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lunabbly's review against another edition
5.0
Excellent anthology. Highly recommend folks to read. Many of the essays, written in the late 60s, are still relevant.
It's also my first time reading Toni Cade Bambara, and I love the rhythm to her writing. I think it's excellent, tough, and explicit. It's almost like watching a 1920s detective movie dialogue scene -- it's rapid, comes at you quickly and before you can fully react, you've digested more than you'll ever be able to comprehend. It'll leave you chewing for days.
I loved the intergenerational share of stories. None of the essays sought to help you better humanize Black women either -- they didn't ask for empathy, didn't ask for you to understand. They wrote as they were. There wasn't a "here let me help you understand" piece in here, which I appreciated and I think we need more pieces like this out there in the world -- more unapologetic pieces about being and existing.
Folks should definitely read. As a non-Black nonbinary person of color, I learned so much. You want to be a good "ally" or "accomplice"? Read this anthology.
It's also my first time reading Toni Cade Bambara, and I love the rhythm to her writing. I think it's excellent, tough, and explicit. It's almost like watching a 1920s detective movie dialogue scene -- it's rapid, comes at you quickly and before you can fully react, you've digested more than you'll ever be able to comprehend. It'll leave you chewing for days.
I loved the intergenerational share of stories. None of the essays sought to help you better humanize Black women either -- they didn't ask for empathy, didn't ask for you to understand. They wrote as they were. There wasn't a "here let me help you understand" piece in here, which I appreciated and I think we need more pieces like this out there in the world -- more unapologetic pieces about being and existing.
Folks should definitely read. As a non-Black nonbinary person of color, I learned so much. You want to be a good "ally" or "accomplice"? Read this anthology.
steph_foster's review against another edition
emotional
informative
inspiring
reflective
tense
slow-paced
4.5
briana_blu's review against another edition
5.0
Excellent collection of essays and poems. Required reading.
audreybethc's review against another edition
challenging
informative
medium-paced
5.0
I read this book alongside “The Feminine Mystique” to get a broader perspective of midcentury womanhood. “The Black Woman: An Anthology” was far superior. It is a series of essays (and a few pieces of fiction and poetry) written by Black women in the mid 60s-70s. There are many different perspectives and topics covered, all are linked to the position of the Black woman. Some writers reflect on their place in the movement, others on the home/family, others on their place in broader society. All were eye-opening for me, and led to a list of writers and topics to investigate further (love a book that leads to more books!). My favorite pieces were: Reena, Double Jeopardy: To Be Black and Female, The Kitchen Crisis, The Black Revolution In America and Poor Black Women’s Study Papers. There are two pieces at the very end that are theater/film critiques (or maybe analysis is a better word). I have not seen the play/film that those were about, so I didn’t find those essays compelling. Despite that, still one of my favorite feminist works so far.
steph_foster's review against another edition
4.0
4.5. Time truly does repeat itself. This 50+ year old text is as relevant today as it was in 1970. It includes works from those who become leaders in black feminist thought.
beverleefernandez's review against another edition
3.0
The Black Woman: An Anthology is a worthy read. This collection is loosely organized around themes that have a profound impact on Black women such as socioeconomic standing, the many relationships that are a part of life (sisterhood, black/white, man/woman, government, media, religion). I think this concept is admirable, but it didn't make reading enjoyable throughout the text. There is a small section near the beginning that is fiction writing (poetry & short stories) and then the anthology moves to essays. Being this is an anthology, my issue isn't the mix of fiction and nonfiction, but that it was difficult (at least for me) to determine how the individual pieces fit together. Cade Bambara wrote in the introduction that the Black Woman is "a college graduate. A drop out (italics). A student. A wife(italics). A divorcee. A mother (italics). A lover. A child of the ghetto (italics). A product of the bourgeoisie. A professional writer (italics). A person who never dreamed of publication. A solitary individual (italics). A member of the Movement. A gentle humanist (italics). A violent revolutionary. She is angry and tender, loving and hating. She is all these things-and more. And she is represented in a collection that for the first time truly lets her bare her soul and speak her mind (italics)." This offers some clarification, but some pieces included in the anthology just didn't work for me, particularly in the last two essays. I think if the anthology is revised, it should be clearly organized around a specific idea with an introduction to each section that offers some explanation to what inspired the words written (if possible).
My favorite works contained in the anthology: Reena by Paule Marshall, Tell Martha Not to Moan by Shirley Williams, Dear Black Man by Fran Sanders, The Kitchen Crisis by Verta Mae Smart-Grosvenor, I Fell Off the Roof One Day ( A View of the Black University) by Nikki Giovanni and Looking Back by Helen Cade Brehon.
My favorite works contained in the anthology: Reena by Paule Marshall, Tell Martha Not to Moan by Shirley Williams, Dear Black Man by Fran Sanders, The Kitchen Crisis by Verta Mae Smart-Grosvenor, I Fell Off the Roof One Day ( A View of the Black University) by Nikki Giovanni and Looking Back by Helen Cade Brehon.
bookitqueen's review against another edition
4.0
This anthology was originally published in 1970, and then republished again in 2005. Focused on The Black Woman as suggested by the title, this book is a collection of poetry, plays, and essays. It is amazing that even though this was published 50 years ago, the content and topics are still relevant. As I was reading I had to continually remind myself that this was written decades ago and not just in the last decade. That’s how relevant and unfortunately, how the some things have remained or gone unchanged. As someone who studied African American Lit in college, I was introduced to several Black women writers who deserved the same acknowledgment as Langston Hughes and Nora Zeale Hurston. Lastly, this book challenged my preconceived notions about older books and having nothing to really gain. I gained several new perspectives, nuggets of knowledge, and ideas from these enthralling writers.
kait_unicorn's review against another edition
4.0
The more things change, the more they stay the same... relevant even today, and interesting to read and note how our language has evolved. There are essays on intersectionality and fragile masculinity before these terms were coined. Bambara' pieces and the essay by Grace Lee Boggs were, for me, the strongest contributions.
An excellent book for anyone in the business of getting woke.
An excellent book for anyone in the business of getting woke.
aeandrews's review
4.0
Read excerpts for 20th Century Black Feminist Thought and Practice in the US., Fall 2013.
pattireadsalot's review
5.0
I was looking for the exact assortment of this anthology when I perused my subscription service. I wanted to read Toni Morrison, Nikki Giovanni, and Alice Walker, and they were featured here along with many others. This was also perfect because I didn't have to commit to one book.
Frances Beale's essay on Double Jeopardy- To Be Black and Female, highlighted that a major differentiation for black women is in the liberation movement. The white women's liberation movement is basically middle class, as very few of these women suffer extreme economic exploitation. "If white groups don't realize that, they are in fact fighting capitalism and racism, we do not have common bonds".
This collection of poems, stories, essays, and conversations is a powerful look into the preoccupations of the contemporary black woman in this country. I also liked that student work was featured alongside professional writers. My other favorite entries were "To Whom Will She Cry Rape?" by Abbey Lincoln, "The Black Woman as a Woman", "Is the Black Male Castrated?", and "The Kitchen Crisis." I highly recommend this collection.
Frances Beale's essay on Double Jeopardy- To Be Black and Female, highlighted that a major differentiation for black women is in the liberation movement. The white women's liberation movement is basically middle class, as very few of these women suffer extreme economic exploitation. "If white groups don't realize that, they are in fact fighting capitalism and racism, we do not have common bonds".
This collection of poems, stories, essays, and conversations is a powerful look into the preoccupations of the contemporary black woman in this country. I also liked that student work was featured alongside professional writers. My other favorite entries were "To Whom Will She Cry Rape?" by Abbey Lincoln, "The Black Woman as a Woman", "Is the Black Male Castrated?", and "The Kitchen Crisis." I highly recommend this collection.