Through the Ivory Gate
Rita Dove

The End of Blackness
Debra J. Dickerson

Murder At the Butt
Keith Mask

Walking Through Mirrors
Brian Keith Jackson

Black Heat: A Nina Halligan Mystery
Norman Kelley

The Miseducation of the Negro
Carter G. Woodson

The Wind Done Gone
Alice Randall

Kindred
Octavia E. Butler

The Hottentot Venus
Barbara Chase-Riboud

Some Things I Never Thought I'd Do
Pearl Cleague

Love
Toni Morrison

Bird At My Window
Rosa Guy

The Undiscovered Paul Robeson
Paul Robeson, Jr.

A Lesson Before Dying
Ernest J. Gaines

Cry Me A River
Ernest Hill

Hair Story: Untangling the Roots of Black Hair in America
Ayana D. Byrd and Lori L. Tharps

Praying for Sheetrock
Melissa Fay Greene

Do or Die: A Mali Anderson Mystery
Grace F. Edwards

Makes Me Wanna Holler
Nathan McCall

Sugar
Bernice McFadden

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The End of Blackness
Debra J. Dickerson

Angela:
This one was tricky for me. I agreed with some aspects such as the need to stop acting and being viewed as a monolithic unit in politics and begin to have a more diversified and nuanced relationship with the political parties. At the same time I felt that some areas were either being generalized or oversimplified in the social realm.

Karen:
On the one hand Ms Dickerson was saying we should do this or that or we should let anything stop us because were black, and on the other hand she would recommend that we stop doing certain things because they were black, culturally. I found some contradictions in her perception of blackness and her discomfort with certain aspects of black culture.

Reader #3
Some things that are thought to be cultural may, in fact, be merely circumstantial. A lot of what is called black 'culture' falls into this second category. This book sometimes falls within that trap of confusion. Why is it okay, if you are comfortable with yourself to be down with your co-worker naming her child Siobhan to honor their Celtic heritage and it's not okay for you to name your child a name that reflects its heritage. I don't mean made-up names but genuine names that honor our languages, history or ancestors. Why isn't it as important for a child to know Lumumba as well as Churchill (particularly if the child is named after the African leader). I would think that it would be especially important to draw a connection between Churchill and the Paris 1919 Conference and the subsequent implications for Lumumba and African freedom. That's not called Afro centrism; that's called history.

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Murder At the Butt
Keith Mask

Trent:
I have to ask, "Why are we reading this book?", even though I suggested it. The book is written by a local author about this city - and the Funky Butt in particular. The book is too convoluted, its characters are not believable. I am glad, though, that the others in the reading group are more tolerant towards it than I am...although I doubt anyone's celebrating it. I feel this is the worst book we've read so far.

I had trouble with the structure of the story. There were a lot of 1st person narratives and flashbacks. I found this confusing and/ or distracting. Staying with one character instead of creating such a multitude of characters would have lessened the confusion for the reader.

Karen:
I thought the women were exaggerated. I found the men's characterizations to be more in line with reality. I commend anyone for getting published, but I did find that this book lacked cohesiveness/coherence. This plot and characters could have been located anywhere; the locale didn't add a lot to this story. It could, however, appear authentic to an outsider. It seemed to me to be more character-driven than plot driven.

Cheryl:
I read the book for two reading groups, so I was able to better understand the story 's flow and logic after the second read. I am glad that I did read it twice and would recommend it to someone else with a disclaimer, however.

Reader #4:
I agree that there were a multitude of characters in this book that made reading this book confusing.

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Walking Through Mirros
Brian Keith Jackson

Angela:
I think Patience was tolerant, not indifferent. Detached is how I'd describe him. He didn't feel he didn't want to know his father . He didn't know how to go about knowing him. There is that notion of maleness that says, " I provide so I don't need to nurture."

That idea is fairly common. It was through his brother that Patience was made aware of just how much his father thinks of him and how much he is a part of the others' lives. He finds out from his brother that his father is proud of him and talks about him all the time (to his younger brother's despair). Could it have been too painful for his father? As for the choice of photography, you notice a detachment, even in the 1st person. He seems to peer out at the things that arrests his emotional attention except for the one thing that cannot be viewed, his mother. No one ever talks about the mother, that great absence. Charles, I felt, was an important figure in his life and that relationship was very important and necessary to his development. What I really liked about this book was that there was no reliance on stereotypes for the characterizations. Everyone was finely detailed and very believable in both their individuality and complexity. I really enjoyed this book. It was well-written and depended on tragedy rather than drama to sustain the readers' interest.

Trent:
Walking Through Mirrors was a good book, sensitive and multi-dimensional. I don't know that it would be classified as 'great' , (5), only because I don't know if I would jump into another book by Mr. Jackson The group was great and encouraged me to complete the book (I picked my copy late). I think the nickname 'Patience' was exactly right for him as an infant, but it became more ironic as he matured into adulthood. I agree that the father was distant ---I saw that as the same as Paul Robeson's son---removed. I think the photography was a metaphor for this detachment by the son----removed, remote, detached, separated, symbolic. Not dealing with interiors, but projecting outwardly, perception and distant. What was profound was that this was a portrayal of a decent group of people---it got to the heart of how families operate. This book describes what it is to be an orphan, whether a voluntary or involuntary one, a spiritual orphan.

Cheryl:
I felt that the name 'Patience' was applied differently as an adult. It appeared he was merely going through the motions. I think the father felt guilty about the circumstances of his son's birth and this inhibited their relationship or prevented them from actually forming one. The father, after all, didn't have a healthy role model for the father-son relationship from his relationship with his own father. It was flawed. On the other hand, a child finds out secrets and realizes what lies behind the actions that were misunderstood as a child. This perceptual shift alters the relationship, hence the photography. Note the pictures taken of the father's family. He was given the camera by Charles, Charles who represented a powerful male, an emotional link with a male, provided the means with which to examine his relationships, the camera. The camera represented perception as well as perspective. I loved this book. I would read another book by this author.

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Black Heat: A Nina Halligan Mystery
Norman Kelley

Cheryl:
I enjoyed the book but I admit, I got lost. As a mystery, for me it had too much clutter. I wasn't able to keep track of the events and clues that would assist me in figuring out "whodunit". I needed a dictionary for the language. What I really enjoyed about this book was that the author did not limit his character. She was a character that was multi-dimensional. I found that refreshing that a male author depicted an African American female as flawed, but attractive. In fact, her flaw was part of her attractiveness.

Many of the references to the 1960's political scene were obscure for me, so I found myself getting lost and wishing there weren't so much detail to work through to establish the story line. I did find many aspects of Norm Kelley's writing enjoyable though.

Angela:
I liked this book a lot for many of the same reasons you stated about the building of the female's character. I have never been a mystery fan, yet I found myself really enjoying this book. I liked his depiction of the female character, the story line was good and ha,ha, sometimes you did need the dictionary. That's one reason the story was so absorbing . The main character, black and female, has suffered a severe emotional trauma, so what we're encountering is a flawed individual. Not dysfunctional. Flawed. She can be tough when it's required, but her vulnerability isn't sacrificed for the sake of toughness. And she is believable as this character, which I feel is the most important thing. There wasn't a need to glamorize this character. Instead she was empowered, and empowered in such a way that she was believable. Her vulnerability didn't mean weakness, it meant she had some tender spots in her emotional landscape that helped us to understand her behavior. Her personality is multi-dimensional and attractive. This type of depiction is rarely found where the character may be believable but not accepted because she isn't glamorized. I mean does anyone remember 'Get Christie Love' or who played her character (Teresa Graves)? It makes us ask the question why aren't more black female characters constructed in this balanced way? Who doesn't and why don't we widely accept female characters like this? We could have a great discussion about who controls who or what is seen and accepted and who or what is not.

I especially relished the details from the 1960's and the Roman a clef story that constantly kept me guessing about what famous person or celebrity might be be being referred to in the story. The culture and politics of the 1960's threaded through the story right alongside the contemporary period in which the murder takes place made the story more interesting to me. The slow revelation, the opportunity to revisit 1960's politics from an informed black perspective without the sloganeering was wonderful. I would enjoy another book from this author.

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The Miseducation of the Negro
Carter G. Woodson

Stan:
I found it to be dated in style and content but a good basis for discussion and a launching pad for present awareness of the current time. How would Mr. Woodson see things now? Things are still problematic and will continue to be so for the foreseeable future. I think it is good to read Anglo-Saxon Paul Goodman's Compulsory Miseducation in comparison.

The style of this book is representational of the time the book was written, (1930's) it is more emotional. For me, I found that the dates, figures and examples needed more objectivity. Education is not, however, based on the truths. The lack of self-reliance and self-esteem of African-Americans that is spoken of reflects a lack of mention in history of the contributions of African Americans. It is though they didn't exist. For example, the Dick and Jane reader is white, exclusive. There is often a connotation of blacks as negative or inferior and black can be broadened to include Arabs and Asians. On another note, I found it interesting that black Christians did not support President Bush and the moral value polarity going on. By visiting churches throughout the area prior to the election, I found that what is being preached in many black pulpits is in almost direct opposition to what the white Christian faith-based groups espouse.

Cheryl:
Some of those things are not as true now as they were then.

Angela:
However, some things still hold true, particularly where he discusses churches and religion. Not much change there. I too thought about the most recent election. While much is said about faith-based action and politics, there is a disconnect between religion as stated and action taken to remedy social situations or circumstances of inequity. There is this great divide between poverty and wealth and many faith-based groups and religious and political leaders are not upset or dismayed by it. Though this book was written in 1933, many of the ideas expressed and the observations made still apply today.

Karen:
Since my own life experiences can be applied to this book, I think many other African-Americans can also relate to the text. It only takes a comparison between what was being experienced at the time the book was written and an examination of the your present circumstances to determine if any, or in fact, all still applies. I found that much of what was discussed in the book can still be related to present day situations. For example, the question of what is our proper place still holds true today. This translates into disputes over use of public space like the ongoing disputes between local blacks in long established neighborhoods and newcomers, mainly white, who object to traditions such as spontaneous second line parades.

Reader #5:
If you haven't read it, you should read it. You should also introduce it to any young people you know.

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The Wind Done Gone
Alice Randall

Karen:
Lady gave Cynara attention that Cynara 's own mother denied her. What was the significance of that? While I didn't actively dislike the book, I didn't find it particularly interesting or engaging. It appeared to me that, during slavery, running the house may have been a good spot to be in. I never read Gone With The Wind, nor have I seen the movie, so some aspects of this book weren't easy for me to understand because I lacked an understanding of some of the references to the original book.

Charles:
This is a parody of Gone With The Wind. The question I ask is does the author expect us to believe this scenario? Parody, after all, is literary vengeance. What interested me was the subtle shifts in power perceptions; Garlic and Mammy were engaged in a subtext of manipulations. Garlic is the head of the plantation---Mammy takes over the bedroom. This calls into question all the affection that Cynara felt she had missed.

Felecia:
I loved the book. I enjoyed the way the author hinted at the darkness of the relationships. Many of the story's features mock the master/slave relationship and reveal a back story of relationships and feelings that were not ever contemplated in the original novel. I think the author is attempting through parody and identification exchange with the central character to provide us with a glimpse of interiors previously denied to black characters in novels such as Gone With The Wind. Despite the delusions held by whites echoed in Gone With the Wind, blacks can and do develop and hold separate points of view and realities surrounding the topic of slavery.

Stan:
I didn't particularly care for this book. The author didn't hold my interest in her perspective on the subject.

Shawalyna:
I could have imagined other choices for a free black woman besides the ones offered by the author. I wondered why she elected such restricted options for the newly free female central character. I suppose, given the opportunity, I would have imagined a fuller range of possibilities and ways of being for a black woman.

Reader #6
The problem I had with this story was the lack of imagination regarding choices for the female character, Cynara. I was disappointed in The Wind Done Gone because it struck me as reactionary and limited. I never saw the movie nor read the original book, so I had some difficulty with the references. I have a sense, though, that the references are oblique references and difficult to decipher even for one familiar with GWTW. The book is a parody, however, so that may account for the reason Cynara wasn't given a wider range of life choices. Being that she was the "other half" so to speak, she had, perhaps, to share some of the same limitations and lack of imagination with the original character. Alice Randall does come closer to providing a more honest and accurate portrayal than many plantation stories of how blacks were connected to slave owners. What is usually left out of these stories is the location of relationship, blood relationship, between the slaves and the white owners. The drawback here for me, however, is a preoccupation on the degree of separation between the Scarletts and Cynaras. Underlying the story is a sense of too much emphasis on what (she, meaning Randall) might have been if only... it isn't as though because you appear as though you may be related to the master, you were/are the only one affected by exclusion or denial of relationship. Most African Americans have a blood relationship, distant or otherwise, with a white ancestor that is not acknowledged. I would have enjoyed the parody better if the revenge had been a fully realized life in opposition to the restrictions imposed by slavery or comparison to another woman's life. Who were Cynara's choices supposed to appease or satisfy?

Errin:
I feel the author had an opportunity to do something more meaningful with the book and premise than what was realized. I was confused and ultimately disappointed. If Alice Randall's intention was to give us a view of the reality of slavery in the context of the story in Gone With The Wind, then she failed to open up the back story.

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Kindred
Octavia E. Butler

Maxine:
I enjoyed this book because we all need to be educated regarding slavery and what it actually consisted of. I've always been curious about the white person's perspective concerning the water fountain. Did some young white child think they were being denied as well? What was the linkage that kept Dana, the central character, coming back? Why would she continue to visit this place where she continued to be harmed? While I enjoyed the account of slavery, I am not a fan of science fiction. This story illustrates how one may assume a role or stereotype, but that is not how one feels within. One attempts to transcend the experience internally. It was interesting for me to speculate whether they stayed together as a couple following their time travel experience. What is important to remember about stories such as this one is that it did happen. Slavery did happen, and we need to talk about our history. Our children need to know. Our history should be a part of the core curriculum and not just set aside for a few weeks in the year because we could all benefit from knowing how our histories intersect and form one history.

Stan:
Compare slavery to the Holocaust. Compare this experience to various slave uprisings. We can't know the calculus for negotiating such a situation. We all like to feel that we would respond favorably, per our egos, to a given situation, but we can't know. That's why this book is important because it gives the topic universality; the story resonates because we're human. We can relate and identify with the experience of Kindred because the situation still exists. Not being African American, the book expands me as a person, a human being. I don't like being ignored or rendered invisible, and this story allows me to glimpse how others feel as well about such things. Another question is : What is the purpose if you can't change the course of history What does it mean to possess people hood, consciousness?

You can compare Kindred to the movie Monster's Ball. There is that similarity between the father and the son. For me, however, Sci Fi feels fake, but I thought it was a good and appropriate device for this story. Sci-Fi, for me, is usually flat and one dimensional, but this was texturally more than I usually encounter with Sci-Fi material. It was not a masterpiece, but it was a good, quick read. The character renditions are more fully developed that you generally find in science fiction. I found it interesting that the publisher is Beacon Press, a Unitarian publisher; they do not usually print novels. Kindred, however, a spiritual reading experience which may account for that.

Felecia:
Octavia Butler is one of my favorite African American writers. Kindred is an excellent read. For me, mental enslavement is more detrimental, has more adverse effects than physical enslavement. Fear and intimidation is used to structure continued oppression and divisions among the oppressed. The intentional harm had to be recalled so that the outcome of history could be influenced and changed. Why wouldn't anyone change history if they had the ability to do so? Why not change everything if you can. Just from my own experiences, I have known myself to say,' I would have done so-and-so differently. I would have done thus-and-so, ' thereby revealing my ignorance: I didn't understand the totality of the experience or condition. This book allows us to experience slavery vicariously, yet gain a fuller understanding of the institution and its affects. On another note, Rufus had an opportunity to be something more than a plantation owner. Is he really redeemed? And Kevin. How was he affected? He didn't really want to acknowledge what he experienced. Kevin is in denial. Great imagery and characterizations.

Karen :
History was changed for the characters in this story. Had Dana not returned, her own existence would have been denied. In my opinion, Rufus was not redeemed in this story. The father was open, but Rufus wanted to be perceived differently, but he was engaged in the same behavior as his father.

Shawalyna:
This story speaks to the possibilities, of things not ever experienced, such as love, that nonetheless can be felt. It says that even if you never experienced love, you have the capacity for love. Despite horrific experiences, we are still human and can learn other ways of living and being in the world. For me that says that African Americans aren't doomed because of what we experience and gives rise to hope no matter what we experience as an individual, a community, a people. Kevin, for instance, accepted some other possibilities for himself other than the ones that could have been expected based on his exposure and experiences.

Marcella:
I enjoyed this book. Even though it was fantasy, it was based on real experiences and history. I enjoyed the background; that permitted us to glimpse slavery. The book allowed an exploration of the comparative value of suffering. I think we should experience as much as we possibly can to give us a sense of our own history. Kindred helps to provide you with a speculative experience of our history. One of chief appeals reading has for me is, it enables you to travel or experience things that you may not be able to afford firsthand.

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The Hottentot Venus: A Novel
Barbara Chase-Riboud

Errin:
I hadn't t heard of the Hottentot Venus until college. I heard about her in a Black Literature class studying the Harlem Renaissance. This figure hasn't gotten a lot of attention. This book provides a wider awareness of this person, Sarah Bartlett. Her bones were recently taken off display in France and buried. Her story takes place in the late 18th/early 19th century. Prior to this period, Europeans had few/no encounters with Africans' physiotypes. The enlightenment and the pseudo-sciences related to it led to racial theorizations that still plague us today, e.g., The Bell Curve. I think the author sought to hold up a little-known instance to mirror current examples. I think the book was written so that both the victim and the tormentor get to view and process the information again differently. On the one hand, the victim receives validation that the pain from this experience is real. On the other hand, the responsible party gets to realize that this was not an innocent action, and that it did have an effect. Books such as this one begin a public discussion about what are the social implications of our actions, past and present. The author had a flowing style that was easy to read which, I think, contributes to the reading of historical events that are fictionalized.

Cheryl:
Though I knew of the author, I'd not heard of the Hottentot Venus before reading this book. The book provides a point of view that is rarely glimpsed. The book is historical fiction. I hadn't heard of Sarah Bartlett before. The book details her experiences, an African woman taken from Southern Africa and placed on display in Europe. Her anatomy, her sexual organs and buttocks were a source of amusement for and ridicule by Europeans who had limited exposure to Africa and African traditions and ideals. These events took place during the Age of Slavery. There are still many present parallels of racial power usage, such as the debate over the use of the 'N' word: can, should blacks use it? is it ever possible for whites to do so? who can grant this power? and so on. I hadn't thought of strip clubs and sports such as basketball, the showing of black skin as a commodity, as a continuation of this practice of display, but I can see how it could be viewed as such. Historical fiction is useful for topics such as this one because it is more readable, so the opportunity for complex, complicated issues to be placed before a wider audience exists.

Stan:
I admit I did have some problems with the physiotype. I could tell there was something about this that I didn't understand. Ironically, it seems to me that at the same time a society becomes more free and permits open discourse, it also at the same time becomes more repressive. An example of this is the treatment, the humiliation, of the Iraqi prisoners. Some people claim not to understand why this was a humiliation to the Iraqis; they don't seem to understand how important some social constructs are to people in a different culture. Admittedly, we all have some difficulty understanding certain things in other cultures when we don't have enough information about the custom to render it intelligible to us: Chinese foot binding or the idea of Africans being bare and yet not naked in the European sense of the word. We all struggle with understanding. The Color Purple upset some African American men initially with what they perceived as sexist comments about black men. Eventually, however, they were able to relax this critical approach. Books such as The Color Purple and The Hottentot Venus allow a sympathetic reception to unfamiliar points of view. You begin to realize what is the broader human experience: everyone doesn't know what it is to be the Hottentot Venus, but you can appreciate how it feels to be ostracized, ignored, left out, etc.

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Some Things I Never Thought I'd Do
Pearl Cleague

Stan:
I felt the book did not convey sufficient depth to rely on its fairytale structure. I did, however, enjoy the discussion. I don't think the book was either good or bad, but I doubt I'd read another fiction book by her by choice. The titles of her non-fiction books do intrigue me, however. This book used magical realism as an element. We are set up in the beginning for an encounter with a blue-eyed black man. The aunt grounded Regina. As for the blue eyes and its meaning, I look to Malcolm X and his comments on self-acceptance. In the first chapter we are in the present, then there is a shift, and we go back to the past. Would this have been a different story if told from another point of view than Regina's? My favorite passage is the passage where Blue explains his purpose and definition of manhood. I like to compare that to the exploration of the meaning of manhood in A Lesson Before Dying. This story was character driven as well as plot driven.

Karen:
This was a very contemporary story. The author is a playwright who writes fiction as well as plays. My favorite passage in this story was on pg. 162 where you find an explanation of Regina's and Blue's past lives. There was some stretch in the realism, but I found it mostly real. There were hints of the relationship that foreshadowed the romance to come. The author used flashbacks from the past, pg. 124, to explain Blue's purpose. I feel he met his purpose by providing a safe place for others.

Elizabeth:
Five stars! I'd recommend it to others. The word of mouth reviews made me want to read it. I loved it! I found the story both believable and realistic. I especially liked the aunt's positivity and the use of extrasensory perception. I related best to Regina: she had it together because she was cooperative, recognized her problem and sought help. My favorite passage is on pg. 182. I enjoyed the idea of implicit fate, fate not stated outright---we're left to ponder what happened to the gangsters. The author doesn't characterize Blue as criminal, a gangster, or a thug. The author used very descriptive language;I had very vivid impressionsof the characters and setting.

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Love
Toni Morrison

Elizabeth:
My question is , "was the book true to its title?"'. For me, dependency rather than love, was explored...a dependency on love to get/have needs met. Men had means to provide for their own needs while women had to be enslaved. I saw mental,spiritual and physical dependency on the part of the women. Another question to explore is what did these women have in common?

Martha:
Toni Morrison's novels for me are enjoyable because I prefer implication to graphic depictions. I enjoy stories where I must use my imagination to complete the characterizations. I enjoy the language and imagery of Toni Morrison's novels. I think the narrative carries through a state of the women being sold, made free, and resold.

Rachelle:
C. (Cosey) is the platform around which the other relationships are played . The women are unhappy, unsatisfied, stuck, and miserable. This novel reminds me of Sugar, (a novel by Bernice McFadden) how she got everyone's attention. I think the use of the word 'love' in the title was ironic. Readers to some extent have become spoiled: the attraction of Toni Morrison's work is that you must discover the characters/ relationship in her work. I agree that women felt a sense of entitlement; I don't believe greed was the motivation for their actions. The two girls' realtionship was changed by the way they could relate to one another through the man. I understand how that changed their relationship because that would have been just too much information about your grandfather when your best friend marries him. As a result, at some level, the relationship dynamic must shift. Middle class attitudes always reflected some exclusionary practice. One benefit of nostalgia is that it allows us to rehablitate memories. We can remember only the better themes. I think we felt sympathteic towards the females because we feel they deserved an inheritance from the man. The memories are convenient. The husband tempers the memories. My query, however, is how do you interpret this story and the effects of the Civil Rights Movement? I really enjoyed this selection by Toni Morrison; some of Morrison's works are more difficult than others, but Love is more accessible to a wider audience.

Sharalyna:
I saw envy, jealousy, and duty, but I had a hard time finding 'love' in this story. The difficulty may have been with how love is defined, especially between females. Some of the women, however, had opportunity; not all were enslaved. Some characters were manipulative. One aspect of the novel that I found interesting was the exploration of class structure. I found the middle class black perspective interesting because we rarely hear their stories...most stories are about poor people. The black middle class when compared to the white middle class is different. Incidentally, I thought that the issue for the women was entitlement rather than greed. I also found the novel explored responses to the Civil Rights movement. The Civil Rights Movement was a pivotal moment and could be seen as a metaphor for these women's lives. The past represented no choice and the future shows that women had choice. The women longed for the past but wanted the convenience of the future. It was also about hidden things. Could it be that the family is the source of misery? For the girls, the events happening to them inhibited their intimacy. Because of the things happening the girls could no longer talk to one another. This a rare first person narrative that is nostalgic because of the postion of the narrator.

Cheryl:
I had some difficulty with the timelines in this novel. Toni Morrison's novels can be difficult because the complexity of the novel comes not only from the language of the narrative, but also from how she constructs/shifts the timelines in her novels.

Maxine:
The novel and its title made me examine what love really is. Here is an eleven year old who marries her best friend's grandfather. The result is a tremendous sense of loss for both girls. That shift in relationship certainly would nullify easy, girlish confidences. The novel also explores identity and community after the Civil Rights movement---its effect. Are we better off now than we were then? What does living better mean? The novel illustrates the gains as well as the losses. Women also seem to want men in our lives---want them to love us whatever the role---father, brother, husband son, etc. All the female characters love this man in their own way. All the women on the other hand, want to feel special in their relationship with the man and desire exclusivity. The women, despite their conflict, love this man and each other . Men had old boy relationships to rely on to fill their non-physical love requirements. This novel is a description of love gone bad. Love keeps us together despite our behavior. As for the girls' relationship with one another, because they related to the man differently, once easy confidences became problematic. We are all interconnected and not that far apart from one another; we must make our peace with one another. In some ways, the novel illustrates, the past is good and, in other ways, it is not. Sometimes revisiting the past is nostalgic and therapeutic and at other times it is romanticized.

Karen:
I think the novel describes a search for love rather than acquistions and material gain. I found I had some difficulty following the characters. I resorted to charting them to lessen my confusion. I really wondered why such an old man wanted such a young girl.

Charles:
I think the dysfunction is linked to the economic circumstances of the family. The genesis of the rupture may have been a) blame Cosey and b) sex, even if fantastical, prohibits talk between the females. Some characters we get through implication rather than direct information provided. What they call love...a critique of what people call love rather what they actually do. The book, I think, isn't about Cosey, but rather, about the women. Junior comes off to me as amoral. We were set up to think of the male characters a certain way---through their relationship with Junior. There was a certain element of greed, for example, the reaction to the young wife. There was also a lot of surveillance of the women amongst the women---a cetain amount of competition to ensure that no one person gets more. Personally, I am not nostalgic for the attitudes of affluent blacks to other blacks: I don't identify with this experience. I didn't see conquest either. I saw a quest for regeneration, a desire to have children as a more plausible motivator than conquest. The past and present were incompatible for May. The present may have represented a threat to class status rather than insanity if we analyze the motivation. I feel it is too pat to say there was no choice.

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Bird At My Window
Rosa Guy

Charles:
What was most noticeable about this story was the misogyny. This was a third person narrative anchored to the mother and Gladys. Since Wade couldn't hate Mom, those feelings are projected at Gladys. Wade's relationship with Gladys was a convenient opportunity to hate a black woman. As for the relationship between Wade and his mother, I saw many instances and opportunities to nurture that never occurred. I had trouble seeing exactly what the hatred was a metaphor for. What I mean is, I could not see myself in this story. The parents and siblings are grotesque, flawed. If this is an account of a personality disorder, then the book is both accurate and well-written, but I could not identify with the story.

Karen:
I enjoyed the book. I found the story compelling. I read it strictly for enjoyment and wasn't concerned with its literary stylings. I found the story to be very interesting. I think Willie was the only one who achieved any real independence. It may be because he had more exposure to his father and was less influenced by the mother. Even though others didn't enjoy the book as well as I did, we've certainly had a lively discussion. It just goes to show you that a book can be a good selection for a book club discussion even when everybody hates the book.

Elizabeth:
This book was a portrayal of dependencies. I tried to read it , but it was like trying to read someone's mind. The story and intentions were murky. What I didn't enjoy about this book was its negative portrayal of black men.

Martha:
Sensation sells, and a book that selects themes that can be sensationalized will attract an audience even if the book has no merit.

Stan:
I think the writing in this book could be compared to both Ralph Ellison's Invisible Man and Alice Walker's The Color Purple. All three books have similar treatments of surreal elements.

Frances:
The mother/father relationship mirrored actions in the black community in the Deep South. I believe fear limited what Wade's mother could imagine or project for herself and for her children. I initially had some difficulty placing the time of this novel; there was a lot of shifting back and forth, but once I figured out the timelines, things started to make a lot more sense. The actions of the characters made sense for the time. The story starts out in the Depression era which was very difficult for the African American community. Things were probably better in the South than in a large city during that time for African Americans, particularly a woman with children. There was a lot of denial in this story. Nowadays, we'd probably call what Wade experienced Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder. Wade's symptoms were exacerbated by his relationship with his mother. With these characters there appeared to be a high level of comfort with violence and substance abuse. Remember, Wade had some experience with violence before he went overseas, and both he and his uncle had problems with alcohol. The mother used religion as an escape from her reality; the others found other means of escape. This was a complicated story. I think the author could have done a better job clarifying some of the details to make the story more cohesive and understandable.

Reader #7:
Some one earlier asked "what did the title have to do with the story?". Most of my difficulties with this book centered around the development of the story rather than the story itself. I don't mind negative themes if they are well-done. The major difficulty I had was Wade being described as a genius, but was so lacking in imagination. I tried to approach it from the perspective of Plato's "Theory of the Cave" where on the one hand, for instance, a person can excel at the intellectual and on the other hand fail at the emotional, but it still wasn't convincing. Genius usually isn't as dull and uninteresting as Wade. I simply was not interested in these characters; they were not presented interestingly. I think the author has a responsibility at some level to justify the existence of the characters and their motivations. This wasn't done here and for me, the book was flawed. If the author isn't interested in providing insights through either character or motivation, why write such a complex, complicated book? I also thought that given the times and circumstance, the mother was being given responsibility that was unrealistic for such a gender-bound time. Perhaps I was disappointed just because I've read others works by Rosa Guy and thoroughly enjoyed them.

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The Undiscovered Paul Robeson: An Artist's Journey: 1898-1939
Paul Robeson, Jr.

Stan:
I discovered a personality whom I wasn't aware of and profited in finding out about. Paul Robeson was an important pioneer in opening doors for present and future black entertainers. African-Americans knew of Paul Robeson; I'm unsure of how widely known he is throughout America. I thought his son seemed remarkably objective in portraying him---he appears as a sort of Renaissance man. Paul Robeson appears as a man of passion and dedication who demanded the roles and billing he desired. How much agony did he have to go through to accomplish this? We have to understand the times, the audience, the community, the context. The son was introspective and did a good job of rendering his father. He was able to perceive his limitations as well as his achievements. I found it amazing that his son could speak of his father as having feet of clay, but possessing at the same time a kind of nobility.

Errin:
I enjoyed this revealing personal account of the early life and career of Paul Robeson, especially since this is a book I may not have ever read but for the AALBC Book Club. I appreciated the author's style of writing. As for the 'undiscovered' aspect, I found out that Paul Robeson originally wanted to be an artist. Later on, he realized how his choice of career could affect black people. I especially enjoyed the diary entries. They provided an intimacy that would have been lacking in another biography.

As for why he is considered great, I think what he did wasn't as important as the fact that he did it. His reception in the Black community was positive. His son speaks of how Paul Robeson walked through Harlem and how people responded to him. How relevant that is today may be questionable. His enshrinement as concert artist and dramatist is not relevant to contemporary listeners and viewers. His popularity with whites also raises the question of whose cultural norms are black artists' performances to be judged. Are the artistic standards shared by both communities? Are you compromised as a black artist if your work is accepted by whites? Is it no longer black art, but a black man performing white art? Is that an accomplishment?

Karen:
I found Paul Robeson to be a very intelligent man and very talented. His marriage was interesting. I wondered if there would have been the same outcome with a different woman.

Charles:
I found his singing to be dated and found myself asking, " What was great about that voice?" I think you need some type of orientation to appreciate his contribution. My question is one of relevancy and how is that determined? What community gets to say if someone is relevant. Do we honor someone because they are widely accepted by others? Is that the standard we wish to adopt? There is also the question of how his son perceived his reception in the black community. My concern is largely a concern about standards of honesty. How much objectivity can we expect from a family member?

Reader #5:
I was curious to see what was "undiscovered" about Paul Robeson. I think the diary entries and family photographs did add another dimension to the work that is missing in other biographies. I was intrigued by how much his wife was responsible for his choices and his success.

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A Lesson Before Dying
Ernest J. Gaines

Maxine:
I enjoyed this book. It was sad, angry; it was an emotional read for me. Ernest Gaines does excellent characterizations. The principal characters were Grant and Jefferson, and I feel that the real lesson was directed to Grant rather than Jefferson. The notion of giving back, or imparting goodness, was a cleansing or a form of rebirth for both these men. Grant wasn't particularly interested in soul-saving, but rather, his concern was redemption. He also saw the community as a burden; an unwanted burden, yet he could see and respond to the need in the community. I liked the part where he suggests that Jefferson listen to the radio. This act was a direct refutation of the reference to him, Jefferson (and the community) as a "hog" by his own attorney. Hogs can't listen to or appreciate the radio but a person can. Grant gets Jefferson to perceive himself differently through these acts.

Barbara:
This was a serious book. I feel Grant was selected rather than Rev. Ambrose to counsel Jefferson because his (Grant's)education would provide a different focus from that of the minister. This book was an accurate depiction of that time and place.

Rachelle:
I appreciated how the author began the book. There was a kind of distancing, a pacing, getting the emotional buy-in prior to disclosure. The reader needs this information in order to have any discussion about the relationship between the defendant and the narrator. There was also that revealing of both the intimacy and the intricacy of the relationship between the sheriff's wife and Nana. Nana had been her nanny; therefore, that black woman could go directly to that white woman and make a personal appeal. Not so the men involved here. Black women, after all, raised the white children and consequently had some influence. What is interesting is the way you are made to understand the difference between influence and power. People with influence have no power. Gaines allows you to take a look at the knot of race and gender that complicates the roles that whites and blacks play. It is never as uncomplicated as male/female or black/ white. Gaines is interested in the nuances and permutations that complicate all of these roles.

Francis:
Given the time /place and context of this story, I would have describe Jefferson not as slow, but unsophisticated. In this part of Lousiana in the 1940's, there was still an extensive plantation system-note the designation of black people as "hogs" by whites. That was not behavior that was unusual for that time. It was interesting to note that the black women had more human relationships with white families as you could see with Nana and the sheriff's wife. The young black men were systematically treated differently. Grant didn't share intimacy with the whites in the way that the women routinely did. Gaines provides us with a portrait of the subtle and not so subtle ways in which whites kept blacks "in their place". Gaines also shows us how blacks regularly transcended that experience. At the same time he allowed us to see that Grant's resentment or frustration was a result of the social position he was forced to occupy that limited him even though he was educated. Grant sought to relate to Jefferson despite their different social/ educational attainments. While the preacher was restricted to religious symbolism, Grant was permitted more room. His lesson was spiritual, not religious, one that had to do with humanness. When he had Jefferson write his thoughts down, humanity was granted: it is important that when you are innocent and about to lose your life that you know what your life consists of, hence your thoughts. Grant was humanizing Jefferson from thoughts of himself being a hog to that of fully conscious human.

Angela:
I enjoyed this book. I found that there wasn't much separating the two men. Grant perhaps found relating to Jefferson easier than Rev. Ambrose.

Charles:
I found that role of the narrator of this story to be interesting because you have to create the idea of who's talking and who's been talked to. I was also captivated by the symbolism of the New Testament experience, namely that of Paul and that whole thing on the road to Damascus. There was a transformation leading not necessarily where he, Grant, wanted to go. On another note, Grant's war experience may have had some influence on his response to his return to the plantation/community. There was, perhaps, an exposure to some broader ideas about democracy and entitlement that made it difficult for him to settle back and accept the status quo of the plantation. It may have been more than simple resentment; the author chose to give us that information for a reason. It is interesting to ponder why certain information is included and what are we to make of it.

Stan:
This is a great read. I'd read another book by this author. I feel that Mr. Gaines is a natural treasure and will be ranked amongst our country's best literature.

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Cry Me A River
Ernest Hill

Maxine:
A certain type of thinking still exists that is reluctant to believe that a young white girl would willingly, voluntarily go somewhere with a black man. The book explores how humans deal with other humans, and how people frequently make a travesty of their relationships, particularly race relations. The book also explores the relationship between rewards and consequences. These concepts aren't always taught to children at an early age - not necessarily material reward - but there has to be some understanding of the connection between behavior and rewards or consequences.

Errin:
This book was tolerable, but I wouldn't want to read another book by this author. For me, everything was one- or two- dimensional, and none of the characters ever really came to life. The confrontations between black and white folk felt real, but I never really felt that I knew the town or the people or their motivations because there was little or no background laid out. I found those aspects of the book weak: character, motivation... skimpy. Part of the problem, for me, was that the people in it weren't fully characterized so I couldn't really understand the motivations. I found it difficult to attach the title to the story...it wasn't obvious. Also, for me, there was no real satisfactory explanation of the evidence, and eyewitness accounts can be tainted or false.

Stan:
Attitudes such as those displayed in this book still exist. The governor of Louisiana himself said "New Orleans is a jungle". There is still lots of nasty stuff out there in certain parishes. The title seems to refer to the attachment to family and crying as a means of purging emotions. There is crying throughout this book. The parents gave up trusting Tyrone, so this book also attempts to explain the meaning of family and the meaning of the prodigal in the family dynamic. This is also a story about a man's willingness to exchange himself for his son's redemption.

Carmencita:
This book details skewed perceptions vey well. These types of perceptions and racial attitudes are, unfortunately, quite persistent. We'd like to think these attitudes are from an earlier time, but the story makes plain that they do persist into present day times.

Rachelle:
This wasn't a great book, but I enjoyed it. I had a difficult time, based primarily on my own perceptions of time and place, determining the time frame for this story. I think the title has something to do with the characters' actions creating a domino effect, a collective cry for everyone affected in the community: behavior can cause rifts. For example, the father was disappointed, I think, by the attorney's efforts to defend his son. I found that I couldn't judge Renee too harshly. The brutality of the race relations made it appear as though it were inconceivable that a white girl would voluntarily have left with a black man and added to my confusion regarding time and place. It was difficult to place those attitudes and perceptions in contemporary times.

Tomika:
In 1997, in most places, racism was more subtle. To me, Renee seemed to practice tough love. The mother probably didn't want her son to see his father under certain circumstances. The mother probably made that decision in order to avoid normalizing certain behaviors. Depending on the motive, different African American mothers may have different reasons for their choices and views of motherhood. There's no one all- encompassing view of motherhood for African American women. Religion seems to form the foundation for certain of the book's characters' lives...it provides comfort. Christianity sustained African Americans as a people during slavery, and it still sustains its believers, so the mother's example helped her son and provided hope for him. The educational levels of the characters weren't always clear to me; however, I enjoyed this book. I even cried at the end.

Diane:
I think this was a great book choice. I'd like to read more books by this author.

Linda:
I think the title referred to the "floodgates opening" mentioned in the book. There are frequent references to crying throughout the book. "Crossing that line" in 1997 certainly underscores that the behavior described in the book was not 'back in the day'. Though DNA was mentioned, eyewitness accounts or testimony were favored and deemed sufficient by law enforcement even though we know the shortcomings of such evidence. I understood Tyrone's behavior, but then, I believe there is some good in everyone.

The visitor from Rhode Island:
Because racial profiling still is practiced today, it made it difficult to tell when the events in the book took place.

Karen:
This book made you aware of how many miscarriages of justice can occur. I think this book was the best that we've read so far. I would read another book by this author.

Mary Louise:
The title, I think, refers to catharsis - of the relationships, of emotions. Renee appeared to be the archetype of 'failure to forgive'.

Reader # 12:
I didn't enjoy this book. I thought the timing was implausible and the descriptions, to me, were overly melodramatic. There was some good dialogue, however, so the book seemed a bit uneven. On a scale of one to five, I wouldn't go above a three. I did enjoy the ending.

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Hair Story: Untangling the Roots of Black Hair in America
Ayana D. Byrd and Lori L. Tharps

Charles:
I think this was an interesting and important book because hair is something of a historical marker for the race. Its significance is personal, historical and political. Every African-American is positioned somewhere relative to hair. The questions for me are: where on the spectrum are you, and how do you feel about or describe your hair? Is black hair only about women? is one that I'd like to have more discussion about. Are the affects the same for black men, and if they are different, what makes the difference?

Tomika:
It seems the contemporary positions are limited to choice versus self-hatred. I don't agree that if one chooses to wear one's hair a certain way that that is an indication of self-hatred. I think many choices are merely an indication of how much more relaxed we are about asserting choices and choosing role models. Think Indie Arie, Alicia Keys, Beyonce and Halle Berry. We embrace a wide range of looks. I enjoyed that the book emphasized that black hair is also about business, big business. I enjoyed learning about how important black hair is from a business and economic viewpoint, and I liked all the historical information.

Errin:
Hair is an emotional subject because so many of our personal experiences are bound up with some hair experience that was either good or bad. I realized from my own hair experiences at an early age that I must find some other means for validating myself. I was able to figure out that if I was to get some attention, it would have to be for something other than my hair, and so I chose to excel in order to be noticed.

Reader #4:
I find it interesting that until reading this book, I never thought about black hair much. I'd certainly never thought of it as "cultural hair".

Linda:
There is added value or value attached to hair. Length, for instance, gives hair value for some people. I choose my hairstyling based simply on convenience to me or vanity. I do have reservations about cutting hair, however, that have nothing to do with beauty standards, but reflect my beliefs.

Reader #6:
The ritual of caring for black hair is also a dreaded experience. It can cause problems if you cannot find the correct hair care products or you can experience difficulty with an employer about your hairstyling choices.

Deidra:
I thought the book was well-written and thorough. I agree that hair has affected us. Our beauty is not the ideal, and there is a danger of absorbing or internalizing negative perceptions. I think to talk about choosing a hair style preference based on manageability is to avoid the deeper issues for wanting the style choice. Certain looks are still favored in late 20th/early 21st century that perpetuate the vocabulary and language associated with our hair: words such as "good" "bad" and natural hair not being deemed attractive. I think the authors did a great job in outlining the socio-political and cultural issues surrounding black hair.On page 154 is an excellent passage on beauty myths and standards and how they affect us. I would recommend this book so that a wider discussion could take place of the subject in its entirety.

Rachelle:
Some messages that we receive regarding what is beautiful or acceptable are subliminal. The message is: everything except what you are. The social pressure is there, particularly in the media...magazines, ads, etc. all remind you that you are not the ideal either through exclusion if you don't meet the norm or insistence on conformity for inclusion.

Martha:
So many of our experiences with hair are painful. We all have the "perm" story, the hair cut story and the spouse rejection story...so many stories that teach us that we are not acceptable the way we are, that we must manipulate our natural looks to conform as closely to the standard as we possibly can. So, yes, men are affected by these social messages as well ; it determines who they choose. The journey from processed or permed hair to natural hair is a journey of self-discovery and reclamation. The book was a good reflection of the complexity of this topic.

Jeanne:
Natural hair is not condoned by our society, and in fact, we attach class values to hair choices, such as "kool-aid" hair = project origins or residence. We have to work hard to overcome being influenced by these biases.

Reader #11:
I remember experiences with the Seventh Ward and made sure my child had a different type of experience by teaching an appreciation for diversity.

Reader #12:
That can be particularly true here in New Orleans where hair is valued according to length and texture. Many people have negative memories of having to pass a skin color or hair texture test. Some areas of the city like the Seventh Ward were really into that. On the other hand, many people make a conscious effort to raise the children to be value neutral when it comes to hair. I don't remember encountering much hair bias until 7th grade, and I grew up in the 17th Ward which is Carrolton/Gert Town.

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Praying for Sheetrock
Melissa Fay Greene
August, 2003 Meeting

Rachelle:
Since this wasn't a first person account, I'm not sure that this is an accurate depiction of the people and the town. For instance there was no real description of the sheriff. The story wasn't as revealing as I would have liked...no one was so especially mistreated that they became angry. I also didn't think Thurnell was well-depicted. I found this to be a rather encyclopedic account. I would have liked more consideration regarding the connection between racism and power. What seemed to be deficiency for me was the lack of analysis. This was just the facts without any real attempt to analyze the hows and whys. I would have liked more effort by the author along those lines. I'd also like to ask why did Thurnell want what he wanted.

The race of the author may have been understated by design. This may have been done purposefully. You have to ask the question: would the treatment of the people in this book have been different if the author had not been white? What would someone else have seen that the author missed or misunderstood because of her race?

Reader #2:
I liked the snapshot the book provided of the people and the town. The author probably did skimp on the sheriff. There was not a real clear picture of what he really was. The way the author described this person wasn't satisfactory for me. I needed more detail for the sheriff's character to be revealed.

Reader#3:
I felt the book was superficial. For me, it was difficult to gain a sense of reality about the place.

Charles:
I felt that Part Three of this book was very soap operatic. It was less about race than it was about power. There was a certain parallel between the rise and fall of the blacks and the whites in this town. You have an antagonist and protagonist: a weak good guy going up against a strong bad guy. The depictions were certainly colorful and smooth. The previous commissioner was very complaisant which is very reminiscent of tokenism in our own experience. My question is, how much of racism is hatred and how is it about power? It wasn't clear who was the main character: was it Thurnell or was it the sheriff? Also if the objection to the author telling this story is based on race, who in this community was capable of telling the story? Another question is, is a warped story better than no story at all?

As for the role of the church, I think that the the service being the meeting was significant.

Additionally, I think the author wanted us to think that Alston's victory was significant. Whether the victory was real or token, the inference was that qualifications of candidates is important and that it was Thurnell who had made these considerations important.

Angela:
As for leadership, I think that the church's role was important because it gave thurnell some validation. People do require some validation from others that they are stronger, smarter, more powerful. Individuals seldom feel powerful alone. Some would risk losing their humanity to hold on to power. There are some behavioral things in this story that I think are ripe for discussion. For instance, why were the blacks so resistant to change even for their own good?

I think the role of the church was significant because there was no other place of sufficient size, convenience or security to hold the meetings. The church also served a social role in the community.

Ella:

I agree. Amongst the black population in the town, there were some behavioral things that seemed familiar such as each one trying to pull the other down rather than uniting in purpose. This has been referred to as the "slave mentality".

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Do Or Die: A Mali Anderson Mystery
Grace F. Edwards
July, 2003 Meeting

A mystery featuring ex-cop Mali Anderson, reluctant female investigator and resident of Harlem's Striver's Row. The wonderfully depicted scenes of Harlem make this novel engaging.

Diane:
I didn't enjoy this book. For me it was not a good mystery.I felt it needed more action and suspense. I found the details about food, culture and landmrks distracting. I wanted more emphasis placed on the suspense and the plot.

Martha:
I enjoyed the depictions of New York. I 've never visited New York and would love to visit Harlem, so this book made me feel as though I were visiting. I enjoyed the extensive descriptions and appreciated the care the author took to establish that sense of place.

Reader 1:
I thought this was a good mystery. It was well-written and I enjoyed the scenery and characters. I especially liked the way the author had the characters progress through Harlem. I found nothing wrong with the depictions of Mali and Tad's sexual relationship. It wasn't graphic, and I felt it was tastefully done. The inclusion made them seem more rounded out as characters. The author is not responsible for perceptions of the characters as good or bad. The author gives them, the characters, permission to be both.

Linda:
Though I am not a fan of mysteries, I found that I enjoyed this book. I really didn't care who did it. I just enjoyed the stroll through Harlem and the vivid depictions of people and place in New York. I didn't find the inclusion of sex offensive. It is normal for unmarried people to have these types of relationships, but I can appreciate the point about the confrontation and how black females are depicted. I, however, just wanted to be entertained, and I found this book entertaining. I don't normally enjoy mysteries, but I did enjoy reading this one. I do think, though, that it is important to get all our stories out there without censor. I mean, I remember the negative reception to The Color Purple and how many saw that as an attack on Black men. I saw the redemption by the close of the book. Sometime the writer has to take a risk, and sometimes that risk is misunderstood.

Evelyn:
This book was easy reading...I loved the descriptions of Harlem/NY. For me that was the best part. I am reading the second novel even though I prefer a more complicated mystery. What I especially like is that each book can stand on its own - you don't have to read the series to make sense of the individual titles.

Reader 6:
This book was just okay.

Wurdah:
I found this book interesting, but I was troubled by the sexual relationship between an unmarried couple. I am concerned about the values that are being espoused. I feel that by placing these situations in stories, it normalizes undesirable behavior. I would like to see a book where the female and male character can relate to each other outside of a sexual relationship.

Angela:
I couldn't understand why the sex was included. This book would have been complete without those episodes. I was also disturbed by the confrontation between the two women about a man. I found it hard to believe that an intelligent, successful black woman would show up at someone's workplace and confront her about a man. I would have preferred that Mali address her concerns to the boyfriend. Perhaps the author was persuaded by the marketing concerns of her publisher to spice up the narrative to capture that audience who want a romance drama at the centerpiece of every book they read.

Tamika:
I found the plot, the storyline and the structure disappointing. Everything was all resolved on the last page. I expect more suspense and thrills. I found the confrontation very realistic.

Rachelle:
I don't normally enjoy fiction, but I found this book was okay. I think the confrontation was a effective means of diverting the reader's attention. It threw me off. I failed to recognize the importance of that character and the significance to the story. I generally prefer non-fiction, but I found this book tolerable. There were aspects that I found refreshing such as the descriptions of Harlem...well-done and provide a sense of the diversity of the place.

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Makes Me Wanna Holler
Nathan McCall
June, 2003 Meeting

Ms. Rob:
I felt nostalgic when I read this book; it made me remember some aspects that mirrored my own experience, so it was enjoyable from that perspective. I could really identify with "Stay in My Corner" being a short song if you were enjoying dancing with a guy, but it became the longest song in the world with the wrong partner (LOL)! More seriously, I do feel it is important to portray what young black males are experiencing today. So many identify with this story. This book demonstrates to me how strong and influential peer pressure can be. This is an important coming of age story, and the drama is typical of today's times. I felt the author was transformed and redeemed by his experiences and the telling of his story. I was interested in his redemption and transformation and followed up on his story to see where he is today

Charles:
I had a problem with this as autobiography. It was, to me, a non-reflectiveand self-serving first person account. There was nothing that said, "I am making sense of my life.". There seemed to be a constant deferral. I needed to get to that confession and we never got to that. This to me was not reality. There is a distinction between a book and a person. This a piece of life writing and I continued to think, 'This has got to get better," but it didn't. A person's personal experience of reality is different from reality itself. There are differences in how we shape our accounts of reality. What was also a problem for me was that there was a lack of comment on the early experiences in the later satge of his life. The question of audience arises: who was this account written for? If the audience is black, there should have been some reflection to make this a constructive effort. If the primary audience is white, however, the intention then shifts to tittilation through examples of black pathology. For a coming of age story for young black males, I think I can find better examples.

Rachelle:
I think it's the editor' job to provide cohesion and focus for the reader; therefore, I view two shortcomings of this book as editorial failures. For example, the editor could have/should have asked, "Where are the examples of mistreatment? Where are some examples of repentance?" Filling in these gaps in the book would have satisfied the reader and made this account seem less as though it were an attempt to manipulate a set of experiences in order to make money.

Stan:
There were some tender moments that I thought mirrored his transformation. There was that instance when he cries. I don't think the Nathan McCall is totally beyond redemption in this account.

Anonymous:
A very difficult read for me. Made me want to vomit. I wasn't interested in his story until he went to prison, then I became interested.

Wurdah:
I also found this to be a difficult read. I was intrigued however by the reference to Rudyard Kipling, and I plan to look up the poem "If" and also some works by Gwendolyn Brooks that Nathan McCall found influential enough to make an impact on him while in prison. I think environment is important in shaping our opinions and behaviors. At what point in life do you understand what life is about? To a certain degree, I know from my own experience that living is a process, and that I am at a different place now in my life in the same way that Nathan McCall describes his transition from a life of violence to a more worthwhile existence. While elements may differ, I can still identify with that movement.

Elaine:
I found the book disturbing. I felt sorry for his immersion in thug mentality and unsettled by the casual depictions of sexual violence. The author seemed to shift responsibility for his behavior, especially his sexual behavior, away from himself to other parties. The two instances of rape and how he solved the dilemma of his own involvement for himself, for example.

Zelda:
My initial response was negative. I kept hearing excuses for his behavior. That was confession, not repentance. I kept wondering why was his mother so vaguely described and found his stepfather to be more present in the story. I was also bothered by the fact that this was willful, intentional, self-inflicted behavior and not some universal experience that the author wanted sympathy for.

Malcolm:
I think that there is universality in his story. I strongly identified with this account and feel that it does reflect the black man's experience. Many of us do have similar experiences. As for the sex/violence, a lot of that is attributable to ignorance. Sex is recreational for poor people----it doesn't cost anything and there is nothing else to do. I didn't feel this story was a misrepresentation at all.

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Sugar
Bernice McFadden
May, 2003 Meeting

"Sugar explores how human nature is multi-faceted. It showed how we can be surprised and amazed by the unexpected aspects of a person's personality, but Bernice McFadden's depictions of both Pearl and Sugar are plausible in their roles/personalities in this book. The book was engaging and covered hypocrisy, denial, grief and redemption. I enjoyed this book and can't wait to read the sequel to find out what happens to these characters."

"Sugar portrayed realistic problems for the time period. The language, however, was a little dated for the 1950's and was, to me, more reminiscent of the 1920's."

"Some enduring themes in African-American relationship stories told from a different perspective: the hypocrisy of small towns, the dualism of human nature as exemplified by Pearl and Sugar's relationship, the interconnectedness of human beings in their suffering."

"Pearl and Sugar recognized in one another identical aspects of their own personalities. On the other hand, their individual deficits were complemented in their relationship to each other. Pearl needed joy restored to her life; Sugar was ignorant of normal ordinary kinship relationships. They needed one another to balance out each other's personality."

"Grief, loss and redemption are covered in this book very well. The gradual progession of this unlikely friendship gives realism to this relationship.

"The exploration of identity was interesting: self-identity, identity as a female/woman, identification through our connection to another person."

"Pearl and Sugar filled voids in each other's life and met one another's needs."

"The book covered the definition of womanhood, goodness, worthiness and honesty. These were all dealt with in the book really well."

"The rural setting for the story fit the complexity of the story. Small towns can be deceptive and are not uncomplicated; the secrets and hidden agendas were characteristic of small towns."

"Sugar can be compared to Gayl Jones' Eva's Man, though less sucessfully in my opinion."

"An interesting story though I wasn't really satisfied with the way the author resolved all of the issues.Why was it necessary for sugar to be assaulted? To me, the author never really explains why this is important to this story."

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Updated 7/29/2005