Warning: from the beginning, despite her crude manners and foul-mouth, and before we get the full picture of her familial struggles, protagonist Claireece Precious Jones, captures and holds the reader’s heart and head throughout this entire story. So it’s not surprising that Claireece Precious Jones is one of the most cogently-developed characters this reviewer has ever come upon in the many novels read and reviewed on this platform.  At times, it was difficult to read this novel without feeling startled over the gritty reality of what life must be like for someone like Precious Jones. However, it’s the act of motherhood that leads this illiterate, physically-sexually-emotionally abused single mother to push for something better – a powerful reality-message to others caught up in life-situations that are similar to Precious Jones. Overall, PUSH carries a potent message of hope, self-discovery, and most of all, redemptive liberation. Author, Sapphire, is a noted ‘performance poet’, and it comes across in her inimitable style of perceptive, sometimes elegiac, form of storytelling. PUSH is an unforgettable story, worthy of adaptation to screen, and this reviewer can’t wait to see the movie! On a Reviewer’s Scale of 1 through 10 – with one being a devastatingly-bad-read and ten being an awesomely-wonderful-read – PUSH scores a 10.5! 

Reviewed: 11/3/2009