Ntozake Shange Books

'Plays 1,' by Ntozake Shange brings to mind performaces of like such as those currently being pioneered by Jazz Exchange (dance company). One can imagine, with little effort, a simple space in which the passion of life is performed before an audience. It allows one to visualize a mix of: jazz; poetry; fluid movement; as scenarios, emotion & reflection are brought to life by her poetic verse. If you are new to Shange this provides the essential compendium at a reasonable price; skip straight to "The love space demands," to experience her at her very best.

This book is a collection of photographs of African-Americans. Ntozake Shange has written a free-verse response to each each photo. The photos are moving and expressive on their own,and the book would be wonderful if it were simply the beautiful faces. But Ms. Shange's words evoke worlds of emotion, memories, and contemplation. Enjoy the book the first time without reading her musings. Then start over and read for a whole new experience. I'll bet you come back and buy a couple more copies to share with friends like I did.
Mike V

With for colored girls who have considered suicide/when the rainbow is enuf, Ntozake Shange emerged a a formidable voice in the American theater. In these three plys, she brilliantly recasts traditional forms to capture the essenses of the lives of black people: Spell #7 is a black magic and variety show; A Photograph: Lovers in Motion, a sensual melodrama of intersecting lives and loves; and Boogie Woogie Landscapes, a stream of consciousness verse play.
--- from book's back cover

This is a story of two African American women who are able to pass as caucasian in the 1920s. A look at both sides of this issue. The ending is very interesting.

I had to read this book for an American Women Writers class in college. It was a very interesting read. I enjoyed the subject matter and history. It was something with which I was not very familiar. A good movie that covers this same topic of "passing" is the Human Stain -- very good movie.

very good price for book....for something that costs fifty cents, you'd think it would be in poor condition, but I believe that it was brand new and in perfect condition

Written in 1929, Passing is a story of two friends, both of whom are African Americans but are so light-skinned that they can pass for white. Clare chooses to do so, cuts herself off from past relationships, while her friend Irene, chooses to remain within the culture of her birth, married a black man and gives birth to 2 sons. Clare's choice is complicated when she married a white bigot who has no suspicion of his wife's origins. Irene's is complicated by her desire to put the violence of her racial past behind her.
By chance, the two women meet again, and hypnotic, powerful Clare moves into Irene's circle in ways that threaten both of their lives. More than a story of passing, hypocrisy, and adultery, Passing is a complex story of origins, history, and acceptance.

Written in 1929, PASSING is a product of the Harlem Renaissance. Nella Larsen, a biracial woman, relates the story of Irene Redfield and Clare Kendry. Both are fair skinned black women who can pass for white and grow up together in a black neighborhood. When Clare is orphaned she moves with white relatives and deserts her black heritage. She sees it as the only means of escape from the poverty that she destest. She marries John Bellows, escaping her past and could have disappeared into the white world.

But through a chance meeting, where Irene is also passing for white, they meet after many years of separation. Irene has married a black doctor, who wants to move to Brazil and in effect pass as a latin American. He wants physically out of America while Irene wants out of the racial tensions of America.

Clare is drawn back to her racial roots by some mystery. She can't let go even though she knows it will be the end of her marriage and perhaps the loss of her daughter.

Clare's husband, John Bellows, is a avowed racist who calls Clare "Nig" because he jokes that she is getting darker, totally unaware of her race. Irene and another friend who is also passing endure Bellow's racist remarks but do not respond.

The book takes place over about a 2 year period as Clare flirts with the danger of discovery and also Irene's husband. Irene is in conflict as to whether to reveal the truth to John, which would get Clare out of her life. But she can't bring herself to do it.

The book tells of the conflict of being black and living white; it tells of the interracial circles of Harlem of the 1920's. It's a period of high racial tensions, but yet whites flock to Harlem because some see it as in vogue not because they seek an interracial culture.

Although Irene lives black, she has created a white world around herself. She doesn't want her sons to know about lynchings and racial issues.

At the end Clare makes a tragic choice. She chooses death over admitting that she is black. Of course, maybe that is what she wanted all the time - out of this false world. Irene gets her wish, she gets Clare out of her immediate life but she will never get her out of her memory.

SUGAR IN THE RAW is an inspiring collection of essays written by 15 African American young women who, as the backcover asserts, "refuse to be ignored."

These girls may share a racial ancestry but their stories are as unique as they are. This thin volume contains essays from young women of all walks of life: from a bisexual homegirl in Portland trying to keep it together to a biracial girl in lily white Vermont coming to terms with who she is, the reader of SUGAR will share in all the girl's excitement, fears and triumphs.

The only drawback is the the book is so short. The editor interviewed over 90 girls from around the country but only 15 are included here. SUGAR can be easily read in one sitting and will leave you wanting more. Hopefully, a SUGAR II is in the works.

All in all, this book would make a great gift for a young woman of any race.

Sugar in the Raw is such a great book. I am a 13 year old girl. Before reading this book I had the idea that all teen girls, no matter what skin color, are going through the same thing. Now that I have finished reading the book, I've learned that black girls are going through the same thing plus more. They have to deal with a lot of prejudice.They must try to prove everyones image of a black girl in America wrong. This image is all wrong and comes from Americas history. Slavery started something that hasn't competely gone away yet. This wrong idea is that white people somehow should rule over black people. That we are somehow better. I don't know how the color of your skin can determine who is better than who. The truth is everyone is unique. Everyone has at least one quality about them that is better than someone else.You can be whatever you want.The only person that determines what you are like is you.

This small, paperback captures the emotional tales of young, African American girls from across the United States. Discussions of self-esteem, identity, racism, prejudice, and relationships permeate throughout Rebecca Carroll's book. Readers of all ages amd races come away with a profound understanding of what it means to be Black and female, but most importantly, the pride and strength that these young women carry within themselves in order to survive in America's society. Young girls of this culture will undoubtedly regard this book as a treasured resource since these humorous, personal and frank stories connect them to a sense of comaraderie, support and confidence. Carroll only reveals fifteen of fifty stories, which leaves you wanting and wondering about the rest.

Just a short note to say that I purchased this book for two young women (12 & 14). They received the books as christmas gifts. Yes, they would have preferred clothing or cash, but once they started reading they couldn't put it down.

This is the type of book that initiates conversations, questions and thoughts on some of life's harder issues.

I will buy this book soon as a private tribute to a dear friend of mine, Jeff Gray, who is one of the models in the book. I remember him showing me the photos which Robert Mapplethorpe had taken of him. At the time, he doubted that they would ever be published. I did see the book later, but didn't purchase, but I was impressed.

When Jeff was lying in bed in a hospital in San Francisco, I called to inform him that the book had indeed been published. He was thrilled to know that he had been immortalized, for he was dying of AIDS. Jeff never saw the book and didn't have anything negative to say about Robert, whom I never met. I still own a pair of leather pants and a vest Jeffrey designed and made for me.

Mapplethorpe, with his great photographic potenial produced a riviting book that dignifies the male, black body to the next zenith. He was able to capture the very essence of what it is to be a male and to be viewed as "God's" art or creation and not a male "pig." This book demonstrates the power of the camera when the beholder knows what he/she is doing. The images in this book do not apal me, afend me nor do they disgust me. I enjoyed reading and flipping through this book as a ligitimate art reviewer and as a academic scholar.

Published in 1986, Robert Mapplethorpe's BLACK BOOK remains one of my favorite books of photography. Nothing had been published like it previously; nothing comparable has been published since. The book is devoted entirely to shots of black men, some of them naked, some of them not. There are portraits included here as well-- one of my favorites is the stunning portrait of Roedel Middleton on page 70. Some of the images are outrageously beautiful. Many of the models' bodies take on the quality of polished ebony. The four nude photographs of someone named Ajitto in a classical pose-- as are many of the images-- at the beginning of the book are as beautiful as any you will ever see.

It is common knowledge of course now that some of these photographs have been declared obscene (by the likes of Jesse Helms et al.) and racist by some African Americans.(Some of the black men making these allegations, to paraphrase the black poet Don Lee, talk black but sleep white.) According to a less-than-scientific survey by this Caucasian male, there are about 94 photographs included here, only six of them are of body parts-- and I'm not talking here of feet and hands or even behinds here-- 27 are of male nudes with their genitalia exposed, and only in five of them is the model unnamed. Mapplethorpe may well have been a racist, but I fear his critics may have to look elsewhere for proof. An observation or two: his models appear to be willing subjects as no one is tied up or seems to be shot unawares. Secondly, the nature of the male animal of all colors being what it is, there's a good possibility that people having little to offer may have been unwilling to make the sacrifice of giving the viewer the full monty. The artist obviously loved black men and had many black friends as well as lovers. Finally the poet Ntozake Shange has written a beautiful poem as an introduction to this book. Apparently she had no problem with Mapplethorpe's creative vision.

Many of these photographs will last.

NAPPY EDGES by Ntozake Shange is a collection of poetry written during the
Seventies on a myriad of issues in the poet's trademark style. Shange creates
a rhythm that leaps from the page and lyrically dances around the room. The
words beg to be spoken aloud, and the emotions implore you to feel them.

Shange's message is often pro-woman as she deftly builds phrases that
sometimes seem unrelated to form a heavy lesson. Also included in this
collection is a speech that she gave to a conference in which she discussed the
poet's right to individual expression. She challenges readers to know their
poets and to know what their individual sound or flow is like.

It's hard for me to pick one favorite poem from this compilation. Each poem
speaks to a different place and a different time. Nonetheless, this is a
volume of poetry that needs to be on the shelves of all verse lovers and on
the lips of all those who strive to express themselves lyrically.

Reviewed by Diane Marbury
of The RAWSISTAZ Reviewers

Ntozake Shange is a genius, a goddess, but above all else, a poet. This book revolutionized the way I viewed poetry. As she says, "A poem shd fill you up with something/ make you swoon, change yr mind or make it up/a poem shd happen to you like cold water or a kiss." My favorite poems in here are "Advice," "Between a Dancer and a Poet," and "An Invitation to My Friends." She makes connections between music and poetry and I came away (never really away- the book is always in my soul) with new spirit and passion that was inside me all along, but then it resonated, "Yes, yes, yes."

BETSEY BROWN is the story of a young Black girl growing up in St. Louis in the late 1950's. She is the eldest child in a large upwardly mobile family. Her father is a doctor and a socially conscious "race man" who takes his children to sit-ins and protests. Her mother is a social worker who wants to shield her children from the racially charged environment in which they are coming of age.

Like any young girl, Betsey fantasizes about her young life, longs for the attention of a certain young boy and is fascinated with the idea of love. While she is going through the ups and downs of growing up, integration takes place in the South. Betsey and her siblings are bussed to white schools in the name of racial advancement. The children have fears of what may lay ahead of them and the parents are conflicted in their decision. While in their new enviroment the children have various experiences and emotions. Betsey often feels like the weight of the entire race is on her shoulders and no one understands her struggle.

Ntozake Shange gives all of the children who grew up in the era of southern integration a voice in BETSEY BROWN. The storyline is written in simple language with traces of southern dialect dispersed throughout. The novel gives a more visceral feel to the fear and uncertainty that children and their families had during the time of integration in America. This fear was pushed aside for the overall principle of advancement and not told in history books. While reading the novel, I felt like I was taken back in time to experience what, until now, I have only read about in textbooks and I enjoyed it. My only complaint is that Betsey's story ended too soon.

Reviewed by Aiesha Flowers
of The RAWSISTAZ™ Reviewers

Betsy and her family is just trying to make it through everyday family problems. Betsey and her siblings school is integrated for the first time. The story is set in St Louis 1959. Betsy is a nice read.

Betsey Brown is the story of a girl named Betsey Brown who lives in the extremely racist city of St. Louis in 1959 with her big, black family. Betsey is trying to grow up this discrimitive community, and do normal things a kid would do. Her father, Mr. Brown, is obsessed with the Civil Rights Movement and his job as a doctor. Betsey's 7 brothers and sisters all provide a bizarre and interesting life for Betsey who is just trying to be a normal kid.
What does it mean to be an American? Betsey and her family, although African Americans of racist times, still practice their rights as American citizens. This is what America truly stands for. The equality of all people. Mr. Brown continually goes to Civil Rights rallies with his children. They express their opinions in movements that also show their American spirit.

Betsey Brown is me when I was 13, and is still me 11 years later! I saw myself in the book and I was pleasently surprised to find that out. I fell in love with the book within the first few pages. The only complaint that I have with the book is that its not LONGER!!!!

For anyone who has read Cypress, Sassafrass and Indigo by Shange, this book will seem mediocre in comparison. On the other hand, what it is is an excellent social document depicting the experiences of an African-American family in St. Louis of the 1950's. It describes the pressure that the combat of racism puts on a family---Betsey Brown runs away at the age of 12 because she is being bused to a school full of "crackers." Betsey doesn't want to have to do everything for the "race"-she just wants to be a comfortable 12 year old girl with her neighborhood friends.

Other tensions happen between the husband and mother when the husband (Greer Brown, a doctor) and the wife (Jane Brown) a nurse argue over whether their children should participate in civil rights demonstrations. The mother, like her daughter, is forced to leave home as she does not want her children to participate. Later she returns to the man she loves, and her lovable, if noisy and rambunctious children.

Another important sub theme to this novel is that of class. The Browns are the creme de la creme of African-American society, (Greer is one of only 5,000 African-American doctors in America at that time) Yet there is a constant stream of characters who are not so graced; Miss Calhoun, a maid who lasts only one day because the children don't like her, Regina, who is dismissed by the Browns for having a boyfriend, and Carrie, who is forced to take care of the children and work as a domestic. Betsey herself is shamed by one of her friends for making Miss Calhoun miserable-as the childs mother is herself a maid, and Betsey begins to re-examine her attitudes from that point on. Later she encounters Regina working as a prostitute-she has been apparently abandoned by her boyfriend. All this quickly sends Betsey running back to her middle-class home.

If I learned anything from this book it is that life was hard for everyone characterized at this time period. While being forced to confront prejudice forces both Betsey and her mother out of the home, confrontation with life outside the home sends them running back. The lesson of this book seems to be that upper-middle class black women are forced to confront racism whether they like it or not-either on behalf of their lesser favored sisters or because they wish to keep their families together. Their priviledged status does not make them exempt from any fights on behalf of everyone else in their community.

This book is a confusing book. It uses images that are vivid in every way imaginable. Liliane is a young woman who is on a quest for her true self. She doesn't want to come to grips with the facts of her parents. Shange strings together memories, dreams, and expectations of a young black woman to bring her to life as we read about her. Victor Jesus, Zoom, Thayer and Sawyer are her lovers who reveal a different side of Liliane that her family and friends aren't fully aware of.

I had only known Ntozake Shange through her choreopoem, For Colored Girls Who Have Considered Suicide, so I was very curious about her prose writing. I found this book very beautifully written and well crafted. This book is about an artist, Liliane, who journeys into memories of her childhood. As a product of an interracial marriage, Liliane must struggle to define herself and what color means in her life.

Whitewash is a story based on a similar incident that happened in the Bronx in 1992 when an elementary school aged girl's face was assaulted and had her face painted white. Though one reviewer found this book too violent for "impressionable minds" I find this book important because it is powerful and it SHOULD force impressionable minds to confront issues such as racism. I am elementary school teacher and this is a wonderful book to use a classroom. It can be used in classrooms with high school and college students as well. Also parents who are looking for a book that does not skirt issues, this is a great book to read to your kids when you are reading to share important issues such as the racism that continues to exist in our society.

If you want a way to really address social justice issues in a classroom or with a group of children this book will not disappoint you. Because this book is powerful, it should lead to much to discussion so if you are going to read this book to children make sure you are fully prepared to engage the children in a lively discussion. This IS NOT a book to just read for fun. You are not doing you or the children you read this book to, any justice if you do not discuss the issues this book presents. I know the book is quite costly so I suggest picking up this book from the library. This book is must read.

I read this book and found it to be too violent for young children. This book is very graphic and can be very upsetting for young impressionable minds. I might recommend this book to much older children of around 10-12 years of age, but definitely not younger than this. It is not appropriate for young children who should be getting a positive element from the books they read. Preschool age children do not have the ability to comprehend the material presented in this book.

"Whitewash" is a children's book that combines a story by Ntozake Shange with illustrations by Michael Sporn. The book jacket states that the story is "[b]ased on a series of true incidents."

Helene-Angel is a young, urban African-American girl. She and her brother Mauricio are attacked by a gang of racist white kids who paint the girls' face a ghostly shade of white. The story deals with the aftermath of this repulsive crime.

Shange has clearly approached this troubling material with admirable intentions, but I found the results unsatisfying. I felt that the ultimate message of racial reconciliation was not powerful enough to offset the nature of the crime. And a significant plot thread is left hanging. I fear that this book may be too upsetting for some kids; I recommend parental or teacher guidance.

This is such a POWERFUL book! This unforgettable story addresses the effect race, prejudice, and discrimination has on children. It is an example of how traumatizing these types of incidents would be for a young child to experience. By painting a black persons face white is stripping them of their pride and identity. It is important for children to learn at an early age that everyone is equal and should be treated fairly. Children should be educated about various races and cultures so that they are more accepting of difference. Thess are valuable lessons for children to learn and the sooner the better.

This is a story of Helene-Angel, a girl damaged by a terrible racial incident. Helene-Angel and her older brother Mauricio were walking home from school when a gang surrounded them. The boys called them racial names and shoved Mauricio out of the way while they painted Helene-Angels' face white. Even after her grandmother scrubbed her face, she could still feel the itchy white paint. Her grandmother recalls the stories she told them about the beat-up bleeding black children in the South, but she had never seen a black girl painted white. Helene-Angel would not come out of her room for a week, her grandmother left food by the door and whispered sweet things to her. She reminded Helene-Angel that she was beautiful, brave, and a hero of her race. On Monday, her grandmother made her come out of her room and told her to be strong. Helene-Angel went outside to play with her classmates, who were very supportive. She held her brothers' hand and said, "WE'VE GOT A RIGHT TO BE HERE, TOO."

I highly recommend this book! Five stars doesn't do this book justice...it gets that for the illustrations alone. This is essential reading for children and adults.