Push by Sapphire

This book was missing the giant orange label with the little skulls and cross bones across the front. It should read:

WARNING: Intensely graphic. Not for the weak hearted or the emotionally unstable!!!

I think that Sapphire was graphic just to be graphic, for the shock value of it. Or maybe she was just trying to "push" her point. Pun intended. I get it. Her and George Bush need to campaign together for the No Child Left Behind Act. Sapphire tells the story of a girl who is truly left behind. She is almost invisible until a teacher sees her and finally helps. The teacher doesn't neccessarily do anything to for Precious Jones. She does so much more. The teacher gives Precious Jones the knowledge, confidence, education, friends and resources so the Precious can finally start to help herself. Help herself out of a helpless home life, a helpless educational system and onto something better. It's a slow process and maybe something so far dug that Precious could never get out. But she can try and she can stop a cycle of abuse and neglect with her own children.

In my opinion, the morel that Sapphire intends for "Push" is that life can be devastating and there is nothing you can do about. All you can do is push forward.