PUSH: BASED ON THE NOVEL BY SAPPHIRE

[Senusret I]

Originally Posted by DrPhil

I can tell without reading the book or seeing the movie that there's probably way too much pathology jam packed in this story.

Since I couldn't find my copy of Push last night (I looked EVERYWHERE!) I went to Borders today and got a new copy -- they had some in hardcover, which I was very happy about.

Sidenote: I have now nicknamed the Borders in Silver Spring, MD "Birth Control" because of all the bad ass kids that were running around.

So I started rereading it and remembered that it wasn't as amazing novel as I remembered it fir the reasons I quoted above, plus what the New York Times had to say about it:

No doubt this rapid-fire sequence of horrifying stories is supposed to mean that Precious has finally found a community of friends with shared experiences. Instead, they leave the reader with the feeling that one has abruptly exited the world of the novel and entered the world of a support group. In trying to open out her heroine's story and turn it into a more general comment on society, Sapphire has made the tale of Precious decidedly less moving than it might have been.

I'm still going to go support the movie, though. If what people are saying is true about how they injected more witty/humorous moments into the movie than appeared in the book, it's probably because they were trying to be less depressing and slightly more realistic. (I work in social services where people have shitty lives but witty moments, so I get it)

Final side note: I really don't need to see Mo'nique's tittays jiggling as she runs up the stairs in that full-slip in the promos.

[DrPhil]

Originally Posted by Senusret I

Since I couldn't find my copy of Push last night (I looked EVERYWHERE!) I went to Borders today and got a new copy -- they had some in hardcover, which I was very happy about.

Sidenote: I have now nicknamed the Borders in Silver Spring, MD "Birth Control" because of all the bad ass kids that were running around.

So I started rereading it and remembered that it wasn't as amazing novel as I remembered it fir the reasons I quoted above, plus what the New York Times had to say about it:

No doubt this rapid-fire sequence of horrifying stories is supposed to mean that Precious has finally found a community of friends with shared experiences. Instead, they leave the reader with the feeling that one has abruptly exited the world of the novel and entered the world of a support group. In trying to open out her heroine's story and turn it into a more general comment on society, Sapphire has made the tale of Precious decidedly less moving than it might have been.

I'm still going to go support the movie, though. If what people are saying is true about how they injected more witty/humorous moments into the movie than appeared in the book, it's probably because they were trying to be less depressing and slightly more realistic. (I work in social services where people have shitty lives but witty moments, so I get it)

*old Black folk voice*

Laughter has conquered many a mountain.

Originally Posted by Senusret I

Final side note: I really don't need to see Mo'nique's tittays jiggling as she runs up the stairs in that full-slip in the promos.

Shame on us for noticing.

[ladygreek]

I am debating whether to see the movie. I haven't read the book and don't intend to. But I have see a lot of Preciouses in my lifetime.

[CrimsonTide4]

Great blog post.

I won't go see the movie or read the book. Some things I cannot and will not handle. I won't even see this on BET in 2012.

[Munchkin03]

Originally Posted by CrimsonTide4

Great blog post.

I won't go see the movie or read the book. Some things I cannot and will not handle. I won't even see this on BET in 2012.

About two years ago, I was sitting next to someone on the subway who was reading it. From what I gleaned just looking over, I was disgusted and saddened.

This may be going on right now but I don't want to read about it during my free time. I suspect/hope that the movie won't be as graphic as the section of book I saw, but still.

[redblackdelta]

My chapter, Metropolitan Dallas Alumnae, sponsored a special viewing of Precious this past Sunday. We had a brief Q&A with two mental health clinicians, one from our chapter. We sold the entire theater out and folks are still writing, stopping by, just wanting to process the film and book. The best thing was having our psychiatrist and psychologist there to field questions and just let people debrief. Our participant evals came back with phenomenal ratings.

I've been in the urban classroom 15 years and have taught many a Precious. There are so many things both in the book and film that brought me to tears, but the most poignant, was seeing a BLACK teacher (though Paula sho' is light, lol) save a Black student. Not since the Marva Collins Story nor Lean on Me, has Hollywood taken upon itself to show that we can save our own kids. Lee Daniels clearly is an independent film maker, but I just had my chest out watching it all. I'm tired of students asking me, "Miss, when will they do a movie about you and the work you do?" Precious is my movie.