Sister Souljah Message Board
Ray posts on 5/21/2010 6:42:03 PM
i see why people are mad about the book
but i think in the sequel it's gonna talk about why they had to come to America & show how he started to work for Winter's dad that's why the two books come together
SMH... posts on 5/17/2010 3:59:37 PM
I've been reading the responses, and fist and foremost, TCWE and Midnight should be separated. The character is the same but the books seem to have little to do with each other. The character development of Midnight was very good, but his arrogance about his culture and American culture should have been put in check. Sudan, as we certainly came to see, is NOT the political or cultural paradise as it was portrayed. It has beauty and horror as any other place in this world. SS should have talked more about WHY Midnight was in America. He should have had a moment where he “got it” and had some conflict and/or consciousness about his beliefs. And if a similar book had been written treating Islam with such disrespect as the way Christianity was portrayed, there would be jihad for sure... As for the treatment of AA women, I was completely pissed about this, and I'm in shock that ppl on this board are actually agreeing with this nonsense. Should we also agree that Africa is a monolithic place that is nothing but civil war, rape, famine and misery? Well, there certainly are many examples of this, just as there are plenty of chicken heads in the hood. For me, the big difference b/t TCWE and Midnight, was the context. TCWE took of slice of ghetto life and laid it out without judgment for the reader to assess. Midnight (the book and character) was arrogant and self-righteous with no counterbalancing character(s) to quiet his noise. SS did a piss poor job of bringing together many points of view and teaching a lesson the reader can gain from. Instead, she highlighted the divisions b/t peoples of color in America by highlighting culture differences in a very one-sided deficit model. Overall this was a very disappointing read to the point I’m not interested in reading another SS book...
areader posts on 4/8/2010 11:50:07 AM
I read the book finally... I can see some of the gripes people were having....every other word about black women or black american women was one of negativity as if these are the only types of women that behave this way...however maybe she sent this message as a reality check...I also do not like the emphasis placed on how important it is for a young woman to remain virginal and pure...but the man can do whatever.... why shame a woman when men are equally as shameful and unpure before marriage... double standards... however i am not mad he chose Akemi.... love is love no matter the color...and it is not as if he was a black american male...he himself is from another country too... i could only see people having beef that he didnt choose a Sudanese wife....anyhoo... the book was ok...
Bob posts on 3/24/2010 8:06:48 AM
"If Black people kill Black people every day, why not have a week and kill white people?"
How can that be construed as anything but white hating racism?
Sister Souljah is a racist, a liar, a hypocrite and a coward.
Christine posts on 3/11/2010 5:28:46 PM
this was definatly the best book i ever read but the ending was a little disappointing need to do a sequel!!!
miss pretty posts on 2/25/2010 12:25:49 PM
I was only dissapointed with how the book ended right when It started to get going. wheres the siquel??
Terry-Ann Billups posts on 2/4/2010 5:53:34 PM
I am not a reader..I always got by somehow in high school or college by not reading..it's just boring to me.. However, after reading The Coldest Winter Ever.. I was hooked.. I wanted more..Then I found Midnight..OMG..what an excellent story..SS you are a genius..my new thing for 2010 is reading.. I loooooooved this story.. It was very well written..Midnight is the definition of what a black man should be. Being from Jamaica I could relate to the way Midnight felt about the young American girls.. I was shocked when I came to the US and saw how loose these young girls were..Don't get me wrong I'm Not muslim or anything But..I was brought up with values and morals. I grew up poor and never once thought about using sex or degrading myself in any way for $ or men..I was brought up to stay in my books and be and do better for myself before you even think about men. Religion played a big part in my life..So in may ways I understood Midight and love the way the book was written.. I don't think SS was trying to disrespect black girls in anyway but she has to let them know what's out there and who they have to compete with so they can step up their game..I can't wait for the continuation to Midnight..I am currently reading No Disrespect and once again I'm HOOKED.. Thanks SS keep those good books coming..
Queen posts on 2/2/2010 10:18:12 AM
Hello, Cora.
I'd like to respond to your post on why many were offended by the negative portrayal of American black women in Sister Souljah's new book, Midnight. While I too enjoyed the book, and admire SS as always for her deep soul searching and honesty, I feel as though she failed to highlight the many positive roles that BW have and continue to play in our communities and societies.
In response to your comment: "What I fail to understand is how the same ppl who expressed that they were so offended by Midnight, somehow managed not to be offended by the characters in CWE."
The difference between CWE and Midnight, is that in the former book, there was a clear depiction of a black American female who represented those of us who do not resemble the black women portrayed in Midnight, a woman who was clearly respected in her community, and provided a positive role-model to her younger counterparts.
There was no such character in Midnight, where all American black women were painted in an overwhelmingly negative light. Although SS gives what is indeed an honest assessment of many African/Foreign male attitudes towards black American women, who are denigrated both within and outside of our country, it also paints an incomplete picture.
One did not have to "see herself" in the characters of the ignorant, "loose" female characters depicted in the book to take offense. One simply has to be aware of the very real attitude by men in many countries that American women ( especially black American women) are somehow inferior in terms of intellect, morals and values.
As a black American expat living abroad, I bought this book in the hopes that it would be a refreshing return to my American heritage, providing insight into the mind of the rare black man who is beautiful and strong, and loves and respects black women. Instead, I picked up a scathing indictment of the American black female, a book which repeated many of the hateful African stereotypes and disdain with which many American black women living abroad are painfully familiar.
Thus, when talented writers like Sister Souljah publicly depict our culture so colorfully, so beautifully, and at times with such brutal honesty, it does us all as black women a great disservice when they forget to depict our strengths as well.
If Only posts on 2/1/2010 3:03:24 PM
Overall, I did enjoy Midnight. I give it a solid B. It was very well researched and well written, but it never got very exciting. Some parts were real page turners, but for the most part it was not. However it was interesting enough for me to finish such a long read. I do love the Midnight character, and would love to marry a man like that, who would disagree?
I read where some of the posters thought she was making him in a superman. I didn’t see it this way. He was exceptional not supernatural. He was an intelligent kid who saw himself at war with the world. Besides, it is super easy to get a gun in this country. Also he didn’t sit around watching tv and eating fatty American foods. Judging from where the character came from, this is more realistic than some ppl want to admit.
The men he killed in the book, I felt needed killing, they both posed a threat to his life, I wasn’t mad at him for that.
As far as him marrying the Japanese girl, it doesn’t state in the book that he didn’t want a Black women under any circumstance, but he met and fell in love with her first. I wished that SS would have created a Black girl for him to love who maybe spoke French or some language that he didn’t understand, because that part was slick how they feel in love but couldn’t speak each other’s language, but she did not. Ok , that is real life to it’s fullest. Black men meet and fall in love with non Black women all the time.
Personally, I could have done without the pictures of the characters. In a work of fictions, characters look the way the reader wants to imagine them. That model is not Midnight to me no matter what.
Coya posts on 1/31/2010 2:39:02 AM
After reading the posts, I have to say that it's obvious that a lot of the ppl who read Midnight, were offended by the depiction of American women because they saw themselves in the characters. The black characters in the book weren't put downs, they were very realistic of ppl we all know and see everyday. Don't get mad at SS if you had sex with half your neighborhood, fight and make fools out of yourself in the street, and disrespected yourself as well as your children.
We all know that not every Black woman acts this way, but lets be honest, the ones that do, get way more attention than the ones who don’t. Also, one of the Sudanese characters clearly stated that he felt all American women were trash, not just the Black ones.
I liked that this book forced me to take a good look at myself, and my community growing up, and I now see why other cultures consider Black Americans to be clowns. Some of us do act quite clownish. What I fail to understand is how the same ppl who expressed that they were so offended by Midnight, somehow managed not to be offended by the characters in CWE.
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