United States History - African American History, African Americans - General & Miscellaneous, African American History, Ethnic & Race Relations, Discrimination & Prejudice, Sex Role
Deals with the Devil
Pearl Cleage
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Overview
Dead on, to the point, fearless. A third-generation black nationalist feminist, Pearl Cleage recognizes the pure power of telling the truth — about African-American life and about the fate of the race in racist America. This book will incite any and all thinking people to ponder, argue, rage, reflect, and maybe even riot . . . ."Uncompromising . . . Blistering." — San Francisco Chronicle
Cleage's powerful and provocative African-American feminist perspective will touch an even wider audience in this paperback edition--featuring three new essays. Her pieces discussing politics, culture, mass media, emotional and physical survival are equal parts eloquence and anger, challenging readers to see that the personal and the political are one.
Synopsis
"Pearl Cleage breaks down for sisters all the old rules and unspoken taboos. She tells us the truths our mothers are still afraid to confront, the essential wisdom we need to stay alive. Her book mourns and rages all in one breath."BEBE MOORE CAMPBELL
Author of YOUR BLUES AIN'T LIKE MINE
Dead-on, to the point, fearless. A third-generation black nationalist feminist, Pearl Cleage recognizes the pure power of telling the uncompromising truth--about African-American life and about the fate of the race in racist America. Whether she's writing about her--and her sisters'--defenition of good brother, or why she's so mad at Miles Davis, DEALS WITH THE DEVIL is filled with Pearl's most provactive, fascinating, and outrageous insights.
Editorials
Publishers Weekly -
Cleage, a columnist for the Atlanta Tribune , editor of Catalyst magazine and director of a theater company, offers approximately 40 pointed, colloquial and lively essays rising from an anger that is both feminist and black nationalist. An ``outsider by choice as well as historical imperative,'' Cleage gets nervous when Bill Clinton makes her feel included and argues that America's integrationist dream is a ``perverse fantasy'' for blacks. Though she attacks Clarence Thomas as ``an enemy of our race,'' she refuses to honor Anita Hill, arguing that Hill's service to the Reagan administration marked her as a ``collaborator.'' Cleage is most forceful when she writes about race and sex. She can no longer celebrate Miles Davis when she learns he beats women, but her arguments that blacks are always right in interracial discussions of race and that ``conscious'' women are always right in discussions about sexism are certainly debatable. Other topics include Malcolm X, the film Driving Miss Daisy and Cleage's reflections on love, marriage and friends. A worthy voice. (Aug.)Library Journal
This no-holds-barred, no-words-minced collection gathers essays and performance pieces written and delivered since 1987 by Cleage, an Atlanta writer ( The Brass Bed and Other Stories , LJ 5/15/91), performance artist, and playwright. Since she is a ``third-generation Black Nationalist'' writing ``to help herself understand the full effects of being black and female in a culture that is both racist and sexist,'' there is no garden club, country club, or investment club talk. There is, however, ``Basic Training'' talk: women--and men--are told the sexist and racist facts of life. A significant part of Cleage's focus is upon the pervasiveness in American society of violence against women. In no uncertain terms. she expounds upon the differences between a hero and a ``shero.'' Cleage's comments on Clarence Thomas, Anita Hill, Spike Lee, Malcolm X, pornography, and the U.S. Supreme Court make for stimulating reading. Her voice needs and deserves to be heard: all libraries should ensure that that happens.-- Katherine Dahl, Western Illinois Univ., MacombBook Details
Published
June 5, 1993
Publisher
New York : Ballantine, 1993.
Pages
304
Format
Hardcover
ISBN
9780345382788