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Sister Citizen: Shame, Stereotypes, and Black Women in America [Hardcover]

Melissa V. Harris-Perry
4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (29 customer reviews)

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Book Description

September 20, 2011 0300165412 978-0300165418 1

Jezebel's sexual lasciviousness, Mammy's devotion, and Sapphire's outspoken anger—these are among the most persistent stereotypes that black women encounter in contemporary American life. Hurtful and dishonest, such representations force African American women to navigate a virtual crooked room that shames them and shapes their experiences as citizens. Many respond by assuming a mantle of strength that may convince others, and even themselves, that they do not need help. But as a result, the unique political issues of black women are often ignored and marginalized.

In this groundbreaking book, Melissa V. Harris-Perry uses multiple methods of inquiry, including literary analysis, political theory, focus groups, surveys, and experimental research, to understand more deeply black women's political and emotional responses to pervasive negative race and gender images. Not a traditional political science work concerned with office-seeking, voting, or ideology, Sister Citizen instead explores how African American women understand themselves as citizens and what they expect from political organizing. Harris-Perry shows that the shared struggle to preserve an authentic self and secure recognition as a citizen links together black women in America, from the anonymous survivors of Hurricane Katrina to the current First Lady of the United States.


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Product Details

  • Hardcover: 392 pages
  • Publisher: Yale University Press; 1 edition (September 20, 2011)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 0300165412
  • ISBN-13: 978-0300165418
  • Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 6.3 x 1.2 inches
  • Shipping Weight: 1.5 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
  • Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (29 customer reviews)
  • Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #69,600 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Astonishing...Sister Citizen is written for the benefit of all Americans—sister citizens, brother citizens, and anyone else who cares about the way this country works."—Tayari Jones, San Francisco Chronicle
(Tayari Jones San Francisco Chronicle)

"This is the beauty of the book....The insight and grace with which Harris-Perry tackles the thorny issue of African American women’s identity politics makes it a must-read."— Jordan Kisner, Slate
(Jordan Kisner Slate)

"Harris-Perry offers fascinating observations of how black women are, at times, constricted by their mythology and asserts that their 'experiences act as a democratic litmus test for the nation.'"—Vanessa Bush, Booklist
(Vanessa Bush Booklist)

"Sister Citizen carefully documents the complex challenges and hurdles Black women face in the 21st century. Harris-Perry's book is both insightful and provocative. A must read for those interested in learning more about American politics."—Donna Brazile, Political Commentator for CNN and ABC News and former Interim Chair of the Democratic National Committee
(Donna Brazile 2011-05-12)

"Melissa Harris-Perry is one of our most trenchant readers of modern black life. In Sister Citizen, she gives new life to the idea that 'the personal is political.' This book will change the conversation about the rights, responsibilities, and burdens of citizenship."—Henry Louis Gates, Jr., Alphonse Fletcher University Professor, Harvard University

(Henry Louis Gates, Jr. 2011-03-14)

"This is a broad, ambitious and important book that centers black women at the heart of American politics. Harris-Perry broadens our ideas of what counts as political, disrupts our ideas about what the study of American politics should look like, and restores our belief that resistance and struggle can change lives, communities and nations.”—Cathy J. Cohen, author of Boundaries of Blackness and Democracy Remixed

(Cathy J. Cohen 2011-03-17)

"Sister Citizen lends empirical heft to the adage the "personal is political". Melissa Harris-Perry does an excellent job of weaving literature, social science, and personal accounts to produce a powerful work on black women's politics. Brilliant."—Lester K. Spence, author of Stare in the Darkness: The Limits of Hip-hop and Black Politics
(Lester K. Spence 2011-05-26)

"After I read Sister Citizen, two words sprang to my mind: Thank you."—Patrik Henry Bass, Essence
(Patrik Henry Bass Essence)

"In Sister Citizen, Harris-Perry combines her skills as a social scientist, political observer, writer and griot to deftly illustrate how the social, economic, and political conditions of black women, particularly those on the margins, are the index for America at large."—Byron Williams, Oakland Tribune
(Byron Williams Oakland Tribune)

"A feminist manifesto endeavoring to free sisters forever from the cruel and very limiting ways in which they continue to be pigeonholed."—Kam Williams, Insight
(Kam Williams Insight)

Finalist for the 43rd NAACP Image Awards in the Non-Fiction Literature Category
(NAACP Image Awards Finalist National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) 2012-02-20)

From the Author

Praise for Melissa Harris-Perry’s Sister Citizen:
 
“After I read Melissa Harris-Perry’s new effort, Sister Citizen, two words sprang to my mind: Thank you. . . . [She] convincingly argues that tired images of Black women as castrating shrews, neck-rolling round-the-way girls and long-suffering, asexual mammies undermine Black women’s progress and power . . . She wisely uses the powerful chorus of real women to echo her battle cry that all sisters must be seen as true citizens before this country can move forward.”—Patrik Henry Bass, Essence
 
“Melissa Harris-Perry is one of our most trenchant readers of modern black life. In Sister Citizen, she gives new life to the idea that ‘the personal is political.’ This book will change the conversation about the rights, responsibilities, and burdens of citizenship.”—Henry Louis Gates, Jr., Alphonse Fletcher University Professor, Harvard University
 
Sister Citizen carefully documents the complex challenges and hurdles Black women face in the twenty-first century. Harris-Perry’s book is both insightful and provocative. A must read for those interested in learning more about American politics.”—Donna Brazile, Political Commentator for CNN and ABC News and former Interim Chair of the Democratic National Committee
 
“A feminist manifesto endeavoring to free sisters forever from the cruel and very limiting ways in which they continue to be pigeonholed.”—Kam Williams, Insight

Product Details

  • Hardcover: 392 pages
  • Publisher: Yale University Press; 1 edition (September 20, 2011)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 0300165412
  • ISBN-13: 978-0300165418
  • Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 6.3 x 1.2 inches
  • Shipping Weight: 1.5 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
  • Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (29 customer reviews)
  • Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #69,600 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

4.8 out of 5 stars
(29)
4.8 out of 5 stars
You will be changed if you read this book. Shuh  |  4 reviewers made a similar statement
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
106 of 109 people found the following review helpful
By Shuh
Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase
You will be changed if you read this book. If you cannot see yourself changing from an open discussion of color, race and sexism then please do not read this book, it will only make you angry. However if you have questions, an open mind to these topics, you will feel challenged as you read, being carefully guided through a difficult and at times emotional topic by a skilled professor.

I did not know what to expect when I purchaed the book, only a general interest, and respect for the author having seen her on MSNBC. She writes like she talks, articulate and careful to achieve mutual understanding. You will not be preached to and allowed to come to your own conclusions.

Be warned your soul will weep, be you white, black, or in between. You will come away at the end with a better understanding of yourself, and the community around you. You will come to understand the hidden truths to the behaviors on the surface. You cannot help but change for the better.
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55 of 60 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars This Book is Remarkable! September 19, 2011
Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase
"Sister Citizen" is the most comprehensive look at the stereotypes plaguing black women that I've ever read. Melissa Harris-Perry proves again that she is one of America's most incredible political minds. It is remarkably academic and instructive; it uses a strong mixture of history and the present to tie together the themes it introduces. You understand within a few pages that this is not just another author's look at the long-suffering of black women in this country, it's a textbook, written by an educator who brilliantly connects the concepts in each chapter to the ones covered before it. Most importantly for me, as a black woman, I found myself reacting out loud again and again as Ms. Harris-Perry illustrated the many ways 'mis-recognition' has taken hold over the history of African Americans in this country, and the specific political impacts that have resulted. This book is an amazingly well-written, important work that should be required reading in history classes across America, and that most certainly should be gifted to as many African American women young and old, as possible.
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32 of 34 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars She amazes me once again October 20, 2011
Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase
I have been a Melissa Harris-Perry fan for the past few years. What I love most about her analysis is it's accessibility. Regardless of educational status, black women can pick up this book and have many " ah ha" moments because she provide irrefutable language and ideals that makes sense of an experience that is both nuanced and insidious. Working with black women on the ground, having face to face time with women on the outskirts of society, her position is a " tie that binds." I am so pleased , proud, intrigued, angered, by this stunning contemporary account of black-womanhood and it's many complexities. Thanks for giving us voice.
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15 of 15 people found the following review helpful
By Insight
Format:Hardcover
I like this book very much; this and Living Well, Despite Catching Hell: The Black Woman's Guide to Health, Sex and Happiness which I just finished, which talks about the Effect the negative stereotypes, low marriage statistics and other stuff (i.e., that's part of the "hell") has on our Mental and Physical Health. These two books address the resilience of modern-day black women, stereotypes be damned. We are more than just one woman; we are not defined by any one woman, we are not monolithic and we existed and excelled in stylish grace before Mrs O, Bey, O, and others came along (as some other books imply). I enjoy Ms. Perry's appearances on MSNBC, she's easy to listen to. I agree with Pat and Shuh (other reviewers). I'm happy to see many sisters authoring books.
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20 of 23 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars A Scholar with a passion for humanity October 9, 2011
By Amina
Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase
Melissa Perry has long been a favorite of mine because of her MSNBC presence. Now that I have read this marvelous textual rendition of her thinking, I love her more. Interested in Womens Studies, this is your book. Interested in Black Womens Studies, this is your book and more. Interested in quality literary interpretation, this is the one. Concerned about fairness in America, buy this book. I would say more but I don't have the time.
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7 of 7 people found the following review helpful
4.0 out of 5 stars An eye-opening experience January 14, 2012
By Krista
Format:Hardcover
As someone who believes women face a great deal of shaming and misrepresentation in (at least) American society, I was intrigued by this book's premise of looking through the lens of shame and stereotypes from an African American woman's perspective. A vantage point to which I am generally not privy.

This thorough and well researched examination of black women in America incorporates historical experiences (slavery, care-taking, etc.) with well known literature (Their Eyes Were Watching God, The Color Purple, The Bridge Poem) current events (Hurricane Katrina, Duke University & Crystal Mangum, The Obama Administration, etc.), and personal stories gleaned through the author's focus groups in multiple states.

While I found the "research" and statistical pieces of the work similar to textbook reading, the personal stories and literature tie ins were very easy to follow and drilled home the message reflected in the research. As someone who has never been a big fan of history, I was very drawn in with the historical references Harris-Perry used and appreciated how she made them further relevant with present-day events. There were also many explanations of how the African American woman's experience leads to her political involvement, choices, and activism. As someone just joining the ranks of the informed and choosing to exercise my right to vote, I appreciated this correlating information.

Overall, this read has opened my eyes even further to the messages we send/receive and how it impacts our lifestyle, choices, and interactions with others.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars Sister citizen: shame, stereotypes, and black..
I loved the book! Thank you Melissa. I am buying a copy for every female graduate this year, my sisters, and nieces. To should be required reading for every woman 13-90.
Published 25 days ago by A. Dixon
5.0 out of 5 stars Exploring our interior lives as a political matter
This fascinating book is based on research about the lives and perceptions of African- American women and on perceptions about them. Read more
Published 26 days ago by claudia j kennedy
4.0 out of 5 stars Staple for Women of color or understanding women of color
I had to read this book for my sociology course on Poverty and Social justice. However I am glad to have read it. First Dr. Read more
Published 1 month ago by Zora A-W
5.0 out of 5 stars So much more than I expected
I'm still reading it, but it's so much more and so much better than I expected...I thought I had pretty high expectations. Read more
Published 1 month ago by Jan Lewis
5.0 out of 5 stars A must read for African American Women
I felt like I knew so many women in this book. From childhood into women-hood. I even recognized myself in some chapters of my life. Read more
Published 1 month ago by Nana
5.0 out of 5 stars One of a kind study
This is an amazing book. It is a THOROUGHLY researched and very scholarly book but at the same time a fascinating read! Read more
Published 1 month ago by Virgie Alexander
5.0 out of 5 stars GREAT BOOK
I received this book two days ago and could not put it down, it is well written and brings light to the current issues facing my community.
Published 2 months ago by mommyso nice
5.0 out of 5 stars An Excellent read
MHP is excellent at what she does. This book is well thought out and researched to a "T"!! Well recommended.
Published 2 months ago by E. Taylor
4.0 out of 5 stars Very Good
Very good - this was used at a presentation and was received very well and greatly enjoyed by the students.
Published 2 months ago by Sherrill O'Brien
5.0 out of 5 stars The Book Every Woman Who Calls Herself a "Feminist" Needs To Read
Melissa Harris-Perry pulls no punches with her insightful and scathing indictment of the institutions and the damaging myths about black womanhood that keep them from fully... Read more
Published 2 months ago by Vixenne Victorienne "Kymberlyn Reed"
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