Survival

Most people have life goals. Some want to be doctors, others want to be lawyers. Some want to be a good mother. Precious's only life goal, at least at the beginning of the novel, is to survive. She does not have the luxury to set any academic, professional, or personal goals. She does not even have time to worry about the fact that she cannot see the blackboard or hear what the teacher is saying. Precious just needs to figure out how she is going to get through her day.

This novel gives readers insight into what it is like to be raised as a poor, black object in a world of hopelessness and despair. Precious is thrown into survival mode when she is three and Carl first rapes her. From that point on, her life revolves around not falling apart. She does this by fantasizing about being...