Monday, June 28, 2010

"I Want to Be the Girl Your Parents Will Use as a Bad Example of a Lady."

The Other Side of Paradise by Staceyann Chin
2009
Weight: 8 oz
Method of Disposal: Putting aside to give to my mom when she gets back from Taiwan



The first and the last time I saw Staceyann Chin perform her spoken-word was while I was attending Agnes Scott College. I went down to The Hub with my then-girlfriend to see Doria Roberts, and Staceyann was opening for her. She made the night and hung the moon. She was amazing. It was my first year of college, and I have never forgotten her. I have tried to go to other spoken-word shows in hopes that I would find someone that I enjoyed to the same degree but with no luck. I was very excited when I heard she was coming out with a memoir sometime in 2009.

I was not disappointed. She writes about growing up in Jamaica, moving from place to place. Person to person. Her strength twists throughout the book into a tight and even tighter story of courage, struggle, and passion. Beautiful. Really. I cannot say enough positive about it. I remember when I finished reading the last page. I fell back onto my bed and let it all sink in. Soon, I thought about my mom in Taiwan and immediately wanted to ship it to her. I still haven’t. So this one is for her. This one will stand in your mind with Dorothy Allison. I miss you!

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