A Brief Book Review: Invisibility Blues by Michele Wallace

Ironically the first time I had something to do with Michele Wallace was when I read her mother’s famous children’s book, Tar Beach. I initially bought this book because it was on sale at my local bookstore and seemed like something I’d like. Finding out that Wallace was actually the daughter of Ringgold, who’s work I admire so much, was really awesome to experience. Wallace’s book is definitely a landmark in black feminist theory, providing many thoughts that are very personal and unique to her own life and growing up. She brings in the works and lives of many other black and/or female artists, providing interpretation into the validity or meaning of their art. I found that after reading works from people like Alice Walker, Audre Lorde, Toni Morrison, Jamaica Kincaid, etc., her ideas were oftentimes new for me to consider. Reading about her life and the background of her childhood and young adult life helped to paint a better picture, especially of the black liberation work that took place in places like Harlem. Her interpretation of The Color Purple and the work done by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., especially stuck out to me and resonated with my previous thinking. I would recommended this book to anyone remotely interested in black feminist theory, it’s vital to dissect this great work of literature.