A review by invisiblemonster
Notes from a Black Woman's Diary: Selected Works of Kathleen Collins by Kathleen Collins

challenging emotional reflective sad medium-paced

• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.0

Do not let the title deceive you. It is not a book of diary entries, but an amalgamation of those and letters, short stories, plays, and screenplays. Very very very few notes are present. The short stories and diary entries are mainly stream of consciousness and serious wtf moments, and, unfortunately, I didn’t know what I was reading most of time. The letters are very personal and by far my favorite in this collection. Plays and screenplays are difficult for me to read; a visual medium is needed for me to fully enjoy the experience. Therefore, I have no real opinion about these sections. However it is safe to say that they are written with such verve that they held my attention easily enough. One play in particular (The Reading) was so good that I had goosebumps. The screenplay Losing Ground was developed into a movie in 1982 (in which Collins also directed) and I will definitely look for that. In the end I feel a sadness that the life of this creative force was cut short and she has somewhat been lost in obscurity. I hope you will all feel at least a little compelled to look up the life and work of Ms Collins.