Push by Sapphire

How I came across it?

Even though the book has been out for a while, I didn’t know anything about it until I saw the film Precious. I thought the film was amazing and it had some brilliant acting performances. Really loved Mariah Carey’s role as the therapist. Poignant how she got to redeem herself after her film Rainbow was critically panned.

The film got me to read the novel. It’s about a girl called Precious Jones who lives in a cycle of abuse from her parents. Her father is the biological father to both of Precious’s children and her mother is both verbal and physically abusive. In school, she is an easy target for bullies due to her size. Wherever she goes, she is the subject of torture. This leads to her feeling lost, alone and dreaming of being loved.

She goes to a specialist school as she cannot read or write as well as the others because she’s illiterate. In this special school she finds her place in life and meets Ms Rain, a passionate teacher.

Where I got it?

I can’t remember exactly because it was a while ago. I know I got it online, I think it might have been on Amazon. I think you can get this book easily online or in other bookstores once they open again to the world.

What I like about the book?

I think it’s powerful. I love how Precious goes from being unable to read and write to being able to write poetry and write in a novel. I also love Ms Rain, she is a beacon of hope to Precious and when I read the book, I couldn’t help but think about the movie. I think the movie is a faithful and perfect adaption of the book.

I think it’s a great story of how one girl defies all the odds and goes on a journey of self-acceptance and self-discovery.

What I didn’t like about the book?

I can handle mature content. Gore, sex and violence and horror I can handle in small doses, but the domestic abuse and the extreme bullying I found hard to cope with as it brought back some horrible memories. I was also disappointed with the ending because it wasn’t quite the ending I wanted. It was open minded, and I hoped for a more hopeful and happier ending.

How the book made me feel?

I found myself getting angry with the parents in the book, especially the mother. I just wish that Precious was respected and loved by these two. The parents were meant to be the people protecting her and were meant to provide a safe haven for her. Because of this I found it hard to feel anything but disgust for her parents.

I felt moved by Precious and sympathized with her. She’s had so much thrown at her and really felt the full whack of victim blaming. I also feel the book is haunting because it makes me wonder how many girls out there are suffered like Precious but are unaccounted for.

I also felt like figures like Ms Rain give a message of hope. This book made me want to cry a few times because there were so many times where Precious was at rock bottom and we see her in the darkest times in her life which lead on to some of the best times of her life.

Would I recommend it?

I wouldn’t recommend it to everybody. Its not a book for everyone and it’s flat out not suitable for young readers. I think anyone under fifteen should avoid it. I wouldn’t go as far as saying it’s an NC-17 book either. It’s a gripping story, but can be triggering and hard to get through. Though if you think you can stomach it, go for it!