Rosa Lee: A Mother and Her Family in Urban America by Leon Dash
1996
Weight: 8.8 oz
Method of Disposal: Give back to mom or lending library
This book was brutal. It was a window into a world I can clearly see I have no known experience with, and it was hard to face. The very idea that a mother would feel like she had to sell her own child and that she felt the child had been able to consent in any way is truly shocking to me and what is more shocking is that you cannot just villainize that mother and neatly put her away in a box labeled "terrible." There is so much more to Rosa's story--good and bad. Rosa Lee's family is so influenced by institutionalized racism that is impossible to even imagine what would have happened to them in a different society or place.
I understand the fear that some people have that this book makes black people look bad, but I definitely disagree. It is very clear that it does not represent all black people or all poor black people and, if you were ignorant enough to think it truly did, the author clearly writes that it is a thorough case study on just one family and explains why he thinks it is important. Still, I know that there are many people who would read this story as evidence for whatever they already believe and that is always scary.
The author writes, "I recognize that there are many ways to look at Rosa Lee. There is something of her life to confirm any political viewpoint--liberal, moderate, or conservative. Some may see her as a victim of hopeless circumstances, a woman born to a life of deprivation because of America's long history of discrimination and racism. Others may give her the benefit of the doubt in some cases but hold her personally accountable for much of what she did to herself, her children, and her grandchildren. A third group might say that Rosa Lee is a thief, a drug addict, a failed parent, a broken woman paying for her sins, and a woman who seemingly was so set on placing her children on the path to failure that it is amazing that even two of them manage to live conventional lives" (p. 251).
No matter how the reader feels about whether it should have been written or not, there is one thing we should all be able to agree on. It is heartbreaking from beginning to end. The destruction the drugs wreaked on this family and this community is unbelievable and frightening. The individual understanding, accountability, and expectations each hiv-infected person had about their illness, their future, and the future of others around them was eye-opening.
I could not help but think about myself now aged 32 and Patty Cunningham, Rosa Lee's daughter, being in her thirties in the book and completely addicted to heroine. Unable to get through a single day without the drug, despite the danger she was in, without jail time. The sexual abuse she suffered again and again. We know what happens to Bobby and to Rosa. I don't know if I want to know, but I cannot help but wonder what happens to Patty and Junior. I also wonder about the others, of course, about Alvin, Eric, Ducky,Richard, Ronnie, hell, even Mr. Dash. This appears to be Patty: http://www.tributes.com/obituary/show/Donna-D.-Wright-86154465. What did she do until 2009? I suppose it is none of my business, but I am grateful to the author for taking the time and for Rosa and participating family members for sharing their secrets and their lives.
1996
Weight: 8.8 oz
Method of Disposal: Give back to mom or lending library
This book was brutal. It was a window into a world I can clearly see I have no known experience with, and it was hard to face. The very idea that a mother would feel like she had to sell her own child and that she felt the child had been able to consent in any way is truly shocking to me and what is more shocking is that you cannot just villainize that mother and neatly put her away in a box labeled "terrible." There is so much more to Rosa's story--good and bad. Rosa Lee's family is so influenced by institutionalized racism that is impossible to even imagine what would have happened to them in a different society or place.
I understand the fear that some people have that this book makes black people look bad, but I definitely disagree. It is very clear that it does not represent all black people or all poor black people and, if you were ignorant enough to think it truly did, the author clearly writes that it is a thorough case study on just one family and explains why he thinks it is important. Still, I know that there are many people who would read this story as evidence for whatever they already believe and that is always scary.
The author writes, "I recognize that there are many ways to look at Rosa Lee. There is something of her life to confirm any political viewpoint--liberal, moderate, or conservative. Some may see her as a victim of hopeless circumstances, a woman born to a life of deprivation because of America's long history of discrimination and racism. Others may give her the benefit of the doubt in some cases but hold her personally accountable for much of what she did to herself, her children, and her grandchildren. A third group might say that Rosa Lee is a thief, a drug addict, a failed parent, a broken woman paying for her sins, and a woman who seemingly was so set on placing her children on the path to failure that it is amazing that even two of them manage to live conventional lives" (p. 251).
No matter how the reader feels about whether it should have been written or not, there is one thing we should all be able to agree on. It is heartbreaking from beginning to end. The destruction the drugs wreaked on this family and this community is unbelievable and frightening. The individual understanding, accountability, and expectations each hiv-infected person had about their illness, their future, and the future of others around them was eye-opening.
I could not help but think about myself now aged 32 and Patty Cunningham, Rosa Lee's daughter, being in her thirties in the book and completely addicted to heroine. Unable to get through a single day without the drug, despite the danger she was in, without jail time. The sexual abuse she suffered again and again. We know what happens to Bobby and to Rosa. I don't know if I want to know, but I cannot help but wonder what happens to Patty and Junior. I also wonder about the others, of course, about Alvin, Eric, Ducky,Richard, Ronnie, hell, even Mr. Dash. This appears to be Patty: http://www.tributes.com/obituary/show/Donna-D.-Wright-86154465. What did she do until 2009? I suppose it is none of my business, but I am grateful to the author for taking the time and for Rosa and participating family members for sharing their secrets and their lives.
No comments:
Post a Comment