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abalbo's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
slow-paced
4.0
knowriley's review against another edition
reflective
sad
medium-paced
4.25
Made me fall in love with Lorraine
emmbien's review against another edition
4.0
It’s difficult to write a review for this one, because it was compiled and completed posthumously. Yes, the work is in Lorraine’s own words (gathered from interviews, speeches, plays, diaries, and everything in between) but the work was originally envisioned as a play. Thus, it’s not the easiest book to read. When you do get to longer stretches of her distinct voice, it’s incredible. She was brilliant and gone before her time.
A fact I learned after reading is that her ex-husband (who she maintained a professional partnership with up until her death) kept her writings about her lesbian identity from the public archives until 2013. So, this book is very incomplete. If she had lived longer, perhaps we would have been graced with a more complete autobiography that more authentically represents who she is.
A fact I learned after reading is that her ex-husband (who she maintained a professional partnership with up until her death) kept her writings about her lesbian identity from the public archives until 2013. So, this book is very incomplete. If she had lived longer, perhaps we would have been graced with a more complete autobiography that more authentically represents who she is.
joanna_banana's review against another edition
3.0
It took me a bit to get through the book but I’m glad I did. I don’t think I’ve ever read anything like this: excerpts of Lorraine Hansberry’s plays, letters, interviews, journal, plus sketches and notes. I really enjoyed reading her own words—she’s a revolutionary and provides the reader with deep insights into Blacks in America, white supremacy, the problem with white liberals, African independence, reparations for slavery and the pillaging of Africa, sex, the patriarchy, and more. I also enjoyed her writing about the writing process and how challenging it is. I would have preferred more organization or narrative between the pieces of her writing to make it more of a biography (like more about her youth, she wanted to be a journalist and in many ways fulfilled that high school dream). It was a little disjointed and hard to follow in places as it jumped from play to letter to interview to journal entry often very short and nothing really to tie them together.
The ending was sad and moving as her health declined and she faced death. A life that could have offered so much more if not cut short by cancer.
The ending was sad and moving as her health declined and she faced death. A life that could have offered so much more if not cut short by cancer.
lilahs_literacy_corner's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
informative
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
sad
fast-paced
4.0
naomi41's review against another edition
4.0
Lorraine Hansberry's A Raisin in the Sun happens to be one of my favorite books of all time. So reading an autobiography of her short life was bound to be interesting. James Baldwin, author of Go Tell It On The Mountain and other novels gives a really interesting preface, talking about his friendship with her and all of the memories, whether good or bad that they shared. The rest of the book chronicles her life growing up, including the landmark Hansberry vs. Lee Supreme court case and incorporating short scenes from the different plays that she has written. He once said that "it is not at all farfetched to suspect that what she saw contributed to the strain which killed her, for the effort to which Lorraine was dedicated is more than enough to kill a man." African American literature is another genre in itself when it comes to the depth and strength of text in America and she strongly left an imprint for others up till this day.
adarre's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
5.0
mezzythedragon's review against another edition
5.0
Amazing. There’s nothing else to say except Lorraine Hansberry is a genius. Her commentary on race sadly remains relevant, and one quote that particularly stood out is: “I think it’s very simple that the whole idea of debating whether or not Negroes should defend themselves is an insult.”