Date Finished: March 20, 2010
Summary: Precious has been abused by her family and now has a second chance to make a life for herself by attending an alternative school. As she grows and learns, she learns to love herself and forgive the people who have wronged her in life.
Likes: Precious is a complex novel that explores various themes about healing and forgiveness, but Precious' situation itself is terrible to read. She is being raped by her father, molested by her mother. She has been pregnant twice by her father (these aren't spoilers, it's laid out pretty clear on the first page.). I don't like these aspects, but I respect the way that they are handled. The story is raw and honest, which I enjoy. The spelling is misspelled and gives the story a more authentic feel.
Dislikes: I don't like the situation that Precious is in. It was as if ever bad thing in life has been piled on her shoulders. She's black, she's fat, she's illiterate, she's been raped, molested, has two children, one of which has Down Syndrome, and things seem to get worse as the story progresses. The writing is good, the story is compelling, but sometimes it's just a little bit too depressing and overwhelming.
Overall: I saw the movie before I read the book. (I saw the movie three times, but not on purpose the movie theater guy told us the wrong theater so we tried to catch it from the beginning). I like the book as a separate entity from the movie, because they were both good. I see the movie as a re-imagining that was inspired by the book, but doesn't follow it exactly. I like that the book included the other girls stories and explored the friendships between Precious and the people she meets at her alternative school.
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