Rating: 
Summary: it's an ordeal, but it's worth it
Review: This book is certainly an illustrative example of the old adage "you can't judge a book by its cover". It isn't very thick, and it's rather unassuming, but once you get into the meat of it, it's quite a large book. It certainly deals with large ideas and topics. Although the story is about a black woman, the story transends race and even gender. It's not just about a black woman. It's about a human being, what it means to be a human, the idea of submission, both to families and to society as a whole.
It's about abuse and manipulation, and within the story the concept of personal identity is well explored. Not only is the main character subjected to female circumcision (which is nothing like it's benign male counterpart), but the "operation" is performed by a woman. One of the hardest issues for women to explore is the role that women play in the subjugation and abuse of other women.
This is a great read, very heavy at times, but it's made lighter by its rather unique narrative style.
Rating:
Summary: it's an ordeal, but it's worth it
Review: This book is certainly an illustrative example of the old adage "you can't judge a book by its cover". It isn't very thick, and it's rather unassuming, but once you get into the meat of it, it's quite a large book. It certainly deals with large ideas and topics. Although the story is about a black woman, the story transends race and even gender. It's not just about a black woman. It's about a human being, what it means to be a human, the idea of submission, both to families and to society as a whole.
It's about abuse and manipulation, and within the story the concept of personal identity is well explored. Not only is the main character subjected to female circumcision (which is nothing like it's benign male counterpart), but the "operation" is performed by a woman. One of the hardest issues for women to explore is the role that women play in the subjugation and abuse of other women.
This is a great read, very heavy at times, but it's made lighter by its rather unique narrative style.
Rating:
Summary: it's an ordeal, but it's worth it
Review: This book is certainly an illustrative example of the old adage "you can't judge a book by its cover". It isn't very thick, and it's rather unassuming, but once you get into the meat of it, it's quite a large book. It certainly deals with large ideas and topics. Although the story is about a black woman, the story transends race and even gender. It's not just about a black woman. It's about a human being, what it means to be a human, the idea of submission, both to families and to society as a whole.
It's about abuse and manipulation, and within the story the concept of personal identity is well explored. Not only is the main character subjected to female circumcision (which is nothing like it's benign male counterpart), but the "operation" is performed by a woman. One of the hardest issues for women to explore is the role that women play in the subjugation and abuse of other women.
This is a great read, very heavy at times, but it's made lighter by its rather unique narrative style.
Rating:
Summary: Upsetting and important
Review: This book made me think about female curcumcision in detail which I had avoided thinking of previously! It also brought to mind other practices that have taken place here in the U.S., such as routine episiotomies after childbirth (to be tight for the husband), and giving formula to ALL new mothers. I highly recommend this as a book club selection if you can handle the topic!
Rating: 
Summary: An Experience
Review: This Book was an experience that I will never forget. I picked the book up in a used bookstore in Dublin, when I was desperately in need of something to read because of boredom. I saw it on the shelf, and after having read The Color Purple a few years earlier, I decided to buy it. I went back to my hotel room and began to read, planning on spending an hour on the book. I turned to the front page, and I did not set it down until three o'clock the next morning. It was a mystical experience that I will treasure forever. The story of the panther co-wife in the beginning of the book is one of the most brilliant pieces of fiction I have ever laid eyes on. This book opened my eyes to the horror of female genital mutilation. I have expressed my outrage and detestation of these horrific practices, which affect so many throughout the world. This book was a soulful experience. The characters of Tashi/Evelyn and Pierre are my favorite characters in this novel. I felt as if I knew them all. I had all of my sympathies in Tashi/Evelyn. Pierre intrigues me. Alice Walker's descriptions of him have captivated me, and if he were real, I would only hope to catch a glimpse of him. His "algerian" look has me absolutely captivated. I also found the African-American psychiatrist quite a memorable character, if not only for her response to Tashi's tale. Lisette was also an interesting figure. Tashi's relationship with Pierre, and Pierre's own persona were intruiging and captivating. I found little sympathy for Adam, perhaps I had a bias against him. This book was an enjoyable experience that I have learned to love and will treasure forever.
Rating:
Summary: So vivid I found it hard to breathe
Review: This book was so different from anything else I have read that it is almost hard to describe the feelings it invoked in me while I was reading. Alice Walker's use of eight different "narrators" had such a tremendous impact--pointing out how one action can affect and connect SO many people. The use of these narrators also created a "layering" affect on the plot development--each with a personal twist. The story questioned so many important issues in society today dealing with the preservation of ethnic culture, and where to draw "lines" concerning these issues. It is quite possibly the most artistically constructed piece of literature I have read--and it was one I would recommend highly, but it was also so packed with emotion that I found it hard to continue reading at points. I do feel, however, that Alice Walker did a marvelous job at relaying this story--and it is horrific and hard to deal with--so in truth, finding it "hard to breathe" was probably a reaction one could expect.
Rating:
Summary: So vivid I found it hard to breathe
Review: This book was so different from anything else I have read that it is almost hard to describe the feelings it invoked in me while I was reading. Alice Walker's use of eight different "narrators" had such a tremendous impact--pointing out how one action can affect and connect SO many people. The use of these narrators also created a "layering" affect on the plot development--each with a personal twist. The story questioned so many important issues in society today dealing with the preservation of ethnic culture, and where to draw "lines" concerning these issues. It is quite possibly the most artistically constructed piece of literature I have read--and it was one I would recommend highly, but it was also so packed with emotion that I found it hard to continue reading at points. I do feel, however, that Alice Walker did a marvelous job at relaying this story--and it is horrific and hard to deal with--so in truth, finding it "hard to breathe" was probably a reaction one could expect.
Rating:
Summary: An important story of the psyche of woman.
Review: This is a story about woman and her sexuality. It tells the tale of how we treat each other as women and how we gave away our own power and sexuality. It is an important novel to understand ourselves and our sexuality, our relationships with other women and the abdication of power. It is also a story about revenge. Alice Walker's storytelling is unique and takes a little getting used to, but the impact is undeniable when you finish her books. You have gained something new that can not be taken away
Rating:
Summary: A shocking, yet truthful book
Review: This is the first book that I've read by Alice Walker and I walked away from it very impressed. I've always been fascinated with other cultures and was drawn to the subject of genital mutilation in Africa. I've always found this to be a shocking and controversial topic whenever I've heard it discussed. This book is the story of Tashi and her husband Adam and some surrounding friends of theirs. Tashi suffers horribly from her past experiences with the mutilation ceremonies. I found Walker's account to be heart wrenching and brutally honest. One can only imagine the emotional and psychological effects of such a traumatic procedure. The book itself is a gem. The story unfolds a small piece at a time, like a secret being whispered to you. It all fits together wonderfully and forms a thought-provoking tale.
Rating:
Summary: I cried and rejoiced -- again and again
Review: This life story of an African woman, living with the scars of her childhood ritual mutilation, is quite simply riveting. Walker's style of allowing the reader to see the story from the eyes of each of the characters is novel and effective, inviting the reader to view the situation from all perspectives. Walkers's character, Tashi, involves an ever-widening circle of family, friends and acquaintances in the solution of her problems that arise as a result of having her external sexual organs crudely severed in a tribal ritual. Everyone's life revolves around Tashi. As the story evolves, the reader realizes that everyone's life is Tashi. What happens to the least of us, happens to all of us. It's difficult to settle into a book that begins at the end and travels almost randomly through time. Walker's eclectic non-use of punctuation is at times distracting, at others, helpful. In the end, the book's inconsistencies and looseness seems suitable. It suits Tashi.
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