When I was reading this book I thought it was a very easy read. The way Ntozake Shange wrote was very poetic and they words just flowed together wonderfully. I did however feel sorry for Betsey. I felt that as a young lady she had too much pressure put on her from her family. For only being a teenager I thought she was both brave and strong for dealing with the things she had to deal with. Maybe it is because of the time period difference, but I know that when I was Betsey's age I would not of been able to of done all that she had to do. I don't think it is fair that a child has to have some of the responsibilities that an adult would normally be responsible for. I know that children should have chores and help with day to day things, but it seemed like she had too much on her plate for a young girl. I felt that Jane was also some what different. She didn't have the motherly part about her. I felt she was more of a friend at most times than a mother.
I was not very happy with how the book ended. I thought that Carrie would have been able to of stayed, since Betsey and her did have such a strong connection. I would have liked to have seen more of a controversial issue, since this was during a historical time period. But over all this was a pretty decent book, that I related to a some points in the book.
I agree that life was unfair to Betsey within her own home. I also agree that historically there were many controversial issues in this country. However, I think that Betsey portrays a very specific type of person in America at that time. She is essentially the girl that walked through the crowds to historically integrate schools in this country. Greer pushed her to embrace her ethnic identity, while Jane expected her to dismiss it. I think Greer had the correct idea. Jane was a terrible mother. She’s the reason why Betsey had to saddle so much responsibility in her home. I also think that Jane was awful to Carrie, and that Carrie, as common as she was, was a way better mother to all of those children then Jane could ever be. I would love to see pictures of what the author believes all of the characters to look like.
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