Description: The story of three "colored girls," three sisters and their mama from Charleston, South Carolina: Sassafrass, the oldest, a poet and a weaver like her mother, gone north to college, living with other artists in Los Angeles and trying to weave a life out of her work, her man, her memories and dreams; Cypress, the dancer, who leaves home to find new ways of moving and easing the contractions of her soul; Indigo, the youngest, still a child of Charleston-- "too much of the south in her"-- who lives in poetry, can talk to her dolls, and has a great gift of seeing the obvious magic of the world.
Brief description: Ntozake Shange was born in Trenton, New Jersey and educated at Barnard College and the University of Southern California, where she received an MA in American Studies. Her choreopoem for colored girls who have considered suicide / when the rainbow is enuf brought her Broadway success and international recognition. She is the author of an acclaimed adaptation of Bertolt Brecht's Mother Courage and Her Children and has written three novels: Sassafrass, Cypress and Indigo; Betsey Brown; and Liliane. Her poetry includes nappy edges, A Daughter's Geography, Ridin' the Moon in Texas and From Okra to Greens. Her first collection of plays was published by Methuen Drama in 1978.
Review Quotes:
"Shange's wit, lyricism and fierceness are marvelous." --The New York Times
"A jubilant celebration of womanhood as moving as the moon...pure magic." --Kansas City Star "A marvel... Languages--colloquial, established, lyric play together like the most lush chamber music, the coolest jazz, the brassiest marches, the hippest jug band... It leaves us filled with joy and yearning for more." --Philadelphia Inquirer "Possessed of poetry, motion, and light... Shange's tale is poignant, surprising, and deep as she looks as the different worlds of women and their special places therein." --Publishers Weekly