The Suffering Will Not Be Televised : African American Women and Sentimental Political Storytelling

Explores how the suffering of African American women has been minimized and obscured in U.S. culture. Why do some stories of lost white girls garner national media headlines, while others missing remain unknown to the general public? What makes a suffering person legible as a legitimate victim in U.S. culture? In The Suffering Will Not Be Televised, Rebecca Wanzo uses African American women as a case study to explore the conventions of sentimental political storytelling—the cultural practices that make the suffering of some legible while obscuring other kinds of suffering. Through an examination of memoirs, news media, film, and television, Wanzo's analysis reveals historical and contemporary tendencies to conflate differences between different kinds of suffering, to construct suffering hierarchies, and to treat wounds inflicted by the state as best healed through therapeutic, interpersonal interaction. Wanzo's focus on situations as varied as disparities in child abduction coverage, pain experienced in medical settings, sexual violence, and treatment of prisoners of war illuminates how widely and deeply these conventions function within U.S. culture.'Tracing the invisibility of the suffering of African American women across media, The Suffering Will Not Be Televised offers an important analysis of the many ways in which African American women's experiences have been excluded from narratives about social violence and victimization. Wanzo's book serves as a reminder about the necessity of considering gender and race relationally for women's studies, cultural studies, and studies of crime, media, and culture.'— Carol A. Stabile, author of White Victims, Black Villains: Gender, Race, and Crime News in U.S. Culture Title Page ......Page 5 Contents......Page 7 Illustrations......Page 9 Acknowledgments......Page 11 Introduction: Saving Shoshana......Page 13 1. Beyond Uncle Tom: A Genealogy of Sentimental Political Storytelling......Page 27 2. Incidents in the Life of a(Volunteer) Slave Girl: The Specter of Slavery and Escapes from History......Page 51 3. The Reading Cure: Oprah Winfrey, Toni Morrison,and Sentimental Identifi cation......Page 91 4. Salvation in His Arms?Rape, Race, and Intimacy’s Salve......Page 125 5. In the Shadow of Anarcha: Race, Pain, and Medical Storytelling......Page 157 6. The Abduction Will Not Be Televised: Suffering Hierarchies, Simple Stories, and the Logic of Child Protection in the United States......Page 197 Coda: Lifetime, Anyone?A Meditation on Victims......Page 239 Notes......Page 245 A......Page 283 C......Page 284 H......Page 285 M......Page 286 P......Page 287 S......Page 288 W......Page 289 Z......Page 290 State University of New York Press Title Page 5 Contents 7 Illustrations 9 Acknowledgments 11 Introduction: Saving Shoshana 13 1. Beyond Uncle Tom: A Genealogy of Sentimental Political Storytelling 27 2. Incidents in the Life of a(Volunteer) Slave Girl: The Specter of Slavery and Escapes from History 51 3. The Reading Cure: Oprah Winfrey, Toni Morrison,and Sentimental Identifi cation 91 4. Salvation in His Arms?Rape, Race, and Intimacy’s Salve 125 5. In the Shadow of Anarcha: Race, Pain, and Medical Storytelling 157 6. The Abduction Will Not Be Televised: Suffering Hierarchies, Simple Stories, and the Logic of Child Protection in the United States 197 Coda: Lifetime, Anyone?A Meditation on Victims 239 Notes 245 Index 283 A 283 B 284 C 284 D 285 E 285 F 285 G 285 H 285 I 286 J 286 K 286 L 286 M 286 O 287 P 287 R 288 S 288 T 289 U 289 V 289 W 289 Z 290 ISBN-13:,9781438428833 Introduction : Saving Shoshana -- Incidents In The Life Of A (volunteer) Slave Girl : The Specter Of Slavery And Escapes From History -- The Reading Cure : Oprah Winfrey, Toni Morrison, And Sentimental Identification -- Salvation In His Arms : Rape, Race, And Intimacy's Salve -- In The Shadow Of Anarcha : Race, Pain, And Medical Storytelling -- The Abduction Will Not Be Televised : Suffering Hierarchies, Simple Stories, And The Logic Of Child Protection In The United States -- Coda : Lifetime, Anyone? : A Meditation On Victims. Rebecca Wanzo. Includes Bibliographical References And Index. Saving Shoshana : an introduction to sentimental political storytelling -- Incidents in the life of a (volunteer) slave girl : the specter of slavery and escapes from history -- The reading cure : Oprah Winfrey, Toni Morrison, and sentimental identification -- Salvation in his arms : rape, race, and intimacy's salve -- In the shadow of Anarcha : race, pain, and medical storytelling -- The abduction will not be televised : suffering hierarchies, simple stories, and the logic of child protection in the United States -- Coda : lifetime, anyone? : a meditation on victims