Book Review - Sapphire's Push
By Stephen Earley Jordan, II

African American poet-turned-novelist, Sapphire, submerges the characters into a hell-filled-world called reality-(as seems to be a common theme from most of her previous work) in her novel Push. Taking place in Harlem, New York, Push permits us to see sixteen-year-old Precious Jones endlessly abused sexually by her father; abused sexually and mentally by her mother who severely beats Precious on the kitchen floor, where she instantly gives birth to her first child, who we later discover has Down's Syndrome. Tragically bearing her father's children at twelve years old and sixteen years old, Precious' cries appear to never be heard.

Living off of the "system" and satisfied with its contributions, Precious' mother attempts to persuade her to not attend an alternative school (since she was kicked out of her public school for being pregnant (and still in eighth grade at sixteen years old)) in view of the assumption that education supposedly won't do her any good. As Precious gains a new perspective of life, starts this new alternative school, befriends classmates (who've lived a similar life as Precious), and pursues her G.E.D. while raising her second child, she recognizes that life is in the hands of a Higher Being, and she has no control of her existence seeming to spiral downhill. CONTINUE