Featured Reading Guide
Sapphire
This is the story of Precious Jones, a sixteen year old illiterate black girl who has never been out of Harlem. She is pregnant by her own father for the second time, and kicked out of school when that pregnancy becomes obvious. Placed in an alternative teaching programme, she is urged to write down her thoughts in a book. This is Precious’s diary, in which she honestly records her relationships and her life. Told with tremendous power, vitality and wit; this is an uncompromising and hugely enjoyable novel.
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topAbout the Book
This is the story of Precious Jones, a sixteen year old illiterate black girl who has never been out of Harlem. She is pregnant by her own father for the second time, and kicked out of school when that pregnancy becomes obvious. Placed in an alternative teaching programme, she is urged to write down her thoughts in a book. This is Precious’s diary, in which she honestly records her relationships and her life. Told with tremendous power, vitality and wit; this is an uncompromising and hugely enjoyable novel.
topSapphire interview/review
- What were you trying to do, as a writer and as a political person, with this story?
As a political person I was really trying to paint a picture of a person who I feel is the object of almost genocidal neglect and genocidal assault in terms of the removal of services that someone like Precious would need. Right now in our culture we are seeing the dismantling of the welfare system, the dismantling of the affirmative action system, a reordering of the medical system. Not that any of these things have worked so well, but to totally remove them from people… It’s almost unbelievable. Talk about “family values” and in the same breath talk about “we will be withdrawing welfare checks from women with more than one child.”
- How did you find Precious’ voice?
I think Precious’ voice was… um, channeled, if you will. So it wasn’t like…I just quieted my own voice, shut my own voice up and shut everybody else’s voice up. Which you know some people have a problem with in the novel…that other characters are not as developed as her. But you know, that wasn’t what I was trying to do. But basically it was just about trying…about being very very still and open to her, really just trying to be open and let her come out and speak. And she did. She did. So it wasn’t like I had to find her voice or create it. I mean, I had real difficulty…real difficulty in trying to convey her process of literacy accurately. You know, like, the first couple of things — trying to convey her writing — were easy. But then after that it was really, really hard. That was really hard. But actually her actual voice was overwhelming. And I feel it is a very voice-driven novel. And I think her voice almost always rings true.
topStarting Points for Discussion
- What does story tell us about the inadequacy of ordinary schools to deal with students’ problems and with their resulting learning handicaps?
- How would you describe Precious’s self image at the beginning of the book, and how would you describe it at the end? How have her friends and supporters succeeded in helping to alter her view of herself?
- What is Precious’s attitude towards movement at the beginning of the story? What do you deduce the author’s attitude to him to be?
- Push presents a disturbing portrait of motherhood – how would you explain or interpret Precious’s mother’s behaviour?
- How does the novel illustrate the concept of the cycle of abuse? How does Precious break that cycle, and what aspects of her own character enable her to do so?
- Why do you think Sapphire has chosen to end the story where she does? Does the book end on a sad or hopeful note and what sort of future do you envisage for Precious?
Other Books by Sapphire
Push
This is the story of the life of Precious Jones, a sixteen year old illiterate…
Suggested Further Reading
- I Know Why the Caged Birds Sing ~ Maya Angelou
- The Joy Luck Club ~ Amy Tan
- The Bluest Eye ~ Toni Morrison
- The Colour Purple ~ Alice Walker
- Black Boy ~ Richard Wright