Reviews for The Construction of Preference

The average rating for The Construction of Preference based on 2 reviews is 3 stars.

Review # 1 was written on 2014-01-29 00:00:00 Mark Van Heugten I sought out this book when I was working on my Final Year Project on African-American women's writing. The project formed a part of my undergraduate degree in Literature. I should start by saying that I love Naylor's writing and am shocked that she is not more read as a novelist (sadly, she died just last year). Her stories of poverty, isolation and struggle are fascinating to me, and her characters, both male and female, are so vivid and engaging. The rich literary allusions she employs is her work are mesmerizing and I have never failed to be moved by her fiction. This book focuses on Naylor's first five works of fiction: her incredible debut, The Women of Brewster Place (1982) and, following that, Linden Hills (1985) Mama Day (1988), Bailey's Cafe (1992), and The Men of Brewster Place (1998). The literary components of each novel are examined and there is an excellent analysis of characters as they face struggles related to their race, sex, background etc. In an informed and well-researched biographical chapter, we are provided with insights into Naylor's own struggles and successes as an African-American woman and woman writer. The Great Migration and Civil Rights Movement are discussed, serving as a background for Naylor's work and giving readers an appreciation for the history that is so important to the writer. This is an excellent companion to and criticism of Naylor's writing. I would recommend this book to anyone conducting a study of Naylor or anyone with an interest in her as a writer.

Review # 2 was written on 2015-01-19 00:00:00 Todd Chidester I got this from the library expecting an anthology of work by women Beat artists, but it's actually an anthology of essays about women Beat artists. It's overall pretty good - as with all anthologies some essays are better than others - trends toward the academic. Tragic how many of these women I was unfamiliar with, and trying to remedy that is tricky - the library, at least, is less than thorough about preserving their work.