The first words that came to mind when I finished reading this was..wow.. I need some time to digest the whole story. And no, in keeping with my stubborn “don't see the movie till you read the book them”, I have yet to see the movie.
This heartbreaking tale, which is based on a true story, begins when Precious is 12 and has had a baby by her father. This alone is horrific but the abuse she suffered by her mother only adds to the horror. She is 16 and cant read or write and finally after being suspended from school because of her second pregnancy(also by her father) She finally finds a compassionate soul. Her teacher that teaches her to read and write encourages her to write her life story. And that is the premise for this book.
One of the interesting things we see in this book is it is written from Precious viewpoint, including her own words. We can see the progress that she makes with her writing. Although it is difficult at times to understand what she is trying to write it is a brilliant way to show her progress. She writes with a depth and a certain sort of poetry that makes the reader want to cheer her on.
This is at its heart a beautiful story of salvation. Salvation from the horrors of her old life to the promise of a new life. Readers can take away from this book that no matter how bad your life is at the moment, things can and will improve. That in itself is a valuable lesson.
