Review of Push

http://www.womanist-musings.com/2011/09/review-of-push-by-sapphire.html

The review I have chosen was written and published on a website called womanist-musings. This website is a blog set up by a mother of two in Canada. She writes that if you are looking for a website that publishes about how wonderful and rosy this world is, turn right because this space will not be for you. She notes that she is a committed humanitsit who believes in the human right to food, clothing, shelter, and education. I thought this was a good website to choose as the person who wrote the review believes in equal rights for everyone, especially woman and it would be a good viewpoint to read of what she thought of a novel which demeans women and introduces themes such as rape and drug abuse on a child. 

Her review starts off by feeling empathy for Clarice, who she refers too as a fat, black, poor survivor. This is consistent with the fact that the review is written by a mother so she will show more empathy for the child. She then focuses on the actions of the father and other school children who teased her for being fat and wetting herself as a result of the abuse her father gave her. The woman who reviews the book focuses on the point that she can not understand how teachers and other people who know her, dont know something is wrong with her home life and she then ponders the question: how many victims of child abuse slip through the cracks in just the fashion? 

Throughout the review the woman focuses on the details of the rape and sexual experiences that Clarice went through, for example she comments on the way Clarice describes her mothers vagina (fowl smelling) and how she orgasmed during the rape which she did not want to happen. She describes them as being written like they are "horrifyingly real". She also comments on the fact that there are many black lesbian women within the novel and says this is because the writer was a lesbian (she calls it refreshing). The review is rounded off by the discussion that this book was about sexual abuse, and how it was also statement about the various ways in which the system continues to fail poor women of colour. I believe this review is a negative view on what happened to the young girl and I can tell the woman empathises with the girl. I do, however, think she believes the book was a hard read and she didn't enjoy the book, not because it was badly written but because it was too life like in the content.