Book Review: Push

***This is a repeat post from May. The movie Precious (the book is titled Push) is coming to theatres on Nov 6, so I wanted to repeat this book review. Enjoy.***

Help!!! Someone please pick me up off the floor cuz my mind has been blown. I just finished reading Push by Sapphire and turned back around and started reading it again. The only reason I found out about the book is because it has been turned into a movie. The movie is called Precious and is produced by Oprah and Tyler Perry(can anyone say jackpot). Oprah showed a clip of the movie on her show and it looked amazing. As soon as I saw it was based on a book, I of course went straight to the library. Anywho, let's get to the book.

Push is the story of a dark skinned, overweight girl living in the inner city. " I was left back when I was twelve because I had a baby for my fahver." If that is not an opening sentence that grabs your attention, I don't know what would. Precious has been brought up in a world of poverty, illiteracy and sexual abuse at the hands of both mother and father. This is a book that is both horrifying, shocking, beautiful and at times humorous. It is written completely in the voice and dialect of Precious, the main character. I certainly had to stop several times to decipher what she was saying. She talks about going to an insect group(incest group) and hairrun a ducts( heroine addicts). I just can't even articulate the brilliance of the book. Ms. Sapphire has created a character who is smart (although can not read, write or count). She is deeply wounded and yet also open to possibilities. It a quick read (less than 200 pages) but definitely not an easy read. This is one of the books where you wish you could say " glad it's only fiction," but we know the things that Precious has faced are all too real for too many people in this world. Oh, can I get a witness!! This is a rooftop book. If I could, I would stand on the rooftops and tell the world about it. I guess it is a good thing that Oprah has put her seal of approval on it. The movie looks amazing and I can't wait to see it, but I hope that people will read the book first and give credit where credit is due. Ms. Sapphire is amazing and I would love to sit and have a cup of tea with her( okay, a glass of wine who am I kidding) and hear about the process of this book being born. Please, please,please pick up a copy of this book in the original form before the movie gets made and they reissue it with pictures of the actors plastered all over the front. I just hate that!!!! Until next time friends.