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Quote by Pearl Cleage

Work

Things I Should Have Told My Daughter: Lies, Lessons & Love Affairs

This book is a compilation of heartfelt essays that delve into the complexities of life, love, and relationships. The author shares her insights and lessons learned through her own experiences, aiming to provide guidance and wisdom to her daughter and readers alike. The essays cover a range of topics, including honesty, love, and the challenges of navigating personal relationships. more

Author

Pearl Cleage
Pearl Cleage

Pearl Cleage (born December 7, 1948) is an American author, playwright, essayist, and poet known for exploring themes of race, gender, and social justice, particularly focusing on African American women's experiences. Born in Detroit, Michigan, she grew up in a family active in the civil rights movement. Her works include novels such as 'What Looks Like Crazy on an Ordinary Day' and 'I Wish I Had a Red Dress,' as well as plays like 'Flyin' West' and 'Blues for an Alabama Sky.' Cleage is also a social activist who participated in the Black Panther Party and taught at Spelman College. Her writing blends realism with poetic language, often set in African American communities. She has received numerous awards, including the American Book Award, and continues to write and speak publicly from her home in Atlanta. more

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“It is a dangerous time to be a black woman in America. It’s a time when we are not safe in the streets or at home or at school or at work and nobody seems to be able to do anything about it. Nobody. Not us. Not our mommas. Not the police. Not the people we elected to look out for our interests. Nobody. We’re just out here. (p.53)”

“Poetry leads us to the unstructured sources of our beings, to the unknown, and returns us to our rational, structured selves refreshed. Having once experienced the mystery, plenitude, contradiction, and composure of a work of art, we afterward have a built-in resistance to the slogans and propaganda of oversimplification that have often contributed to the destruction of human life. Poetry is a verbal means to a nonverbal source. It is a motion to no-motion, to the still point of contemplation and deep realization.”