American Dreams [Paperback]

Sapphire (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 18, 1996

In the tradition of Alice Walker, this electrifying new African American voice delivers the verdict on the urban condition in a sensual, propulsive, and prophetic book of poetry and prose.

Whether she is writing about an enraged teenager gone "wilding" in Central Park, fifteen-year-old Latasha Harlins gunned down by a Korean grocer, or a brutalized child who grows up to escape her probable fate through the miracle of art, Sapphire's vision in this collection of poetry and prose is unswervingly honest.

"Stunning . . . . One of the strongest debut collections of the '90s."--Publishers Weekly

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

In one of the strongest debut collections of the 90s, this black lesbian feminist presents a fusion of poetry and prose, interspersed with short stories. Not for the squeamish, Sapphire's imagery is so fierce that readers will want to spread out the book over several sittings. Accounts of a young girl's rape by her father frame and inform all else, but Sapphire draws in irony as a buffer: in one extremely vivid poem, familiar phrases from the Mickey Mouse Club alternate with memories of assault. Early in her career, this writer felt the need to tell the stories of all victims (Tawana Brawley, the Central Park jogger, a nameless woman she meets on the bus), but to accomplish this she must adopt their emotional horrors as her own. "Now that you know, / you can begin / to heal," the first poem ends. It is this commitment to human sensitivity that makes the terrifying exploits described here palatable. It also permits the narrator, 80 pages later, to describe the grief she feels at her mother's deathbed. Perfectly paced, sidestepping explication, Sapphire's words provide pointers to her characters' dramas, but she's still capable of stunning readers with a final image.
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Library Journal

These riveting vignettes--some are poems, others short prose works--offer a real voice speaking on topics too often distorted by media hype: sexual abuse, prostitution, racial and sexual violence, lesbian love, and mother-daughter relations. In spite of a tendency toward cliche, the confessional pieces included here are painful and affecting; their explicit, sordid detail is utterly convincing, and the author's intelligence allows her to generalize beyond personal anger and pain. Dramatizations of such public events as the Central Park wilding incident and the Los Angeles shooting of a black teenager by a Korean American grocer, however, seem merely descriptive and sensational. This is volatile stuff, and not all of it works, but the pieces that do, go over with a bang. Recommended.
- Ellen Kaufman, Dewey Ballantine Law Lib., New York
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 192 pages
• Publisher: Vintage (June 18, 1996)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0679767991
• ISBN-13: 978-0679767992
• Product Dimensions: 5.1 x 0.5 x 7.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (12 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #453,315 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Sapphire was born in 1950 and spent her first twelve years on army bases in California and Texas. As a teenager she lived in South Philadelphia and Los Angeles. She graduated from City College in New York and received an MFA from Brooklyn College. From 1983 to 1993 she lived in Harlem, where she taught reading and writing to teenagers and adults. She lives in New York City.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

12 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars heart-wrenching, stomach-turning, life-changing, June 7, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: American Dreams (Paperback)

possibly one of the most powerful and moving books i've ever read. this was given to me as a gift by a friend who assured me it would change my life. it made me cry, laugh, get angry, grow stronger. incredibly poetic - it will hit you hard.

3 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Seeing life from a different street/another window, You learn something. Not all of us like to learn and like our cozy corner., October 19, 2009

By 

Jann Williams "Constant reader" (currently, California) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: American Dreams (Paperback)

When I read a book like "Push" and "Sapphire" it takes me totally out of my comfort zone. Once you are out of your comfort zone then what? Well for me I continue reading, I think that books are meant to be read and we can learn something about someone else and their life. Many people do not even like the thought of an association with people in these some of these books. They like to think of them as someone's dark story and not a real life. Well unfortunately this is someone's life and all our stories need to be shared and told. Some far more than others.

I read far more than the average person and I read to learn something I do not already know (and I do). I want to be a part of the change when change is necessary. (and isn't it always necessary) I would like to share some of my life with some of yours.(to learn from each other) There are few books that I have read that I have not learned something from, usually something important. I would like to thank the writers for their efforts, they are wonderful. Even the awful ones are wonderful because they have shared something with me that I needed to know. As I read Precious's story and how little she had from everyone in her life I sat and cried, actually sobbed. But she valued everything she was given and everything she learned, she was so much braver than me. How I wish I had the ability to reach out there and help the people like Precious who need so much and have so little. and so few who want to help them. Thank God for people like Blu Rain who are there and give so much.

6 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars The most depressing collection I've ever read, June 5, 2009

By 

S. Williams (Northern VA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: American Dreams (Paperback)

OMG This was the most depressing book I have ever read! I understand Sapphire's goal, and I'm not knocking it at all. It's well written and put together. All the poems are properly sequenced and they VIVIDLY tell the story of the abuse in homes across the world. You could easily insert any girl into the shoes of the characters portrayed in American Dreams. It's a sad reality that Sapphire has opened the world up to. I applaud her, but I felt bombarded by the images she depicted. Maybe that was her goal. If so, she succeeded. Im thoroughly disgusted. I could look at my boyfriend without disgust for a whole week after reading this book!
After reading American Dreams I couldnt look at any man without wondering if he had, or would ever sexually abuse a child.