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| A Raisin in the Sun | 
 enlarge | Author: Lorraine Hansberry
Publisher: Vintage
Category: Book
List Price: $6.95
Buy New: $2.74
You Save: $4.21 (61%)
New (76) Used (154) Collectible (7) from $2.00
Avg. Customer Rating:  137 reviews
Sales Rank: 586
Media: Mass Market Paperback
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 160
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.2
Dimensions (in): 6.7 x 4.1 x 0.5
ISBN: 0679755330
Dewey Decimal Number: 812.54
EAN: 9780679755333
ASIN: 0679755330
Publication Date: November 29, 2004
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Condition: Brand New and Factory Sealed Item Fast Shipping
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Product Description
When it was first produced in 1959, A Raisin in the Sun was awarded the New York Drama Critics Circle Award for that season and hailed as a watershed in American drama. A pioneering work by an African-American playwright, the play was a radically new representation of black life. "A play that changed American theater forever."--The New York Times.
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| Customer Reviews: Read 132 more reviews...
 Better than I was Expecting September 3, 2008
I had to read this book for my senior AP english class and I was quite stunned when I realized that I actually liked it. I like to read, but not usually the books the teachers assign, and the other two books she had assigned turned out to not be all that good. I liked a Raisin in the Sun because it had just the right mix of drama, and humor. Lorraine Hansberry really knows when the drama has become too much and she adds in a little bit of humor like any great author would. I really liked the characters, especially Beneathea who I found to be especially poignant and humorous. This book did not have a greatly detailed plot, but it made up for it in the way it was presented. It wasn't supposed to be an adventure novel, so I wasn't looking for a whole lot of plot twists. I also liked the message it sent.
Good book - better play February 24, 2008
0 out of 6 found this review helpful
It is a nice book. The characters personalities made the book good. If the characters were changed the book wouldn't be as good. The story shows the life of a black family in Chicago and their struggles through the years they lived there.
What Happens To A Dream Deferred? February 15, 2008
5 out of 5 found this review helpful
Produced in 1959, A RAISIN IN THE SUN was the first Broadway play written by a black woman: Lorraine Hansberry (1930-1965), a memorable author who based the central story on an incident that occurred in her own family and which eventually evolved into a landmark Supreme Court ruling in 1940 as Hansberry v. Lee.
The play presents us with three generations of the Younger family: the widowed matriarch Lena; her son Walter Lee and daughter Beaneatha; and Walter's wife Ruth and their son Travis. The family resides in a semi-slum apartment building on the south side of Chicago in the 1950s, where each tries to rise above the difficulties of their enviroment and the many social limitations imposed upon African-Americans at that time. But there is hope on the horizon: Lena is about to receive insurance money from her husband's death.
Unfortunately, instead of pulling the family together, the money actually drives them apart. Each member lays claim to it in some form or fashion. Lena dreams of owning her own home; daughter Bea is attending medical school and needs money to finish her degree; and most especially Walter Lee dreams of owning a liquior store. Bit by bit the pressure chips away at the family, already strained by years of frustration, and explodes at the play's climax--although not precisely in a way that one might foresee. When the explosion arrives it does not shatter the family; it unexpectedly reaffirms it.
When I review a play, I like point out that plays are not really intended to be read. They are intended to be seen on stage, where performing artists and designers breathe life into the lines and bring force to the story and its themes. This is true of every play. It may be especially true of A Raisin In The Sun, which on paper feels somewhat dry and slightly preachy. But I have seen the play performed--and let me assure that you that it brings the audience to hysterical laughter, painful tears, a sense of deep outrage, and an affection for its characters that few other modern plays can match. It is indeed a brilliant work and a great classic of 20th century American theatre.
GFT, Amazon Reviewer
 Ho Hum Book - Good Play December 24, 2007
I found this a pretty boring book to read. Not particularly well written, but the overall story isn't bad. I really would recommend that you don't buy this book (get it from the library if you have to), but instead watch the dvd/video of the play (Danny Glover is hilarious in the lead role).
 Realism at work November 29, 2007
I found that this play was somewhat easy to read but definitely fits into the realism genre which I'm not really into so much. The story in mainly one about race relations but also has a large amount of insight on family dynamics. If someone is particularly interested in either topic they may very well enjoy this play much more than I did. The writing itself and character building was excellent, I just wasn't much for the topic.
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