In her novel, Sapphire doesn't pull any punches with laying out the blame for the plight of Precious and those like her who've fallen through the cracks of society; Precious knows what society thinks of her: "Don't nobobdy want me. Don't nobody need me ... ugly black grease spot to be wipe away, punish, kilt, changed, finded a job." And until she comes to Each One Teach One, that's all she thinks of herself; how could a 16-year-old girl be expected to think otherwise, with a mother who unleashes a constant barrage of physical and verbal abuse, telling Precious she's fat, ugly, stupid, worthless, with or without the slightest provocation.

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