Rating: 
Summary: Complex and Textured
Review: Alice Walker states that the secret of joy is "RESISTANCE", which sums up the book nicely. But there is more to this single word. Resistance to what? Resistance to injustice, in this case specifically the injustice of genital mutilation...but Walker clearly means for this resistance to include other forms of injustice. Such as, you ask? Racism, sexism, bigotry in any form.Walker's books, including this one, convey the psychological damage of perpetual abuse of a person throughout not only their own life but the life of their ancestors. Therefore, racism and sexism heap psychological damage on their victims for enerations--not to mention the clear sociological problems that germinate from them. Why does "resistance" bring joy? First, if the injustice is eventually defeated it will bring a new found freedom and autonomy. If nothing else, resistance provides the resister with a moral victory over his or her opponents, which in the end, brings our ill-fated protagonist joy. The more specific sexual aspect of the book is also embraced by this concept. Resistance to the injustice of genital mutilation, on both the individual and collective level, brings sexual pleasure to the individual and to generations of individuals yet to come. So sexual pleasure also is part of the "secret of joy", only in this case it is a specific instance of what "resistance" can eventually accomplish.
Rating:
Summary: Complex and Textured
Review: Alice Walker states that the secret of joy is "RESISTANCE", which sums up the book nicely. But there is more to this single word. Resistance to what? Resistance to injustice, in this case specifically the injustice of genital mutilation...but Walker clearly means for this resistance to include other forms of injustice. Such as, you ask? Racism, sexism, bigotry in any form. Walker's books, including this one, convey the psychological damage of perpetual abuse of a person throughout not only their own life but the life of their ancestors. Therefore, racism and sexism heap psychological damage on their victims for enerations--not to mention the clear sociological problems that germinate from them. Why does "resistance" bring joy? First, if the injustice is eventually defeated it will bring a new found freedom and autonomy. If nothing else, resistance provides the resister with a moral victory over his or her opponents, which in the end, brings our ill-fated protagonist joy. The more specific sexual aspect of the book is also embraced by this concept. Resistance to the injustice of genital mutilation, on both the individual and collective level, brings sexual pleasure to the individual and to generations of individuals yet to come. So sexual pleasure also is part of the "secret of joy", only in this case it is a specific instance of what "resistance" can eventually accomplish.
Rating:
Summary: This was a great novel.
Review: I am sixteen years old and I read an interview with Tori Amos (my favorite artist) who said that her song "Cornflake Girl" was inspired by the book "Possessing the Secret of Joy," so I picked up the book and read it. While I initially began reading it to look for lines that Tori might have used in the song, my focus soon turned to the story of Tashi, Andy, Olivia, M'Lissa, and the other characters in the book. The practice done to Tashi was hideous and I think it's good that Alice Walker is bringing the barbaric practice of mutilation to the public and trying to stop it. I let my best friend borrow this book for her school report on how badly females are treated in today's society, which is supposed to be equal, and she used "Possessing the Secret of Joy" as an example. Alice Walker helped me realize how we as women need to stand up for ourselves and speak out against anything we find wrong, whatever it may be, and Tashi's strength is prevalent throughout this excellent novel.
Rating: 
Summary: A Painful, Elegant and Uplifing Read
Review: I don't think a more gifted writer exists. This book exemplifies Alice Walker's incredible ability to shed light on horrific practices in the context of beautiful and captivating stories. I'm sure that this book has played a major role in building our broader public awareness of and growing international sanctions against this common human rights abuse.
Rating:
Summary: a good read
Review: I first read this book in college for a report that I was doing on female circumcision and this book definatley put a new spin on all of the prevoius research that I had done. 'POSSESSING THE SECRET OF JOY' takes you inside the life of Tashi a young woman living in Africa where this ritual is concidered a rite of passage for all young women. Reading Tashi's story put a face to all of the facts and figures of my research. Alice Walker helps the reader to understand how this ritual affects young women in Africa and how to many young women this is a welcome practice. This is by no means light reading there are parts that will make you laugh and parts that will make you want to cry, it will give you new insight into a culture that we are not too familiar with as well as give you hope. There is a passage at the very begining of this book that I have kept with me throughout the years so if you have the opportunity to read this book please do so you will not regret it and you just may find something within it that sticks with you too. 4 Stars!
Rating: 
Summary: Well Done
Review: In this book, Alice Walker takes an important social issue and shows just what kind of horrific effects it can have on not only an individual, but society as a whole....It does an excellent job in showing the severe psychological effects it can have on a girl who is subjected to this unsanitary and demoralizing practice. Anyone who is unfamiliar with the practice of FGM or African cultural practices would greatly benefit from this work. The style in which Walker writes draws attention away from the simple before and after aspect of the practice, and focuses on the internal struggles that the women who are affected by this must face.
Rating:
Summary: The Secret Shame of Female Circumcision
Review: Possessing The Secret of Joy is a semi-sequel to The Color Purple, but you can jump right into "Possessing" without ever having read "Purple". Here, Alice Walker tells the story of Tashi, a minor character from The Color Purple. Transplanted from her native Africa, she is tormented by supressed memories from her childhood; memories that are starting to wear away her already tenuous sanity. Tashi is not only plagued by memories of the death of her sister, she is also suffering psychologically from the circumcision she subjected herself to before her departure from Africa. She undergoes some extensive therapy, conducted in part by Jung himself, to try to heal her mental scars. I was familiar with the concept of ritual female circumcision from various newspaper articles and news programs, but I had no idea of the extent of the mutilation these young girls are subjected to. Walker handles the subject well; she describes the procedure, and the effect, both physical and mental, on the girl, all the while taking great care to present every side of the story. Her presentation of the history of this procedure is gripping, as are her theories about how it may have started. While much of the book is relentlessly grim, it is, nonetheless, a fabulously rewarding read.
Rating:
Summary: Speechless
Review: Talk about dignity in the face of adversity... I read this shortly after "Temple of My Familiar" and there was dangerous estrogen everywhere!!! Read "The Da Vinci Code" and you will be convinced of the power and sacredness of the female...
Rating:
Summary: Secrets
Review: This book holds many secrets-- and it unfolds many, but not all, to the reader. The astute reader wil see many hints of the deeper levels to which Walker alludes, but i am sure the multiple layers are beyond any one reader. perhaps, based on her own comecnst, beyond Alice Walker as well. but if you are a reader who likes peeking into your own depths, this book is more than an anthropologically interseting work of fiction. it is a window into your own soul-- and that of the human race.
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.
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