Reviews tagging 'Emotional abuse'

For Colored Girls Who Have Considered Suicide / When the Rainbow Is Enuf by Ntozake Shange

9 reviews

inkerly's review

dark emotional reflective sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? N/A
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

Warning: This poetry book has possibly every content warning you can imagine. Read at your own discretion , and bring handkerchiefs

This is a choreopoem that shines light into the black women experience of the mid 20th century. Theres something for all black daughters, mothers, and grandmothers to resonate with and reflect on, and it’s such a aweing but sad composition of stories that leaves me feeling sad inside. I saw the Tyler Perry rendition of the book before reading this so I have a much more vivid and jarring memory of the events in the poems , but I think the Ebonics writing style , “rainbow” metaphor for the women, and tragic stories were beautifull constructed and together make a classic literary timepiece . My only reasoning for this being 4 stars is the it does get hard to read and I’m sure there are a million hidden meanings behind each line that I couldn’t decipher because of the artistic vision this poem chose to take.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Murder, Racial slurs, Domestic abuse, Suicidal thoughts, Grief, Emotional abuse, Islamophobia, Violence, and Rape

bridgetmnelson's review

challenging emotional reflective sad fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? N/A
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

Trigger warning: domestic violence

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Drug use, Physical abuse, Rape, Violence, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Child death, and Infidelity

Minor: Sexual assault, Abortion, Addiction, and Misogyny

stevia333k's review against another edition

5.0

I'm not Christian, so astagfirullah, this is what i assume reading the Bible is like for some people in terms of seeing one's self & then seeing where the roads led.

It gave me perspective on dancing, it gave me perspective on why date rape was in contrast to rape instead of in contrast to rape by stranger. It gave me perspective on other people who cling to historical figures for representations of safe spaces, it gave me perspective on some of the D/V dynamics I have with my racist family right now (I'm a white settler & so are they, but I'm trans & they're cis.)

Also the July 2010 preface was so important to read, I'm very thankful it was written. It gives guidance on how to adapt this for a variety of races women are. As a white settler disabled trans woman working on becoming a welcome guest & not connected to theater/performance people (I still need to look up performances/adaptations.) This felt important because I needed to read a lot of the book outloud to get a sense of the poetry, and some of the words I do not feel comfortable saying especially as a white woman instead of a woman of color.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Physical abuse, Mental illness, Grief, Drug use, Murder, Violence, Xenophobia, Toxic relationship, Suicide attempt, Stalking, Sexual violence, Sexual harassment, Sexual content, Sexual assault, Sexism, Rape, Racial slurs, Pregnancy, Police brutality, Panic attacks/disorders, Outing, Misogyny, Medical trauma, Medical content, Injury/Injury detail, Islamophobia, Gore, Emotional abuse, Domestic abuse, Death, Abortion, Addiction, Abandonment, Blood, Body shaming, Child abuse, Child death, and Drug abuse

tabithae's review

challenging dark emotional informative reflective sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A

4.5

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Addiction, Child abuse, Child death, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Emotional abuse, Homophobia, Bullying, Physical abuse, Racism, Abortion, Rape, and Sexual assault

kashalaabrahams's review against another edition

dark emotional reflective sad medium-paced

4.0

'i cdnt stand bein sorry and colored at the same time it's so redundant in the modern world.'

Ntozake Shange's debut 'Choreopoem' (a term she coined herself), stands the test of time. To read this in 2021 was truly an immersive experience, each character's monologue was distinct in diction yet still maintained a harmonious tone whilst conversing with one another.

Vital statistics to consider when reading this book:
- 'For every 15 Black women who are assaulted, just 1 reports her rape.'
- '1 in 4 black girls will be sexually abused before the age of 18.'

'For Colored Girls Who Have Considered Suicide / When the Rainbow Is Enuf' tells the tales of several black women and their struggles in a marginalised society. All of them on the receiving end of pain and torment. Matters of abortion, sexual and domestic violence, and child murder are addressed in these poems, each stylised in a vernacular way that adds to the personalisation of these stories. It reminds us that these events do unfortunately happen in real life, the longer these topics are avoided in society, the longer people suffer the affects. What we call generational trauma in modern day.

'i'm gonna tack a sign to my door
leave a message by the phone.

if you called
to say yr sorry
call somebody
else
i dont use em anymore'

This work being published 1976 was and is a pivotal moment in how our society disregards black pain and how we as black women choose to address it. Do we often hide it out of fear of judgement? Judgement from who? These questions may have different answers, I applaud Ntozake Shange for opening up this dialogue in a time when black women were still finding their power and voice in a world that told them by its actions that it just didn't care enough.

'My love is too beautiful to have thrown back in my face.'

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Child abuse, Sexual violence, Child death, Emotional abuse, Sexual assault, Domestic abuse, and Suicide attempt

funmilayo's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional inspiring reflective sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.75

& this is for colored girls who have considered
suicide/ but are movin to the ends of their own
rainbows

This was one of the most intriguing and intimate poems I've ever read and I truly wish that I could see it as a performance (which is also why I didn't give it 5 stars).
I won't pretend as though I understood everything but I do believe that I felt everything this poem wanted to make me feel and more than anything this poem made me feel understood as a black woman and it made me feel loved and comforted. I don't think that I'll ever get to read anything that is quite like this again but that just means that I'll get to return to this poem again and again and rediscover it and myself every single time.
I don't really have the words to express my deep adorarion for this piece of writing.
Just know that it is one of those poems that will stay with you for the rest of your live.
I think I'll just end this review with one of my favourite verses:

i sat up one nite walkin a boardin house
screamin / cryin / the ghost of another woman
who waz missin what i waz missin
i wanted to jump up outta my bones
& be done wit myself
leave me alone
& go on in the wind
it waz too much
i fell into a numbness
til the only tree i cd see
took me up in her branches
held me in the breeze
made me dawn dew
that chill at daybreak
the sun wrapped me up swingin rose light everywhere
the sky laid over me like a million men
i waz cold/ i waz burnin up/ a child
& endlessly weavin garments for the moon
wit my tears

i found god in myself
& i loved her/ i loved her fiercly

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Rape, Gaslighting, Grief, Sexual assault, Slavery, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Violence, Child abuse, Cursing, Misogyny, Racial slurs, Racism, Sexism, Sexual content, Sexual harassment, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Sexual violence, Toxic relationship, Drug abuse, Drug use, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Police brutality, and Pregnancy

ashleycmms's review

challenging emotional inspiring tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Domestic abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Homophobia, Chronic illness, Mental illness, Sexual violence, Sexual content, Sexism, Rape, Pregnancy, Abortion, Abandonment, Addiction, Blood, Child abuse, Child death, Cursing, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Grief, Infidelity, Injury/Injury detail, Medical content, Physical abuse, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic friendship, Toxic relationship, and Violence

peachani's review against another edition

challenging emotional reflective medium-paced

3.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Abortion, Addiction, Emotional abuse, Homophobia, Infidelity, Murder, Physical abuse, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Toxic relationship, and Violence

Moderate: Child abuse, Child death, Cursing, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Mental illness, Misogyny, Racism, Rape, and Sexual assault

thereaderfriend's review

challenging dark emotional reflective sad tense fast-paced

5.0

This was an ebook 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body shaming, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Misogyny, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Police brutality, Racial slurs, Racism, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Suicide attempt, Toxic relationship, and Violence