Start by marking “Possessing the Secret of Joy” as Want to Read: Error rating book. Her commentary on a very complicated issue is very limited, not to mention, biased. She wants to honor her Olinkan roots and has the operation in her teen years, although it is usually performed on female children. I read a review of Possessing the Secret of Joy in which the writer points out that Tashi is an archetype of Everywoman and Everyman who is violated and in crisis. Possessing the Secret of Joy by Alice Walker, 1992, Vintage edition, in English M'Lissa- Tsunga of the tribe into which M'Lissa was born. The main characters of this fiction, feminism story are , . Goodreads helps you keep track of books you want to read. [1], Learn how and when to remove this template message, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Possessing_the_Secret_of_Joy&oldid=976593797, Articles needing additional references from June 2009, All articles needing additional references, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License, This page was last edited on 3 September 2020, at 21:02. It does concentrate on Celie’s children and Tasha, Adam’s wife. Possessing the Secret of Joy, out of print for a number of years, was the first novel to deal with this controversial topic and managed to do so in a manner that Cosmopolitan called "masterful, honorable, and unforgettable storytelling." I will reveal my total ignorance here--I did not realize that the subject of this book was 'real', as in actually happening, until I was more than halfway thru the book. There are very few authors who affect me as deeply as Alice Walker does. Alice Walker’s novel Possessing the Secret of Joy (1992) focuses on Tashi, a minor character from Walker’s earlier and more famous novel, The Color Purple, who marries Adam, Celie’s son. This ebook features an illustrated biography of Alice Walker including rare photos from the author's personal collection. Possessing the Secret of Joy stands out within Alice Walker’s writing in many ways. This response is probably way too late, but I just noticed the question today when I was moving some of my reviews to my personal computer. Her motives, I think, were genuine but her method was problematic for me. The novel's subject, female genital mutilation, cannot be sugar-coated, nor should it be. $13.49. I appreciated Walker putting a human face on a culture that adopted the practice of “female genital mutilation.” But it bothers me some that she created a fictional culture, the Olinka tribe, to play out the drama of a people that has long adopted the practice. Possessing the secret of joy by Alice Walker. Margaret Atwood’s Big Sequel Answers Readers’ Questions. “the God of woman is autonomy”. You will be angry, unbelievably angry. Possessing the Secret of Joy Alice Walker, Author, James Walker, Author Harcourt Brace $30 (304p) ISBN 978-0-15-173152-7. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of, Published To someone of a different culture, this tradition is not only unacceptable but completely appalling. Alice Walker presents us, specifically, with two of these women, Tashi and … Publication date 1997 Topics African American women -- Fiction., Women immigrants -- Fiction., Female circumcision -- Fiction., Abused women -- Fiction., Africa -- Fiction. Possessing the Secret of Joy is Alice Walker's 1992 novel about an African tribal woman whose life as an immigrant to the United States is haunted by the trauma of her genital mutilation (so-called "female circumcision": excision/clitoridectomy and infibulation).Readers accompany the main character in her struggle with and eventual triumph over mental illness as a result of that experience. In my defense, probably 98 percent of the US population at the time had never heard of female circumcision (as it was then called). The book kicks off a quote about Tashi from “The Color Purple”, who as a young immigrant in America chose to have her face scarred by Olinki tradition “to make her people feel better” and to seek the female initiation ceremony as well: At present, amongst the various problems that are looming eerily around the world, one of the most problematic ones is romanticization. I was shocked when I read this book. 11 likes. This was the toughest book for me to finish. Buy from one of these Booksellers: Amazon.com | Amazon UK | Amazon CA | Amazon DE | Amazon FR | Amazon IT | Bol.com. Tashi marries an American man named Adam then leaves Olinka because of the war. The novel's subject, female genital mutilation, cannot be sugar-coated, nor should it be. Angry enough to figure out what you can do to stop this, frustrated that the practice is still going on and tolerated by societies wholl. December 2nd 2005 29 likes. Sent from and sold by Amazon. He is usually called "Mzee" but is identified by Alice Walker in the afterword. OTHER BOOKS. Opening line - 'I did not realise for a long time that I was dead.'. Well, there are a lot of women and men who are violated and in crisis today, immigrants, Muslims, Jews, and transgender teens, to name a few. In 1982, she wrote the novel The Color Purple, for which she won the National Book Award for hardcover fiction, and the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction. Such a moving novel that centers around Tashi (from. Possessing the Secret of Joy is a 1992 novel by Alice Walker. The Color Purple by Alice Walker Paperback £5.99. Possessing the Secret of Joy Quotes Showing 1-14 of 14. Like. It was recommended to me by several friends whose judgment in books reflected mine, but I kept putting it off. Like. I read this book close to its first publication date. Possessing the Secret of Joy. Picked this book up for a dime on a bookshelf full of unappealing books outside of a library. In Possessing the Secret of Joy, Alice Walker exposes the abhorrent practice of female genital mutilation in an unforgettable, moving novel. Possessing the Secret of Joy Quotes - Alice Walker - Lib Quotes Alice Walker - Possessing the Secret of Joy (1992) He has told me he likes men as well as he likes women, which seems only natural, he says, since he is the offspring of two sexes as well as two races. The author, Alice Walker, gives us a unique perspective for each of the characters in each chapter. Tashi comes to view Dura's death as a murder, and repeatedly emphasizes that Dura has been "screaming in her ears" since her death. Benny is very curious about the world and is willing to study about it in order to keep up conversations with his parents. 3 journalers for this copy... Journal Entry 1 by Shahrun from … That realization was quite a shock! The book was published in multiple languages including English, consists of 288 pages and is available in Paperback format. Now, I am not asking for not celebrating humanness. View All Available Formats & Editions. I picked up this book in 2015 because I liked Tashi's character in The Color Purple and wanted to read more about her. M'Lissa performed the circumcision on Dura that caused her to bleed to death. I have never written a review before but after reading this I feel like I can't not say anything. I intend to bring to fore the idea that all of us are flawed in one way or another. Adam is heartbroken as his affair pushes Tashi further away, and must face the consequences of his actions. She is haunted by her experiences as a child and on the run from her memories, especially the act of female circumcision that she underwent as a young adult rather than a young child like other children following the tradition of her village. When the puzzle finally comes together, it still feels like pieces are missing. And of course, the prevailing theme of Possessing the Secret of Joy is the extremely unpleasant female genital mutilation; while I appreciate the importance of the topic, that doesn't mean I want to read about the process in detail. Possessing the Secret of Joy by Alice Walker | Literature & Fiction | ISBN: 0099224119 Global Overview for this book. i am, doubtless, doing a grave injustice to this book, which will be probably rectified the moment i read reviews and secondary material on it. In Possessing the Secret of Joy, Alice Walker displays her evolving inventiveness in telling a story. In this assignment you will demonstrate your understanding of key concepts and theories through […] The African continent gave me one such lesson. It should be based on the main character “TASHI” and her life, family, situations, problems, pain and suffering etc…. We talked... To see what your friends thought of this book, This response is probably way too late, but I just noticed the question today when I was moving some of my reviews to my personal computer. Unfortunately she's barely recognizable here, and the two books almost seem like they were written by different authors. Possessing the Secret of Joy as a method of seeing the “ways in which the women are rather routinely mutilated in most parts of the world and how people tend to think of the pain done to women as somehow less than pain done to men” (Parmar 267). In The Color Purple, Tashi undergoes the traditional African rite of female circumcision and facial scarring; Adam also has his face scarred to show his devotion. It was recommended to me by several friends whose judgment in books reflected mine, but I kept putting it off. the writing wasn't that bad but the pov changed a lot so that was really confusing. I intend to bring to fore the idea that all of us are flawed in one way or another. It's another post-modern tragedy. Tashi receives as much pleasure as Adam does and thus experiences the secret joy of total but forbidden sexual pleasure. Adam watches Tashi's downward spiral into darkness with the miserable frustration of being incapable of helping her. A doctor is fighting for us, romanticise her/his profession. A teacher is teaching amidst all odds, talk about it for days saying how perfect the person is. His intensely powerful insecurity and fear causes him to indulge in a merely comforting affair with his longtime friend, the French feminist, Lissete. Dura- Tashi's older sister that bled to death in childhood due to the ritual circumcision. Possessing The Secret of Joy is a semi-sequel to The Color Purple, but you can jump right into Adam Johnson- The son of Celie from The Color Purple, he is Tashi's lovingly supportive husband. Possessing the Secret of Joy 300. by Alice Walker | Editorial Reviews. The novel delves into her struggles recuperating emotionally and physically from the circumcision as she is enveloped in revelations about the underlying meaning of her culture. We are not left wondering what is the truth. • Addresses both the negative and positive comments concerning Walker’s novel. For starters, the style is extremely different; The Color Purple has a fairly straightforward narrative structure, while Possessing the Secret of Joy is a fragmented jumble of viewpoints and chronology. Possessing the Secret of Joy portrays Tashi’s tribe, the Olinka, where young girls undergo genital mutilation as an initiation into the community. This was the toughest book for me to finish. I appreciated Walker putting a human face on a culture that adopted the practice of “female genital mutilation.” But it bothers me some that she created a fictional culture, the Olinka tribe, to play out the drama of a people that has long adopted the practice. As a result of their extramarital union, their son, Pierre is born. Also Alice Walker signs the author's note with "mbele ache" on page 283. I had previuosly read another book on female "circumcision", Back in the early Nineties, there was a story in our local newspaper about female circumcision that was published because of the release of. Once she has the procedure done things go downhill pretty quickly and Tashi goes mad. A third-wave feminist critique gone wrong. If you do, your reward will be learning how to possess the secret of joy no matter what. The novel includes various monologues, a few letters with the description of the main events, and the main character’s reaction to them. Resistance is the secret of joy because it is the vehicle by which change can occur. In Possessing the Secret of Joy, Alice Walker exposes the abhorrent practice of female genital mutilation in an unforgettable, moving novel. Angry enough to figure out what you can do to stop this, frustrated that the practice is still going on and tolerated by societies wholly dominated by men. The tsunga performs circumcisions (e.g. This ebook features an illustrated biography of Alice Walker including rare photos from the author’s personal collection. Trying to dig back through but having a hard time remembering where it is... 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