Journal Entry #1

Today I have just began reading the novel Push by Sapphire. From the couple of pages I have read, I know this book will be interesting. I have already began to make some analysis of the characters and their motives behind some of their actions. The main character is Claireece “Precious” Jones. The author uses flashbacks of Precious childhood experiences, which I believe is to help the reader better understand the insecurities involved. The book begins with Precious being suspended from her junior high school, because she is pregnant. When I first read this I was extremely shocked and thought about the “leaks” in school systems today. Sometimes they don’t always have the child’s best interest at heart. They make assumptions about students that act out in their classroom and young females who are pregnant. They don’t take the time to talk with some of these students and see what causes their actions. For the majority of these teens, it is their home life. Little did the principal know that this would be Precious second child, with both being victims of incest by her “father of the year”. Precious is upset about leaving the school because she loves her math class. She mentions that she can not understand it because “all the pages look alike”, referring to her textbook. She senses that her male teacher understands this and loves her. I believe that this special connection she shares with her teacher comes from the feelings of needing and wanting love. She probably easily forms bonds to make up for her dysfunctional home life. The next couple pages rewinds even further back to where Precious is having her first baby on the kitchen floor. One of the EMS staff says, “Precious, it’s almost here. I want you to push, you hear me momi, when that hit you again, go with it and push, Preschecita. Push.” (10) This is the first mention of the book’s title.

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