End of PUSH

Did anyone else feel completely and utterly stunned that the end of the book left us all hanging by a limb with no answers? I really thought I would get a much more in depth account of the end of the story, so to speak, or at the very least an account of Precious' efforts to secure housing and employment. The ending was problmatic for me also because there were simply too many unresolved issues with the characters. It was as if Sapphire was setting us up for a sequel, but I haven't heard about one yet. I guess I feel cheated in a way, robbed of the ending; I feel as if I put so much emotion into reading the novel, I deserve some answers darn it! Such is life, right? I do, however, like that Sapphire included the stories from the main girls who wrote for the "class book." This was a way to shed some light on the trauma of the girls in Precious' class and to better understand that there are many different types of racism, abuse and neglect that span all races and cultures. The "book" brought all the girls in the class together; similarly, PUSH has brought us together as a class by forcing us into a shared compassion for Precious and others like her.

PUSH, a novel

"Ms. Rain the one who put the chalk in my hand, make me the Queen of the ABCs." (Sapphire 81). I don't know about the rest of you, but I have been profoundly affected by the reading of this novel. I was so shocked in the beginning that I literally felt my mouth drop; the language is so unbelievably awful that I honestly didn't know if I would be able to read further. I did, however, out of both necessity (as it is assigned reading) and also curiosity. I was fascinated with the story of Precious, and I could not put the book down once I began to become personally involved with her story. I found myself getting very angry at the injustices that she suffered, elated when she succeeded in some small task, and I was even moved to tears when her lonely birthday was described (p. 68). I guess I have started this blog for the class in hopes that we can begin to share our thoughts and feelings as a class beyond what we share in class. I have a feeling that our short time together each week is simply not going to be enough to satisfy our souls. Anyone's input will be greatly appreciated and respected.