45 of 46 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Shifting: Excellent Work, May 15, 2006
This book was one of my references for my Master's Thesis. This topic and the research was so relevant and so compelling and true. I am an African-American woman and I have worked inside Corporate America for the past 23 years and yes I shift. I also find myself shifting with Black men, shifting with middle and upper class blacks, and shifting with members of my family who live in the worst parts of the inner city. It is an emotionally and psychologically grueling process--and most of the world doesn't have a clue about the nature of it all. During the process of writing my thesis, my college advisors, who are White feminists, couldn't understand why I wouldn't jump on their bandwagon and give race the obligatory mention that they did. They wanted all women to unite and fight White, male hegemony--never recognizing the White, female hegemony that exists inside Women's Studies Departments. They couldn't understand that the sexism that I experience is totally different from the sexism that they experience because my sexism always has that element of race--even if it's a Black man dealing it. Black women are accustomed to shifting, it's almost a cellular memory for us now. We continue to strive and grow, although we are the most maligned segment of society. African American Studies departments are dominated by African American males and Women's Studies departments are dominated by White females, usually feminists. I found my ability to study topics relevant to Black women severely hampered by the censorship of White female academics--Shifting was a real gem for me. Books like this have a hard time passing academic muster because the academicians giving or withholding approval have no frame of reference for the experience--so of course they dismiss it as inconsequential. Isn't it amazing that in this day and age there are no African American Women's Studies departments in any university anywhere in the U.S. If that doesn't demonstrate our position in society--what does? Where is our unique and distinct voice? This wonderful book is a start. Hats off to a great piece of work.
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14 of 15 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
The Beat Goes On..., January 17, 2004
In SHIFTING, noted psychologist Kumea Shorter-Gooden and newspaper correspondent Charisse Jones take a sobering look at what they hypothesize is a uniquely African-American phenomenon. "Shifting" is the terminology they use to label behaviors they classify as a coping strategy, developed by women of color, to deal with race and gender bias in a largely white, male dominated culture.
The authors use research, interviews and surveys to show how African American women are forced to lead double lives in their efforts to assimilate into a society that tends to marginalize and stereotype them and their abilities. This book does a remarkable job of raising awareness on how the lives of these women are impacted in their communities, the workplace, and other areas such as child rearing, religion, personal grooming, and even amorous relationships.
SHIFTING is an outstanding collaboration between two noteworthy women that deals with a mostly unaddressed but nonetheless troubling issue from the perspective of the victims. The book makes for a very interesting read and imparts a wealth of information regarding the ongoing plight of people of color in a society deeply scarred by racism and sexism.
Reviewed by Autumn
of The RAWSISTAZ Reviewers
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12 of 13 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
It's Time For Tha Sistahs!, February 7, 2005
This review is from: Shifting: The Double Lives of Black Women in America (Paperback)
Race scholar W.E.B. DuBois presented his veil of double consciousness theory in The Souls of Black Folk. Literary genius Ralph Ellison presented a heart-wrenching story of socioeconomic injustice with Invisible Man. Now, it's time for the sistahs to be heard. And, be heard they will! With Shifting: The Double Lives of Black Women in America (HarperCollins, $13.95), Charisse Jones and Kumea Shorter-Gooden present a unique critique of African American social agenda reform, as it relates to the eclectic character and resilience of African American women.
Together Jones, an accomplished national correspondent for USA Today, and Shorter-Gooden, a licensed psychologist and professor at Alliant University, cleverly discuss the inspirational swagger and inherent splendor that embodies the essence of African American women. Shifting, based on the African American Women's Voices Project, takes the reader on a much-needed journey of spiritual, economic, political, and social importance. Absolute brilliance most accurately describes the excellent scholarly writing, which combined with commentary, interviews, and shocking statistics is sure to keep readers engaged. The stories of insight, pain, joy, and confusion by and about African American women of diverse backgrounds and experiences are eye-opening and jaw-dropping, to say the least.
On a daily basis African American women are forced to deal with a multitude of catch-22s, including, but not limited to, sexual exploitation and expectation, gender discrimination, and pseudo-creative representation in the entertainment field. Yet, they seem to effortlessly rise about the conditions of their oppressors. How tough is it for African American women to find their true identity in a society that historically relegates their worth to that of second-class citizenship? Many of us have no clue. Shifting provides crucial insight into these women's obstacles. Legendary jazz vocalist Lena Horne once said, "It's not the load that breaks you down, it's the way you carry it." Jones and Shorter-Gooden discuss the origins and inherited responsibilities of the load that Black women in America carry; in addition to suggesting healthier techniques that can be used to lighten the burden of the load, while improving one's overall quality of life.
With thought-provoking chapters, such as "Mirror, Mirror on the Wall": Black Women and Beauty, "Can I Get a Witness?" - Black Women and the Church, and Doing Double Duty: Black Women in the World of Work, this critical assessment is sure to challenge, educate, and help influence views about the strength and endurance that are needed for Black women in America not only to exist, but succeed. Shifting is a powerful book indeed. It certainly will spark long awaited rap sessions and debates amongst the sexes, as a means of changing the ways African Americans interact with and perceive one another.
In addressing the state of relationships between African American males and females, notable scholar Manning Marable stated that "the black man will only reach his full potential when he learns to draw upon the strengths and insights of the black woman." Shifting is a step in the right direction towards dismantling the matrix of racism and injustice that have plagued Black women in America for so long.
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