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Paperback
Publisher: Crossing Press
Cheryl Clarke
ISBN13: 9781580911863
Condition: NEW
Notes: Brand New from Publisher. No Remainder Mark.
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SISTER OUTSIDER presents essential writings of black poet and feminist writer Audre Lorde, an influential voice in 20th century literature. In this varied collection of essays, Lorde takes on sexism, racism, ageism, homophobia, and class, and propounds social difference as a vehicle for action and change. Her prose is incisive, unflinching, and lyrical, offering a message of struggle but also of hope--one that still resonates with us after more than 20 years. This commemorative edition is, in Lorde's own words, a call to "never close our eyes to the terror, to the chaos which is Black which is creative which is female which is dark which is rejected which is messy which is. . . ."
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| An inspiring set of essays to usher in the Obama era - but read Zami first |
| Customer Rating: 4 out of 5 |
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At the November 2008 meeting of the NYC LGBT Center book discussion group, we had small group discuss "Sister Outsider," essays by Audre Lorde.
What a great night (Obama's election!) to read this book and talk about how things have changed. The topics in "Sister Outsider" raised many memories and much discussion of past injustices, and how Lorde worked personally and publicly to create some of the world we see today. We talked about the role of mixed race couples (both straight and lesbian), the importance of speaking out, and what a powerful presenter Lorde must have been. However, despite the authority and wealth of ideas, we thought that this book of speeches and essays insufficiently told the story of Lorde's life and struggles, and that we probably would have been better served by reading her biomythography (that's her term) "Zami: A New Spelling of her Name."
Having some factual information (found in her biography "Warrior Poet" by Alexis De Veaux) made her challenges and story much more understandable. For example, she was raised in an impoverished home by emigrants from Granada, she was a communist, was married to a white gay man with whom she had two children, had many open affairs even after she was in a long-term relationship with a white lesbian, was legally blind, and died of cancer after a long fight. More than an essayist, Lorde considered her self a poet, and we finished the night by reading some of her poetry out loud.
What a great night to read "The master's tools will never dismantle the master's house!"
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| Why hasn't Amazon censored this one? |
| Customer Rating: 5 out of 5 |
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Since Amazon has removed Zami: A New Spelling of My Name from the sales rankings, I'm surprised to see this one has slipped through the censor's "adult content" filter.
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| Fantastic Book |
| Customer Rating: 5 out of 5 |
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I wish I'd read this book 30 years ago when it came out. It's still as relevant today as it was then--and in many ways just as revolutionary. I'm not black, but it applies to anyone who does not run with the crowd and has a strong desire to look at things honestly in spite of the personal discomfort involved. Things need to change in the US--we need to see ourselves as in this thing together(life, the "American experiment"),and this book drives that home.
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| Thoughts on sister outsider |
| Customer Rating: 5 out of 5 |
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If you are looking for some consiousness raising, inspiring, and honest words - then this is the book that will bring that to you.I highly recommend it.
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| Still Saving Lives |
| Customer Rating: 5 out of 5 |
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"I have come to work on you like a drug or a chisel" wrote the late Audre Lorde. Her passing created a hollow space in my soul that is now full again, thanks to Audre Lorde. Despite the fact that 'Sister Outsider' is assigned in virtually every women's studies and gender studies 101, do not think it is dry, ultimately a mere 'academic' book. Audre Lorde lived in and for a radical poetics and a radical pedagogy. If you have not discovered her work yet, please get a hold of a copy. It might save your life the way it saved mine, and I am white, male and straight, with a fierce hatred of white supremacy, patriarchy, and homophobia. But never mind my repeating a mantra you have heard, simply read this book as soon as possible.
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