“Push” by Sapphire is a book I feel everyone should read. One would think this novel is a biography or a diary, but this story is actually fictional while also being based on real themes.
The book takes place in 80s New York City during the AIDs epidemic. It is about a girl named Clarice Precious Jones, known as Precious, and her life. Precious is an African American girl who is overweight. Sadly, she lives with her abusive mother.
At the start of the book, Precious is expelled from school due to the fact that she is pregnant with her second child—from her father. Both her parents and her life events have sexually and physically abused her, causing her to have self-loathing and other issues.
However, Precious joins an alternative school amongst a group of other misfit girls and her teacher Ms. Rain. Through this experience, Precious comes out of her shell and learns she is a beautiful person, regardless of her painful life struggles. The reader also gets to learn about the other girls in Precious’ life and the struggles they have had to face.
Sapphire gives a powerful portrayal of a 16-year-old girl trying to find her place in a world that has a hard time accepting her. The author has no problem being rough and confrontational to get her point across and brings out beauty in tragedy, giving us a harsh ride but a fantastic ending.
The Good: This book is creatively written. Through the eyes and voice of Precious, we see how hard her upbringing is in 80s Harlem and how she gets through her life. In the beginning, Precious is illiterate and doesn’t have a developed vocabulary.
Through the course of the story you see her progress in language as well as self-esteem. This gives the reader a more personal attachment to Precious.
I feel as though this story will make people more compassionate and make people appreciate what they have in life. Many people can also relate to this character because she, for one thing, is well-developed and has gone through many of the problems people of today face; even though they shouldn’t have to.
Her fight to be the person she wants instead of being one in the crowd is admirable and I guarantee you will be rooting for her throughout the entire book.
The Bad: This book is very disturbing and at times very graphic. For those who are squeamish or get disturbed easily, I advise you not to read it. However, I do think you would be robbing yourself of an excellent read.
Also note that this book is an Oscar Award-winning motion picture entitled, “Precious” and is very close to the book. Yes, it is also disturbing. But the tragic beauty and strong message is not lost and you can still get the full meaning.
Nick Bundarin can be contacted at nicholas.bundarin@ksc.keene.edu