black and feminist literature. These stories are made for women , about women and written by a great woman herself. Despite this book being published in the 80s, and some of the stories set between the 60s - 70s , some issues are just prevalent until today. I dont have favorite stories as i think it will be a disservice to rank or rate it due to to how distinctive each story is with many issues that she raised in it. I believed Alice walker wrote these stories to educate her readers and i considered myself slightly learned / educated once i finished the book. I would recommend this to everyone! I did not give this 5 stars because i wanted more stories. This is not enough
- A letter of the times : You cant keep a good women down by Alice Walker
.
.
Visceral, Gripping and Hard Hitting stories. Alice Walker can do no wrong to me and once again she proved it in this book. In her stories, we found many black women - all crafted with different kind of shades and personality that has suffered , dealt with rape, abortion, lust, racism, pornography, body image and even infidelity. I dont think i will be able to summarize each stories featured in the book , scared that i could not do justice to her craft. Funny how despite not knowing much about Elvis Presley as i am not American but when i finished first story, i knew right away it is about Elvis Presley (and how he ‘allegedly’ has profit off from black musician). Once i researched it, only then i knew it is based on Elvis Presley’s relationship with Mama Thornton. Another story, Advancing Luna - and Ida B. Wells left me speechless. Imagined that your friend , a white woman told you that she were raped by a black man. What would you do with that information? When you asked your friend why she didnt report it and she said ‘have you seen what they did to Emmet Till”? as so many black men were lynched for just looking / seducing / accused of sleeping / raping white woman. Do you stand up for your stance as woman or do you keep silence to protect your own people? She captures the nuances and questions about race and feminism into this story brilliantly. Another story that i would like to highlight is the depiction of Black Women in Pornography in the story titled ‘Apart’. As the husband felt it was harmless hobby or indulgence and the debate that went back and forth between them. The body image and the question of exploitation on women. White women were seen as an objects but black women were seen as an animals. As both were equally bad for women in general, you can see that one was placed slightly upper than the other. Ultimately, this book should have been a required reading for black and feminist literature. These stories are made for women , about women and written by a great woman herself. Despite this book being published in the 80s, and some of the stories set between the 60s - 70s , some issues are just prevalent until today. I dont have favorite stories as i think it will be a disservice to rank or rate it due to to how distinctive each story is with many issues that she raised in it. I believed Alice walker wrote these stories to educate her readers and i considered myself slightly learned / educated once i finished the book. I would recommend this to everyone! I did not give this 5 stars because i wanted more stories. This is not enough
t33_'s review against another edition
emotional
informative
reflective
medium-paced
4.0
Raw. Compelling. Realness. Unsympathetic.
I enjoyed most of the stories and some I struggled through but overall I enjoyed this book in its entirety. I would recommend.
I enjoyed most of the stories and some I struggled through but overall I enjoyed this book in its entirety. I would recommend.
scrow1022's review against another edition
5.0
I'd forgotten why I read her so avidly. Sharp observation, brave, but not without sympathy.
anna1882's review against another edition
3.75
And where they came from, though she glimpsed it—in themselves and in F. Scott Fitzgerald—she was never to enter. She hadn’t the inclination or the proper ticket.
But Imani understood every shade and variation of politics: she understood, for example, why she fed the mouth that did not speak to her
He knew me well enough to know I heard this and I did not hear it.
But Imani understood every shade and variation of politics: she understood, for example, why she fed the mouth that did not speak to her
He knew me well enough to know I heard this and I did not hear it.
kirrasbooks's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
funny
informative
inspiring
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Alice Walker is such a powerhouse writer I love her work so much, she’s funny and insightful while talking about really serious matters. I’m a big fan of hers !
dwcofer's review against another edition
1.0
This collection of short stories by Alice Walker were terribly disappointing. I checked the book out from my library as I was interested in the story, “The Abortion,” but I also read the other stories as well.
Overall, the stories were about black people being black, not being people. The stories were full of racism, sex-crazed women, pornography, and were misogynistic. These portrayals only further fuel the stereotypical black person. And the author is black. Shame on her. She should be elevating her characters above these images instead of putting them down.
The writing was poor as well. In several stories I noted numerous POV shifts from first person to third person and back to first person, often in the same paragraph. Unfortunately, a waste of time.
Overall, the stories were about black people being black, not being people. The stories were full of racism, sex-crazed women, pornography, and were misogynistic. These portrayals only further fuel the stereotypical black person. And the author is black. Shame on her. She should be elevating her characters above these images instead of putting them down.
The writing was poor as well. In several stories I noted numerous POV shifts from first person to third person and back to first person, often in the same paragraph. Unfortunately, a waste of time.
blazenaat's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5