Sister Citizen Now Out in Paperback!
“Citizenship is more than an individual exchange of freedoms for rights,” writes Melissa V. Harris-Perry, professor, writer and television host, in Sister Citizen. “It is also membership in a body politic, a nation, and a community.”
In Sister Citizen, now available in paperback, Harris-Perry looks at what it means for black American women to be a citizen today. What are black women facing and how do they cope? In a recent segment on MSNBC’s Melissa Harris-Perry show, Harris-Perry explains: “Sisters are trying to do the work of being American citizens but must navigate the persistent negative race and gender stereotypes that create a crooked room filled with distorted images of ourselves,” creating a larger picture for the implications of race, gender, citizenship, and belonging in America as a whole.
This clear and engrossing volume draws from first-hand accounts, diverse research and analysis from the daily news to show how shame and stereotypes play themselves out in America. With contemporary examples of this dynamic, from Michelle Obama and Shirley Sherrod to historical precedents and archetypes like “Jezebel” and “Sapphire,” Harris-Perry illuminates the struggles and strategies at work when black women face deeply held stereotypes that can distort their reality. As Harris-Perry says, “Our politics is an exercise of trying to stand straight in a crooked room.”
In this book the reader might find “how different the American story looks when it’s told through the lens black women’s complicated and sometimes painful experiences of this country.”
Check out a video of Melissa Harris-Perry talking about the book here, and keep your eyes on our blog for a Goodreads Graduation giveaway for all our sisters out there facing the challenges of the “real world.” Surely, this issue is real enough…
