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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars Poignant but perhaps over my head.
In Alice Walkers You Can't Keep a Good Woman Down the emotions and ideas conveyed are far more important and poignant then the stories themselves. Each story is told to teach us about an idea or at least educate us on the emotion involved. The stories are a tool and not primarily an entertainment construct.
From the first story Nineteen Fifty-Five to the last...
Published on March 31, 2008 by Peter Dykhuis

versus
1 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars Just Okay
This is only my second short story book ever reading and I can honestly say that I don't think that I would pick this one up and read it again. I mean it was okay and there were some good stories in it, but for it to be under 200 pages and for it to have taken me more than 2 weeks to read it is quite sad. I would only borrow it from a friend or check it out at a library...
Published on August 25, 2005 by Msshahied


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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars Poignant but perhaps over my head., March 31, 2008
By 
Peter Dykhuis (Grandville, MI USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   
In Alice Walkers You Can't Keep a Good Woman Down the emotions and ideas conveyed are far more important and poignant then the stories themselves. Each story is told to teach us about an idea or at least educate us on the emotion involved. The stories are a tool and not primarily an entertainment construct.
From the first story Nineteen Fifty-Five to the last story A Sudden Trip Home in spring we are given a number of concepts and emotions to experience. These emotions run from despair to triumph and the ideas we are taught deal with porn, inequality, gender relationships and far more. At initial glance there does not seem to be a common theme until you look at the obvious. The obvious of course is the female perspective and perhaps as important the African American Woman perspective.
Each story told is from the perspective of African American woman. We are told a story of trauma and trial through the eyes of each of these women. The trials are not always unique. We all deal with trials and we are all human. This is nothing new. What is new, especially for readers other then African American woman, is the viewpoint. The viewpoint of common and uncommon situations from a unique and often unobserved vantage point is striking and piercing.
The woman who wrote the novel wrote it in a raw and biting manner. A man reading this or more concisely a white man reading this is given the opportunity to experience emotions and trials that otherwise would never be possible. Does this mean a white man would understand some of the issues dealt with by the author after reading this book? I do not believe this is the case or even the point of the book. Understanding is not asked for merely awareness. You can ignore what is unknown but once awareness is involved a step has been taken.
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4.0 out of 5 stars Poignant but perhaps over my head., March 31, 2008
By 
Peter Dykhuis (Grandville, MI USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   
In Alice Walkers You Can't Keep a Good Woman Down the emotions and ideas conveyed are far more important and poignant then the stories themselves. Each story is told to teach us about an idea or at least educate us on the emotion involved. The stories are a tool and not primarily an entertainment construct.
From the first story Nineteen Fifty-Five to the last story A Sudden Trip Home in spring we are given a number of concepts and emotions to experience. These emotions run from despair to triumph and the ideas we are taught deal with porn, inequality, gender relationships and far more. At initial glance there does not seem to be a common theme until you look at the obvious. The obvious of course is the female perspective and perhaps as important the African American Woman perspective.
Each story told is from the perspective of African American woman. We are told a story of trauma and trial through the eyes of each of these women. The trials are not always unique. We all deal with trials and we are all human. This is nothing new. What is new, especially for readers other then African American woman, is the viewpoint. The viewpoint of common and uncommon situations from a unique and often unobserved vantage point is striking and piercing.
The woman who wrote the novel wrote it in a raw and biting manner. A man reading this or more concisely a white man reading this is given the opportunity to experience emotions and trials that otherwise would never be possible. Does this mean a white man would understand some of the issues dealt with by the author after reading this book? I do not believe this is the case or even the point of the book. Understanding is not asked for merely awareness. You can ignore what is unknown but once awareness is involved a step has been taken.
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4.0 out of 5 stars Poignant but perhaps over my head., March 31, 2008
By 
Peter Dykhuis (Grandville, MI USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   
In Alice Walkers You Can't Keep a Good Woman Down the emotions and ideas conveyed are far more important and poignant then the stories themselves. Each story is told to teach us about an idea or at least educate us on the emotion involved. The stories are a tool and not primarily an entertainment construct.
From the first story Nineteen Fifty-Five to the last story A Sudden Trip Home in spring we are given a number of concepts and emotions to experience. These emotions run from despair to triumph and the ideas we are taught deal with porn, inequality, gender relationships and far more. At initial glance there does not seem to be a common theme until you look at the obvious. The obvious of course is the female perspective and perhaps as important the African American Woman perspective.
Each story told is from the perspective of African American woman. We are told a story of trauma and trial through the eyes of each of these women. The trials are not always unique. We all deal with trials and we are all human. This is nothing new. What is new, especially for readers other then African American woman, is the viewpoint. The viewpoint of common and uncommon situations from a unique and often unobserved vantage point is striking and piercing.
The woman who wrote the novel wrote it in a raw and biting manner. A man reading this or more concisely a white man reading this is given the opportunity to experience emotions and trials that otherwise would never be possible. Does this mean a white man would understand some of the issues dealt with by the author after reading this book? I do not believe this is the case or even the point of the book. Understanding is not asked for merely awareness. You can ignore what is unknown but once awareness is involved a step has been taken.
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4.0 out of 5 stars Poignant but perhaps over my head., March 31, 2008
By 
Peter Dykhuis (Grandville, MI USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   
In Alice Walkers You Can't Keep a Good Woman Down the emotions and ideas conveyed are far more important and poignant then the stories themselves. Each story is told to teach us about an idea or at least educate us on the emotion involved. The stories are a tool and not primarily an entertainment construct.
From the first story Nineteen Fifty-Five to the last story A Sudden Trip Home in spring we are given a number of concepts and emotions to experience. These emotions run from despair to triumph and the ideas we are taught deal with porn, inequality, gender relationships and far more. At initial glance there does not seem to be a common theme until you look at the obvious. The obvious of course is the female perspective and perhaps as important the African American Woman perspective.
Each story told is from the perspective of African American woman. We are told a story of trauma and trial through the eyes of each of these women. The trials are not always unique. We all deal with trials and we are all human. This is nothing new. What is new, especially for readers other then African American woman, is the viewpoint. The viewpoint of common and uncommon situations from a unique and often unobserved vantage point is striking and piercing.
The woman who wrote the novel wrote it in a raw and biting manner. A man reading this or more concisely a white man reading this is given the opportunity to experience emotions and trials that otherwise would never be possible. Does this mean a white man would understand some of the issues dealt with by the author after reading this book? I do not believe this is the case or even the point of the book. Understanding is not asked for merely awareness. You can ignore what is unknown but once awareness is involved a step has been taken.
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4.0 out of 5 stars Poignant but perhaps over my head., March 31, 2008
By 
Peter Dykhuis (Grandville, MI USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   
In Alice Walkers You Can't Keep a Good Woman Down the emotions and ideas conveyed are far more important and poignant then the stories themselves. Each story is told to teach us about an idea or at least educate us on the emotion involved. The stories are a tool and not primarily an entertainment construct.
From the first story Nineteen Fifty-Five to the last story A Sudden Trip Home in spring we are given a number of concepts and emotions to experience. These emotions run from despair to triumph and the ideas we are taught deal with porn, inequality, gender relationships and far more. At initial glance there does not seem to be a common theme until you look at the obvious. The obvious of course is the female perspective and perhaps as important the African American Woman perspective.
Each story told is from the perspective of African American woman. We are told a story of trauma and trial through the eyes of each of these women. The trials are not always unique. We all deal with trials and we are all human. This is nothing new. What is new, especially for readers other then African American woman, is the viewpoint. The viewpoint of common and uncommon situations from a unique and often unobserved vantage point is striking and piercing.
The woman who wrote the novel wrote it in a raw and biting manner. A man reading this or more concisely a white man reading this is given the opportunity to experience emotions and trials that otherwise would never be possible. Does this mean a white man would understand some of the issues dealt with by the author after reading this book? I do not believe this is the case or even the point of the book. Understanding is not asked for merely awareness. You can ignore what is unknown but once awareness is involved a step has been taken.
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4.0 out of 5 stars Poignant but perhaps over my head., March 31, 2008
By 
Peter Dykhuis (Grandville, MI USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   
In Alice Walkers You Can't Keep a Good Woman Down the emotions and ideas conveyed are far more important and poignant then the stories themselves. Each story is told to teach us about an idea or at least educate us on the emotion involved. The stories are a tool and not primarily an entertainment construct.
From the first story Nineteen Fifty-Five to the last story A Sudden Trip Home in spring we are given a number of concepts and emotions to experience. These emotions run from despair to triumph and the ideas we are taught deal with porn, inequality, gender relationships and far more. At initial glance there does not seem to be a common theme until you look at the obvious. The obvious of course is the female perspective and perhaps as important the African American Woman perspective.
Each story told is from the perspective of African American woman. We are told a story of trauma and trial through the eyes of each of these women. The trials are not always unique. We all deal with trials and we are all human. This is nothing new. What is new, especially for readers other then African American woman, is the viewpoint. The viewpoint of common and uncommon situations from a unique and often unobserved vantage point is striking and piercing.
The woman who wrote the novel wrote it in a raw and biting manner. A man reading this or more concisely a white man reading this is given the opportunity to experience emotions and trials that otherwise would never be possible. Does this mean a white man would understand some of the issues dealt with by the author after reading this book? I do not believe this is the case or even the point of the book. Understanding is not asked for merely awareness. You can ignore what is unknown but once awareness is involved a step has been taken.
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4.0 out of 5 stars Poignant but perhaps over my head., March 31, 2008
By 
Peter Dykhuis (Grandville, MI USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   
In Alice Walkers You Can't Keep a Good Woman Down the emotions and ideas conveyed are far more important and poignant then the stories themselves. Each story is told to teach us about an idea or at least educate us on the emotion involved. The stories are a tool and not primarily an entertainment construct.
From the first story Nineteen Fifty-Five to the last story A Sudden Trip Home in spring we are given a number of concepts and emotions to experience. These emotions run from despair to triumph and the ideas we are taught deal with porn, inequality, gender relationships and far more. At initial glance there does not seem to be a common theme until you look at the obvious. The obvious of course is the female perspective and perhaps as important the African American Woman perspective.
Each story told is from the perspective of African American woman. We are told a story of trauma and trial through the eyes of each of these women. The trials are not always unique. We all deal with trials and we are all human. This is nothing new. What is new, especially for readers other then African American woman, is the viewpoint. The viewpoint of common and uncommon situations from a unique and often unobserved vantage point is striking and piercing.
The woman who wrote the novel wrote it in a raw and biting manner. A man reading this or more concisely a white man reading this is given the opportunity to experience emotions and trials that otherwise would never be possible. Does this mean a white man would understand some of the issues dealt with by the author after reading this book? I do not believe this is the case or even the point of the book. Understanding is not asked for merely awareness. You can ignore what is unknown but once awareness is involved a step has been taken.
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1 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars A Good Read, September 23, 2004
By 
Alice Walker is an excellent writer. Very thought provoking. Stories deal with a variety of issues and ideals. Excellent read.
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0 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Alice Walker has done it again!, June 20, 2008
Excellent book! A page turner. I've always been a lover of Alice Walkers novels and this book just proves her style of written language gets better each time.
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1 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars Just Okay, August 25, 2005
This is only my second short story book ever reading and I can honestly say that I don't think that I would pick this one up and read it again. I mean it was okay and there were some good stories in it, but for it to be under 200 pages and for it to have taken me more than 2 weeks to read it is quite sad. I would only borrow it from a friend or check it out at a library. Unless you can get a good deal and get it for $1.50 or less.
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You Can't Keep a Good Woman Down
You Can't Keep a Good Woman Down by Alice Walker (Library Binding - Oct. 1999)
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