Reading Black, Reading Feminist: A Critical Anthology (Meridian) [Mass Market Paperback]

Henry Louis Gates (Editor)

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

This erudite and all-inclusive anthology of original essays examines literature written by African-American women. The diverse roster of contributors--not limited to a single gender, race, sexual orientation, or discipline--includes Dorothy Allison, Houston A. Baker Jr., Barbara Christian, Marianne Hirsch, John Shoptaw, and Hortense Spillers. The literature ranges from an enlightened re-reading of the 18th-century poet Phyllis Wheatley to interviews with and expositions of such contemporary poets and novelists as Gwendolyn Brooks, Octavia Butler, and Rita Dove. There are no sacred cows: positions advanced on Alice Walker's The Color Purple and Toni Morrison's Sula , for example, offer fertile ground for thought and discussion. Engaging in a welcome dialectic with hegemonic, white feminist and black male-centered writers and critical theorists, the collection sustains throughout the vivacity established by the tone and economy of expression in Zora Neale Hurston's unpublished essay Art and Such . Essential for serious literature collections.
- Veronica Mitchell, New York
Copyright 1990 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 54 pages
• Publisher: Plume (January 1, 1995)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0452010454
• ISBN-13: 978-0452010451
• Product Dimensions: 7 x 1 x 5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #755,590 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Awesome text for womanist readers! (bell was wrong, btw), August 31, 2002

By 

Jeffery Mingo (Homewood, IL USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Reading Black, Reading Feminist: A Critical Anthology (Meridian) (Mass Market Paperback)

I didn't read all of this book, but I know it's a winner. Female readers should not be threatened by the introduction being written by Gates, a man. He has consistently supported work by women and gay men and shown himself to be quite the cool straight man. In this book, many academics analyze well-known texts by black women. You'll be relieved that it's critical, and not gushy or essentialist. Here's my one big problem. In her discussion of Walker's "The Color Purple", hook condemns Walker for turning Celie into a capitalist after all the racist, sexist, and classist (and possibly homophobic) exploitation she faced throughout her life. However, what hooks fails to realize is that Celie created a business called "Folks Pants" that made clothes fit for both genders and all sizes. The "folk" in the title has very socialist implications. hooks should be pleased that Celie finally has some agency and can live by her own means and on her own terms. Methinks hooks is jealous of Walker's success.