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565 reviews for:
For Colored Girls Who Have Considered Suicide/When the Rainbow is Enuf
Ntozake Shange
4.29 AVERAGE
565 reviews for:
For Colored Girls Who Have Considered Suicide/When the Rainbow is Enuf
Ntozake Shange
4.29 AVERAGE
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.
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.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction, Body shaming, Child abuse, Child death, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Gore, Mental illness, Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Toxic relationship, Violence, Xenophobia, Blood, Police brutality, Islamophobia, Medical content, Grief, Medical trauma, Stalking, Abortion, Suicide attempt, Murder, Pregnancy, Outing, Abandonment, Sexual harassment, Injury/Injury detail
dark
emotional
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
reflective
sad
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
N/A
Strong character development:
N/A
Loveable characters:
N/A
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
N/A
I pulled this off the shelf at my local library without many thoughts beyond "What's a choreopoem?" The answer BLEW ME AWAY. It's a combination of song and dance, poetry and play. The stars of this choreopoem are seven black women identified only by their colors: the lady in red, lady in orange, lady in yellow, lady in green, lady in blue, lady in brown, and lady in purple. In this smashing combination of mediums, these women explore racism, domestic & child abuse, rape, and abortion - to name only a few of the tough topics they get into. And yet, it's not a read that bogs you down as much as it opens your eyes. It's dynamic. It's difficult to describe because I've never read anything else remotely like it. I wish I could see it performed.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Cursing, Domestic abuse, Infidelity, Misogyny, Racial slurs, Racism, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, Violence, Grief, Abortion, Abandonment, Sexual harassment
Moderate: Physical abuse, Suicide attempt, Pregnancy, Classism
Minor: Child death, Xenophobia, Murder
-Racial slurs are used in a reclaimed way
-Graphic discussions of victim blaming
challenging
emotional
sad
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
dark
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
N/A
Loveable characters:
N/A
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
dark
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
fast-paced
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
N/A
I bought this because i need something to read during my long journey on the train. 86 pages of pure emotional ride, that's all i can say. A powerful story of growing up as a black woman with many lenses of seeing life as it was -- prejudice, discrimination, violence, domestic abuse, stigma and so on. I finished this book with one question left unanswered, why patriarchy and misogyny is still relevant ?