This choreopoem is somewhere between a poetry collection and a play. I found the introduction in this new updated edition incredibly helpful, because while I feel like I have seen this book around and been aware of it for ages, I didn't really know anything about it. The introduction described how this grew from a collection of poems into a performance piece, and then how it was updated over time.

This book is that harrowing kind of beautiful, that gives dignity by bearing witness to people living through difficult/impossible situations, that recognizes people fighting for their joy where they can find it, people surviving how they can.

The introduction also places the work in time, from its very beginnings in the mid-seventies to the way audience reactions have changed over time, to the legacy it has created for itself.

If it isn't clear, while I would have enjoyed this collection without the introduction, that context and history increased my understanding/connection/enjoyment of this piece several-fold.

This is beautiful but difficult. Please check the content warnings.

Recommended for fans of The Vagina Monologues, Shonda Rhimes, The Color Purple ( )

4 stars on my first read but it's the kind of thing that I think will become 5 stars if i reread it ( )

First , I listened to
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q5T2FXEzmJI
NB "A choreopoem is a form of dramatic expression that combines poetry, dance, music, and song." ( )

“my spirit is too ancient to understand the separation of soul & gender”
― Ntozake Shange, For colored girls who have considered suicide/when the rainbow is enuf

I never forgot this. I first saw the play way back in my childhood years and it's raw power absolutely stunned me. We also had the album. It remains, in my mind, one of the best plays I ever saw.

Do consider reading this book especially if you have not seen the play. ( )

I finally got around to reading this. There are some really powerful poems in this, the imagery is amazing, however the intentional grammar mistakes infuriated me. Still a good read though. ( )