Picked this up second hand... Just started. Picks up peripheral characters in The Colour Purple to tell a story about female genital mutilation. From the Library Journal:

Not a sympathetically drawn victim, the tortured Tashi stretches to bridge two continents and to understand why women must undergo this torture, even at the hands of their mothers, for the pleasure of men. Though she often succumbs to madness, Tashi eventually takes possession of the secret of joy. Her compelling story is every Eve's account of those "whose chastity belt was made of leather, or of silk and diamonds, or of fear and not of our own 'flesh.' " This is not a sequel to Walker's previous novels, but it easily equals, if not surpasses, their excellence.


UPDATE: lent to Snakebite because I am swamped with books!


NOTE: the picture above is Walker, from a NY Times article

Received the book from Tigercub, because I saw it on her floor and I love Alice Walker. The book is very heavy, outlining an African woman's life long struggle with her choice to be circumsized. The voice of this woman "Tashi" are alternated with the voices of her best friend, her husband, and his lover, providing interesting perspectives on her life, choices, and cultural practices. The book raised my awareness of the reasons why female genital mutilation exists, and why it continues to thrive in many parts of the world. While Tashi's memories and pain become horribly real to the reader, I think it imperative that we find out more about this practice from an African perspective.

This one came home to me a while ago, and I forgot to journal it... back to the TBR pile it goes!

Ok, this book is getting lonely and is looking for someone who will read it sooner than later. I confess, I started and didn''t get very far -- it''s a challenging read. I will have to get it from the library at some point, or maybe the bookcrossing fairies will send it back my way...

RELEASE NOTES:

On the OBCZ shelf before 4pm today

left behind at the last meetup. I will re-release