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Language Is a Place of Struggle: Great Quotes by People of Color [Hardcover]

Tram Nguyen
5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)

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Book Description

December 1, 2008
"Language Is a Place of Struggle" is the first truly multiracial and polycultural quote book, collecting quotations from both historical and contemporary novelists and poets, activists and political leaders, and artists and musicians. Within these pages, readers will find wisdom, wit, and inspiration from Asian Americans, African Americans, Latinos, Arab Americans, American Indians, recent immigrants to the United States, and many others.

With nearly fifteen hundred quotations, this exceptional book covers a broad spectrum: from insights on spirituality to words inciting social change and justice; from the impact of colonization, slavery, and racism to observations on gender, sexuality, and identity. The quotes show how people of color in the United States have been shaped by various community histories, ongoing political and cultural struggles, and personal evolutions. Each quote reflects three core themes from the histories of people of color in America: the significance of mass movements and the role of individuals within them; the vision that binds one society to another; and the foundational relationship between an evolving society and a changing self. Each chapter—Roots, Selves, Relationship, Work and Play, Making Change, and Inner Visions—adds to the larger story about people of color in the context of history, culture, and community.

An invaluable tool for speechwriters, educators, ministers, and librarians that is accessibly organized for all readers, this entertaining and thought-provoking book is a much-needed resource for anyone interested in multicultural issues. Here you will find: Gloria Anzaldúa on borders and margins; Margaret Cho on failure and success; Edwidge Danticat on women who write; Junot Díaz on masculinity; Vine Deloria, Jr., on activism; Suheir Hammad on miscegenation and identity; bell hooks on identity and oppression; Edward P. Jones on the system of racism; Philip Vera Cruz on leadership; Chögyam Trungpa on spiritual materialism; and much more.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Grade 7 Up—Black, Latino, Asian-American, and American-Indian artists, writers, activists, and scholars are quoted in this striking collection. Living in the United States as minorities, these individuals reveal unique perspectives on contemporary American life. Nguyen freely admits in the foreword that this is a subjective collection, a fact that becomes clearer with each passing page. The entries are arranged by subject: "Roots," "Selves," "Relationship," "Work and Play," "Making Change," and "Inner Visions," categories that are further subdivided into sections such as "Education" and "Gender" in "Selves." Despite the fact that many of the quotes contain themes of struggle, disappointment, and pain, the selections are woven into a string of exquisite prose. The lack of an index is somewhat disappointing, but reading the book a section at a time is an enjoyable and thought-provoking experience.—Ivy Miller, Wyoming Seminary Upper School, Kingston, PA
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Review

We die. That may be the meaning of life. But we do language. That may be the measure of our lives. —Toni Morrison, Black novelist

"Indians think it is important to remember, while Americans believe it is important to forget."—Paula Gunn Allen, American Indian writer

"As a Vietnamese refugee who became an American writer, I can tell you that you matter, that your sadness matters, the story of how you survived and triumphed matters. For every story that belongs to you, in time, belongs to America."—Andrew Lam, Asian American writer

"Migration is the story of my body."—Victor Hernández Cruz, Latino poet

"Hope in the face of difficulty, hope in the face of uncertainty, the audacity of hope: In the end, that is God's greatest gift to us, the bedrock of this nation, a belief in things not seen, a belief that there are better days ahead."—Barack Obama, Black politician

"If you silence yourself, if you try to be good, if you try to be polite, or toe a party line, you end up paying for that in the long run. You pay for it . . . with your homeland, or with your soul, or with your artistic vision."—Diana Abu-Jaber, Arab American novelist

Product Details

  • Hardcover: 296 pages
  • Publisher: Beacon Press (December 1, 2008)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 0807048003
  • ISBN-13: 978-0807048009
  • Product Dimensions: 6 x 1.1 x 8.5 inches
  • Shipping Weight: 1.5 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
  • Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
  • Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,511,971 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Sheree Renée Thomas is a native of Memphis. A Cave Canem Fellow and a New York Foundation of the Arts Fellow, her short stories, poetry, and articles have appeared in various publications, including storySouth, Callaloo, Colorlines, Essence Magazine, Upscale, VIBE, Obsidian III, Harpur Palate, The Washington Post Book World, Meridians, African Voices, Drumvoices Revue, Black Renaissance /Renaissance Noire as well as in several anthologies, including Mojo: Conjure Stories, Hurricane Blues, Role Call, Bum Rush the Page: A Def Poetry Jam, The Ringing Ear, MYTHIC 2, Southern Revival, Bronx Biannual, and So Long Been Dreaming: Postcolonial Science Fiction and Fantasy. A mother of two daughters and a teaching artist, Sheree is the editor of two anthologies (Dark Matter: A Century of Speculative Fiction from the African Diaspora and Dark Matter: Reading the Bones, winner of the 2001 and 2005 World Fantasy Award) and of SCARAB, a limited, signed artist edition of the Coptic-bound anthology. SHOTGUN LULLABIES: Stories & Poems, is the first collection of her work.


http://booktour.com/author/33091

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars Language is a Place of Struggle October 23, 2012
By Fai
Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase
What an amazing collection of extremely useful quotes - and the broad diversity of writers represented is totally unique and I have used quotes from this collection time and time again. In addition, I have purchased several now for gifts to friends.
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5.0 out of 5 stars Invaluable Lines of Communication December 13, 2011
Format:Hardcover
I'm one of those readers who come across a good line or quote and must write it down for future perusal. When I opened to the pages of this book I felt an instant fellowship with editor Tram Nguyen, as well as a true appreciation for what she achieves in "Language is a Place of STRUGGLE."

These collected quotes by people of color are so alive and relevant that they awaken a wisdom within us that echoes the lessons of truth and justice. The quotes are wise, thought provoking and sadly poetic. This book is definitely an educational tool for today's melting pot of cultures.

What we must remind ourselves of about this book is that it's not just for people of color, but for all humanity and womanhood. In order for our globalized modern world to better understand one another and work toward a strongly united future, we must teach from the universal struggles we all share. Overcoming language and cultural barriers to recognize our oneness broadens the scope of our struggle. The 2009 Beacon Press edition has a Name Index.

Quotes:

I speak with no authority; no assumption of age nor rank; I hold no position. I have no wealth. One thing alone I own and that is my own soul. - W.E.B Du Bois, Black Scholar AND Activist

History has determined our lives, and we must work hard for what we believe to be the right thing...life is something we borrow and must give back richer when the time comes. - Carlos Bulosan, Asian American Writer

The fact that we are here and that I speak now these words is an attempt to break that silence and bridge some of those differences between us, for it is not difference which immobilizes us, but silence. And there are so many silences to be broken.
... Read more ›
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