Welcome to Litsy!

Finished my first TBR read of the year!

Families are complex and this audiobook of the Broadway recording showcases the complexion of the Younger family, an African American family with dreams of more.

I borrowed the audiobook which was performed by the original Broadway Cast and to hear the different emotions and the tension filled pauses during the different peaks of the play was fantastic. I would definitely want to see this play for myself.

#Sunny

#SummerSouls

@Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks

I read a lot of historical fiction but what impacts me even more is reading contemporary fiction (in this case, a play) 50+ years after publishing. It makes me consider about how much we have and have not learned.

I can‘t remember the last time I read a play but I love going to the theater to see plays and musicals. This book is a fantastic story of a black family in Chicago trying to make a good life for themselves and their children. The characters are complicated and made for a great story. #Pop23 ~a book you should have read in high school

An immensely talented playwright lost too soon. The depth of character and the bonds of family at their best and worst moments have never been as compellingly represented as in this play.

A play about a black family living in the south side of Chicago that struggles with money, their place in the world, family, racism, identity, and the future. I felt like there were a lot of twists in the story and really well-written philosophical commentary. The ending wasn‘t entirely satisfying for me even though it ended on a hopeful note.

#OnThisDay in 1965 a bright, beautiful light was extinguished too soon when playwright Lorraine Hansberry lost her battle with cancer at the age of 34. Her best known work, A Raisin in the Sun, is considered by many to be one of the best ever written. Highlighting the lives of the Younger family fighting for security in a world of racism, Raisin has maintained critical and popular acclaim since it opened in 1959. #HistoryGetsLIT

#Sundayfunday @ozma.of.oz

1. Oh yes. I enjoy writing them too.
2. Watching. I miss the theater.
3. Tagged one of my favorites.

- Langston Hughes

I found A Raisin in the Sun both tender and brutal. The level to which Hansberry develops each unique character, each adult family member‘s dreams, lets her tackle an amazing breadth of social issues without seeming forced at all. Segregation, poverty, beauty, feminism, religion, more. It‘s masterful.

In my edition, the intro discussed what was cut for the stage & film. I was shocked - it all seemed vital! Vital in every sense.

In the Southside of Chicago sometime after WWII & no later than 1959 an African American family awaits an $10,000 insurance check in the mail, due to the father‘s death...not enough money to replace a loved one, but more money than they‘ve ever had, & enough to change their lives.

It‘s about much more than financial struggles & family problems. It‘s about segregation, gender roles, cultural identity, black beauty standard, & much more.
#YesiReads

I‘ve been mia for a bit, without meaning to. It just happened 😔. So now I have to catch up and post all of my reviews of books I‘ve finished this past month.
This is my current read. It‘s been on my TBR for years. Even though it‘s a screenplay it‘s really good so far. It‘s giving me Death of A Salesman vibes. Maybe it‘s because it was the only play we read in HS, other than Shakespeare‘s stuff.
All I need now is a mug of hot cocoa.🙂
#YesiReads

On the second day of Christmas my true love gave to me A Raisin In The Sun. This book is a classic for a reason. #12Booksof2020

5⭐️

The Youngers are a family of three generations in an apartment on the south side of Chicago. With so many people living under one roof, family dynamics can get a little heated. Due to the recent passing of a family member, a very large life insurance check is coming and could change all their lives. This play beautifully addresses segregation issues, black beauty standards, gender roles, cultural identity, and so much more

#diversity #race

I‘ve loved this play ever since my Mom took me to see it in Boston as a teenager. I‘m so glad my library had it digitally so I could re-read it this month. It takes place in the small apartment of the Younger family in the weeks after they receive a windfall insurance payment. They all want to escape, but disagree about the best way to do it.

What happens to a dream deferred?

Does it dry up
like a raisin in the sun?

Another #classicread to have on my checklist, glad I finally got around to this one. Always felt like I was missing out on something and now I‘ve seen the mountain top and I‘ve gotta say it was quite grand. I hope that after I loan this out to a cousin of mine I‘ll get the chance to revisit it again.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ #5starreview #loaner

The hard truth, but something everyone needs to hear and understand sometimes. #hardtruth

Even when you‘re at the bottom of it all you gotta have some semblance of pride and I understand this wholeheartedly. #fittingquote #blackpride

#BLM

From the introduction: “Northerns, for example, shield themselves from the extent and virulence of segregation in the North, so that each time an ‘incident‘ of violence so egregious that they cannot look past it occurs they are ‘shocked‘ anew, as if it had never happened before or as if the problem were largely passé.”

Just met this guy, already hate him. 😡
#fuckthischaracter

This is one of those books that I can‘t believe it took me so long to read. I have heard of it all my life and just finally read it this week. It‘s tragic and uplifting, and some of the passages are heartbreakingly beautiful. Now, I need to watch the movie to see the differences. My edition has commentary by Spike Lee that discusses the brilliance of the play and some of the changes that were undoubtedly made to get the movie completed.

In an effort to give voice to the anger and frustration black people are feeling, I‘m going to flood my account with the #pocliterature that I have loved. I was fortunate early in my reading life to be introduced to diverse literature. It has been vital to my ability to carry compassion and empathy into my profession. This play is one that my mind has returned to for several days now. How is it that this still feels so relevant?!

#FancifulFebruary @4thhouseontheleft

Raisin - TBR by AOC and Own Voices
Keeper of Lost Causes - purple

What an incredible piece of literature. This will probably be in my top 5 of 2020. A story of a hard-working family who gets knocked down over and over. But they have hope. And, they have pride. I'm exhausted with all the feelings.

#Booked2020 bottom of tbr
#PopSugar20 written by author in her 20s
Illinois 1958
#ReadHarder20 play by AOC

Then isn't there something wrong in a house - in a world - where all dreams, good or bad, must depend on the death of a man?

😭

"Seem like God didn't see fit to give the black man nothing but dreams - but He did give us children to make them dreams seem worth while."

A universal sentiment - especially to the impoverished.

I decided I wanted to attempt a play so I chose Raisin in the Sun, a classic @Reviewsbylola #classicschallenge2020. While reading the introduction, I found out that Esther Rolle ♥️ and Danny Glover 😍played the main characters. Fingers crossed, I can watch this on YouTube when I finish.

My kind of girls day. Skipped school. 😬 Bought some books. Enjoyed a 50/50 burger. (beef and bacon mince) Now we are hanging out at the pool. This book (play) starts with a Langston Hughes poem. Looks promising.

Today‘s author spotlight: Lorraine Hansberry! Born in Chicago in 1930, she passed away from cancer in NYC at 34. The tagged play made her the first African-American playwright on Broadway; she became the youngest one and only fifth woman to win the prestigious NY Drama Critics Circle Award for Best Play. She inspired Nina Simone‘s “To Be Young, Gifted, and Black”. James Baldwin set up a meeting between her & RFK. #AuthorPotpourri #TheMoreYouKnow

A powerful play about an African American family living together in a small apartment in Chicago. It‘s about family dynamics and how each generation has different ideas about how to achieve their dreams and be more successful than their ancestors. It‘s also about the racism and poverty that creates obstacles and oppression for reaching those dreams. #readingwomenchallenge #femaleplaywright

A short but compelling & poignant story, one which is sadly still quite relevant in this country & our current reality (political & otherwise). I came to care about this family right away & felt so angered by the racism they confronted even tho it was hardly unexpected. Heart wrenching to watch them struggle to just live & find a little joy in a world that seeks to forever deny it to them. Would‘ve liked it to be longer, but still loved. 4/5 ⭐️

Still true in a lot of places in this country.

I‘ve of course heard a lot about this play but have never seen or read any part of it and didn‘t know the exact synopsis until I bought it a few weeks ago. But I know it‘s quite renowned and an important part of Black American history. #nowreading

I‘m always at a loss of words whenever I reread anything because I try to answer the age-old question of, “Did I forget or did I not understand?” This play is remarkable. I forgot so much of the dialogue that I was astounded at the end. Highly encourage anyone of any age to read this and then read it again.

My girlfriend and I are moving to her home-state of Colorado in the next week and a half, and I get the pleasure of cleaning out all my books! Find this little guy and started a reread this morning #wishmeluck #raisininthesun #plays #bookshelf #moving

📚 - A Raisin in the Sun

🎬 - Before Sunset

🎧 - Island in the Sun, Weezer

#manicmonday @JoScho

#manicmonday @JoScho

📘 A Raisin in the Sun
📽 Empire of the Sun
🎶 Sunshine on My Shoulders by John Denver

Read for JHU project. A stirring look at the aspirations and struggles of an African-American family in Chicago. I actually see some echoes of this play in Danai Gurira's play Familiar (which I highly recommend to anyone who gets the chance to see it!)

Okay, okay, okay! I get it. I believe the hype. Amazing writing. Memorable characters. It makes me curious of what other contributions Lorraine Hansberry could have made.

What a fantastic play! I would like to see it performed. #readingwomenchallenge- read a play
#bookfitnesschallenge

#ifliterarycanonwasntcontrolledbythewhitepatriarchy

I saw a few posts this month about this play which reminded me I had it on my shelves. It was truly excellent, and I‘d like to see a live performance.

My daughter has yet another snow day today (actually for ice). We‘ve had 4 now, which is very unusual for us (at least in recent years). I swear these kids are going to go into “summer slide” in March!
#readblackwomen #Blackhistorymonth

I saw some other littens reading this for #readingwomenchallenge2019 and #readblackwomen and I was inspired to pick this up as it has been on my radar a while. I don‘t normally read plays but I really enjoyed this.
The dialogue is wonderful and the different types of strong women portrayed and the emotions bubbling underneath was done so well. I also haven‘t done a #booksandvinyl for ages cont in comments

She ain‘t wrong. The dialogue in this play is just wonderful #readblackwomen

I am not a huge fan of reading plays (but I love to watch them), so I was pleasantly surprised at how much I enjoyed this one.

Set sometime between WWII and 1958 in Southside Chicago, it‘s a glimpse into the lives, hopes and dreams of a working class family, and it‘s a beautiful read. I would love to see a production!

#readBlackwomen
#readingwomenchallenge (a play)

It's a book I'm glad I read, but the story by itself didn't really talk to me. The character of Walter really angered me: screwing up your own life is one thing, but jeopardizing selfishly the future of another person is unforgivable for me. I would recommend the pictured edition of the play because of the related readings added at the end, which give different perspectives and enrich the play.

Last night, I had a dream that I wanted to find out how you can tell if a raisin is bad. So, I did a Google search. I typed, “How do you know if a raisin” & it autofilled “is pregnant?” I laughed so hard I cried.

This play, written in 1959, could have been set in 2019. Which is a sad commentary on the lack of progress we made in this country.
This was one of my grandmother's favorite films. As an adult, I can really appreciate the Younger family and their struggle to provide a better a life. But what really struck me, was the sterotypes of educated black people, within the black community. It is something I have experienced first hand.

Rereading this little beauty!

#currentlyreading #blackhistorymonth #reviewtocome