Another highly inappropriate book was found inside Iowa school libraries. This time the book is called “Push” and was written by an author called Sapphire.
Here is one excerpt:
“I feel mama’s hand between my legs, moving up my thigh. Her hand stop, she getting ready to pinch me if I move. I just lay still still, keep my eyes close. I can tell mama’s other hand between her legs now ’cause the smell fill room. Mama can’t fit into bathtub no more. Go sleep, go sleep, go to sleep, I tells myself. Mama’s hand creepy spider, up my legs, in my pu**y God please! Thank you god I say as I fall asleep.”
There’s more…
“This time I know Mama know. Umm hmmm, she know. She bring him to me. I ain’ crazy, that stinky hoe give me to him. Probably thas’ what he require to f*ck her, some of me. Got to where he jus’ come in my room any ole time, not jus’ night. He climb on me. Shut up! he say. He slap my ass. You wide as the Mississippi, don’t tell me a little bit of d*ck hurt you heifer…”
“My fahver don’t see me really. If he did he would know I was like a white girl, a real person, inside. He would not climb on me from forever and stick his d*ck in me ‘n get me inside on fire, bleed, I bleed then he slap me…”
There are more. Many more. And they’re more vulgar and disgusting.
The book is “in” libraries like Valley, Urbandale, Indianola and Carlisle according to online searches.
Some reviews of the book, which features an illiterate 16-year-old who is raped by her father and abused by her mother, reveal disturbing details.
“I HATED this book,” one reviewer wrote. “This book is more like ‘Listen, Previous has been raped and now I want to rape you too.’ And after you read the book, you need therapy…”
The reviewer said she was angry that Precious “enjoyed being raped.” Precious blames the “white man” for the reasons her dad is a drug-addict rapist as well.
Another reviewer wrote:
“I thought I would like this book since I love stories of characters that overcome obstacles and oppression, but I hated this book…because of the vulgar language that feels like I am being slapped with each slam of profanity. I also do not want to know the minute details of her abuse by both her father and mother.”
Another wrote:
“This book disgusted me in ways I don’t think I’ve ever been disgusted before…I don’t know how many degrading words I could use to describe this book, but if the point to get across was me feeling like I’d just been raped and abused myself, then it worked.”
A teacher who purchased the book said she regretted buying it and reading it.
And one more review worth highlighting…
“The writing painted very disturbing pictures, pictured I’d rather not have visualized. I read this book because some DC teaching fellows said the District used this book in their reading programs. They required parents sign a release because of the graphic nature of the novel. I was shocked at the book’s language and would only use it as a last resort.”
Yet if a child wants to check it out in their school library in Iowa, it’s available.
