For Colored Girls Who Have Considered Suicide When the Rainbow Is Enuf

“Ever since i realized there waz someone callt a colored girl an evil woman a bitch or a nag i been tryin not to be that & leave bitterness in somebody else’s cup.”My first read of 2020 is a journey that should not be taken lightly. A cheropoem that is for women, written by a woman, and be stopped by no one. Ntozake tells the story of 7 women who have endured sexism, rape, body shaming, racism, and more. These women are represented as colors of the rainbow and are connected as they put on a performance to display their pain. They show strength and bring awareness to what is hardly discussed in this time. They bring forth what it is to be a woman of color and I understand that there has been backlash for supposedly bashing men, but this is not for men and yet in this cheropoem, the women desire men and love them, and ache for that love to be returned.I now understand why this choreopoem has been carried on over the years. I am pretty sure we are familiar with Tyler Perry’s version of a For Colored Girls. You can picture the movie as your reading and it makes me applaud Ntozake for going against the norm and speaking so many women’s truth. For Colored Girls is ground breaking and does not end in sorrow. These women show strength and close with, “i found god in myself & i love her/ i loved her fiercely.”

This incredibly precious gem of a book was produced on Broadway back in the late 70's or early 80's but I was too young to see it at the time and probably would not have been able to relate to it anyway. In this prose poem, a "choreopoem" Shange depicts the hardships of African American Women in America. The different perspective of their lives is precisely and poignantly elucidated by the incredible and fascinating prose poetry of this book.It is stunningly shocking that things that white Americans take totally for granted are just not part of the African American milieu in this country. Rape, pregnancy, domestic violence of the highest order, living in squalor and prostitution are all common place in so many of the African American communities of the 70's, 80's, 90's and now the 00's. Shange's representation of the perspective on rape is extraordinary. If an African American girl gets raped, she better not have ever been seen in public with the rapist, or there will be no conviction. Obviously it was invited. Not so with White Americans. But common place with African Americans.A quick example of her wondrous lyricism are the following two lines that just give a glimpse of the different perspective that African American Women have toward American life: "... we gotta dance to keep from cryin we gotta dance to keep from dyin ..."While the book is surely most meaningful to African American Women, it is recommended for all Americans so that the true reality of this dilemma and this shame can be absorbed and understood by all Americans. Perhaps if we all understood the conditions of the African American Women, something would be done about it. As of now, it is just not the same for people with black skin as it is for all other ethnic minorities in the United States of America.

I saw this done as a play decades ago in the Twin Cities. Maybe it was the Foot of the Mountain Theatre, or the Mixed Blood theater. I have never forgotten it. Powerful. Exposing. Revealing. Just as vital today as it was then. I would go see it live again if I could. Or would love to have a video of it done as a play. But with that not available, I am happy to find this timeless book. A choreopoem, for a white girl who considered suicide when a rainbow was enuf.

I am trying to read more Black literature to help me understand the issues of discrimination and disenfranchisement facing blacks and many minorities in today's America. I had assumed that the civil rights movement of the 60's had moved us more towards equality than it has. this book is a series of poems from a Black woman's perspective. I found them beautiful, disturbing and hard to understand - but I am white and cannot relate to much of the experiences described - one reason that I am reading more Black literature. Definitely worth the read, but will be upsetting to understand some of the issues facing Black woman.

For Colored Girls is a series of poems about colored women living and surviving. Each poem tells a new story and each story paints a picture of another woman living another life. Each poem is about hope and finding yourself; realizing your worth and owning it.I would recommend For Colored Girls to any woman or fan of women's literature. There is some swearing and some adult situations, but I feel it is suitable for mature teens.As I read For Color Girls, I got pulled into a roller coaster of emotions. One moment, I was laughing and the next I was sad or angry. The poems between the covers really do cover a range of challenges women of all walks face. My heart broke for each girl and I closed my Kindle with tears in my eyes for the raw emotions and the sheer amount of heartache each poem portrayed. I loved each and every word and felt a connection with each and every girl. I can't wait to take what I read and put it to use when I raise my sons and my daughters and influence my nieces and my nephews.

Really good read for my grade 12

Good

I'm still under the shock of that reading. It's groundbreaking and utterly brilliant.

writing this review in english so all the foreigners like myself get around more easily on german amazon!!first time ever reading anything in ebonics so it was a ride! got some getting used to at the begining but i really enjoyed it!!glad to see more and more WOC getting shown

I read through it in two days, it was like I was thirsty and I needed the words… really enjoyed it