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90th out of 106 books
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18 voters
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Ruined
by
Lynn Nottage
Winner of the 2009 Pulitzer Prize for Drama“A powerhouse drama. . . . Lynn Nottage’s beautiful, hideous and unpretentiously important play [is] a shattering, intimate journey into faraway news reports.”—Linda Winer, Newsday“An intense and gripping new drama . . . the kind of new play we desperately need: well-informed and unafraid of the world’s brutalities. Nottage is one...more
Paperback, 96 pages
Published
September 1st 2009
by Theatre Communications Group
(first published 2009)
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This play is far more powerful in production than on the page, yet reading it still gives a searing glimpse into the difficulties Congolese women are facing in their country’s civil war, a convoluted, vicious conflict in which rape is systematically – and pervasively – used as a weapon. Drawing on her extensive interviews with victims/survivors, Lynn Nottage presents a tale of such suffering that it seems like a warped horror story from another time period or, we could wish, another planet. Yet...more
Ruined is a Pulitzer Prize-winning play written by Lynn Nottage about the plight of women in the civil war ravaged Democratic Republic of the Congo. The play is set in a brothel/bar run by the hard-as-nails Mama Nadi. She’s a no-nonsense woman, perfectly capable of getting right into the faces of armed soldiers to make sure they follow her rules: They must take their bullets out of their guns before entering the bar. No brawls. And absolutely no talk whatsoever about the bloody war that gets clo...more
Hana Candelaria
added it
My interest in this play stems from ongoing reading about women in the Congo as well as this author's (Lynn Nottage) trip to Uganda. Her interviews with Ugandan war victims not only informed the play, but tightens the distance between news reports and actual testimonials about what happens to women there.
Ruined means that a woman is so brutally raped that she cannot even turn to prostitution to support herself (which could be a 'logical' choice following the rejection by her community...more
Ruined means that a woman is so brutally raped that she cannot even turn to prostitution to support herself (which could be a 'logical' choice following the rejection by her community...more
I don't like horrible things -- they make me cringe. I acknowledge what goes on in the rest of the world but if I try to bear the weight too long then I know it will crush me flat. I don't understand, then, what is very positive about story.
There is only one moment of anything positive in the whole play and it comes at the very end, the rest of the story has moments of levity from the horror but the horror is always there. Ultimately where will Mama's business go? She is broke and no...more
There is only one moment of anything positive in the whole play and it comes at the very end, the rest of the story has moments of levity from the horror but the horror is always there. Ultimately where will Mama's business go? She is broke and no...more
Wow.
This play starts off just a little slow, but once it get's going watch out. Intensely powerful and heart breaking account of Congolese rebel warfare and corrupt government forces through the eyes of a whorehouse. The regularity with which the characters treat truly disturbing events gives a glimpse at the scale of human suffering.
The "Mama" character really struck me, as she was very rugged and necessarily battle tested through almost the entire play. Mam...more
This play starts off just a little slow, but once it get's going watch out. Intensely powerful and heart breaking account of Congolese rebel warfare and corrupt government forces through the eyes of a whorehouse. The regularity with which the characters treat truly disturbing events gives a glimpse at the scale of human suffering.
The "Mama" character really struck me, as she was very rugged and necessarily battle tested through almost the entire play. Mam...more
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This 2009 winner of the Pulitzer Prize for Drama is the brutal story of Mama, a tough, obstinate bar-owner in deepest DR Congo. Her bar is also a house of prostitution where warlords, miners, rebel, as well as government, soldiers, traders and businessmen alike come to pay for sex and companionship from Mama's girls, many of whom have been raped and tortured by men just like them. Mama is an enigma - offering fierce protection and a home to these women and girls, so long as they do their job o...more
Not bad in anyway, just not as impressive as I hoped it would be. I like the concept, but at times the execution seems a little trite. Actually, most of these "topical" kinds of plays- though sad and engaging, seem to have many of the same elements. Maybe that tells us something about mankind. I enjoyed the characters and the story is interesting, but it just wasn't all that much. Perhaps, as with most plays it is better to see it performed than to just read it.
Brecht, you and Mother Courage got nothing on Nottage and Mama. I saw this when I lived in London for six weeks last year on a study abroad. It was one of two plays I saw that merited a standing ovation--and I went to some fantastic theatre while I was there. Just last week, I talked to my parents about possibly getting a new phone and then I told them I would just keep the one I had. It means my plan costs more and that I don't have a bunch of fun apps that would just make my day. I said no, be...more
My Literature of the Drama class read this play and then saw it produced in Ashland this summer. I feel this play will become a classic, a reflection of our time and the history of the role of women in human history. Once you read it, it becomes part of your chemistry. Once you see it performed it becomes part of the lens through which you see the world.
While the playwright deserves credit for tackling an impossible subject with eloquence and insight, I found the occasional twinges of melodrama here too inappropriate to give it five stars. Though I realize Nottage acknowledges in the epilogue that this play is about 'survivors, not victims,' I also dislike the way the ending glosses over the long term difficulties the female characters will face.
This is a beautiful and important play about how the conflict in the DRC is affecting its women. At moments heartbreaking and provocative, the biggest problem I have with this play is its sentimental ending. It's not that I don't believe in uplifting endings, but the (for lack of a better word) "corniness" of this ending is problematic and a major challenge for a director.
And the parrot. If anyone can help me to understand the parrot I would be most grateful.
And the parrot. If anyone can help me to understand the parrot I would be most grateful.
I am not a huge fan of reading plays but I loved Ruined.
Before reading this play I was not really informed about what was/is happening in the armed conflict in the Congo. This plays shows not only how it is affecting women but families and the horrors that they go through because of the armed conflict.
Before reading this play I was not really informed about what was/is happening in the armed conflict in the Congo. This plays shows not only how it is affecting women but families and the horrors that they go through because of the armed conflict.
I would have expected a bigger impact when reading this play after the stories I heard about it. I think, however, that the play would have a bigger impact on the stage than when plainly reading it. Nonetheless, the play is very touching and I also believe that the topic is highly interesting.
Awesome, but then I expect that from Ms. Nottage. I'm glad I read Half the Sky: Turning Oppression into Opportunity for Women Worldwide before I got to this, though, because I was more aware of the violence toward women going on in Africa and knew that while this was an artistic representation, it was not gratuitous or fictitious in the least. Can't wait to see this staged!
Important story that needed to be told. At first, I wasn't impressed with the writing because it didn't have a specific imprint, but later I realized this was the mark of Nottage: she manages to create dialogue that has a normality to it...even in a totally foreign world.
I read this play in one sitting. I spent most of that time with my jaw open, because it is just OVERWHELMINGLY sad. But I thank Lynn Nottage for writing a play about the violence against women in the Congo - and another play that black folk like me can be in.
Play itself and the concept was great, the characters were very engaging. I felt like the dialogue was sharp but the actions/descriptions could have used a bit more tightening. Regardless, a very powerful play about a very relevant and contemporary topic.
Saw this in Chicago before it premiered in NYC. Incredibly talented cast and the story is so beautifully crafted that you feel hopeful for the characters and angry that this kind of human crisis still exists in the 21st century. A real winner!
Nottage takes the rough idea of Brecht's Mother Courage and moves it to the war torn Congo to explore the impact of warfare on women. The play is surprisingly full of life while at the same time sharing some horrific stories.
Madeeha Maqbool
added it
The play was excellent! Really heart-rending, profound and thought-provoking. Ok, too many adjectives. I would love to see it on stage but doesn't seem likely it'll be put up here in Pakistan any time soon :(
Couldn't put this down, it made me sick but oh my god the stories from this play, and the sexual atrocities in war torn africa they were based on. This is one to experience, as hard as it may be.
Powerful. Heartbreaking. Painful to read at times because the topic is so brutal. How can human beings do such awful things to one another? Will our world ever be a safe place for women?
This is a charming book. We read this in my HP Honors English class, and it was an enjoyable fast read. Gives you insight and emotion about the Congo.
Poignent, disturbing play about women living in a whore house in the Congo during the war. Addresses the brutality against women during the war.
Vixen
added it
i know this won prizes, but i was SO BORED. i kept falling asleep and checking how many pages i had left. theres no conclusion as well. its just a sucky situation. also, i got an a in class for arguing that this sucked and had no point.
Horrific tale retelling of the lives of women in the Democratic Republic of Congo. Powerful, truthful, yet poetic, and somehow hopeful.
For a play that is so harsh, the ending is surprisingly hopeful -- unsettlingly so.
A sad story, to be sure, but does sad really equal Pulitzer Prize material? I felt it was missing that moment that makes you sit back and just say "Oh my god...wow." I really support the effort in spreading knowledge about this type of tragedy that happens all the time in real life, but I thought this play could have pushed the boundaries farther than it did (possibly with more personal moments, like when Salima shares what happened to her in the bush). An important read, which has ...more
I liked the voices of the characters -- the plot was strong and the topic shocking and engaging... but after the reading the introduction by Kate Whoriskey, I was hoping for a more complex story or structure.
Ayo
marked it as to-read
New Pulitzer Prize winner of 2009! Gotta read this!
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