Readings on a Raisin in the Sun (Literary Companion Series)

Discusses the play from African American and female viewpoints, and describes its universality, various revisions and forms of the original, and parallels to the author's life.

Grade 7 Up-This excellent series title is designed to guide students' thinking about a piece of literature and to help them make informed and critical analyses. A summary of each chapter is given in the table of contents and a quick-reference guide enforces salient points. The essays range over time and present divergent views. The chapters deal with the play first from an African-American standpoint, then from the female perspective, then as a character study, all leading to an assessment of its universality. The final chapter deals with the numerous forms and revisions the piece has undergone. A chronology of Lorraine Hansberry's life follows the analysis and points to parallels between her experiences and those of the Younger family. It is not necessary to have read the play in order to appreciate the thoroughness of this well-done literary companion.
Marilyn Fairbanks, Azure IRC, Brockton High School, MA
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