Book Reviews/A Writing Journey
Category: Other 5 out of 5s
Carroll’s well written memoir begins when she is a child given up for adoption by her white mother to a white family in New Hampshire where she is the only black child. Her childhood is carefree until she not only grows aware of the underlining prejudice of both teenage boys and their parents but reconnects with her controlling birth mother. Carroll’s journey is one of discovering her identity through perseverance and overcoming racist obstacles in her path.
Rebecca is disappointed that Eddie, her boyfriend of ten years hasn’t even made it to her mother’s funeral. Afterwards, at her mother’s flat, she sorts through a pile of mail while her brother and sister-in-law pack up her belongings. Amongst the mail is a letter from Olivia requesting help.
Rebecca remembers visiting Olivia in Cornwall as a child and decides to visit her relative. When she arrives, she learns aging Olivia is in hospital with a broken leg and her house is in shambles. Will Rebecca stay to help Olivia get her house in order so she can return home? What will she do about Eddie if she stays? What will she discover when she sorts through Olivia’s belongings? And what is it that Olivia wants to hide by ordering Rebecca to get the basement blocked up?
This is a generational saga of Tademy’s family beginning during the slave era in the United States. We learn the struggles of four prominent women who fought for their freedom while at the same time trying to keep their family together. This is an interesting account because it examines in depth, the lives these women led and how often they were tied to their masters.
Isaiah and Samuel only know the names they’ve been given by their master, Paul, who owns a southern cotton plantation. They know nothing of their past. They are assigned to the barn to tend the animals where Paul plans to use them as breeding stock to enrich his plantation with more slaves. But once the pair mature, their love for each other deepens. When Amos learns of their conduct behind closed doors, he preaches to the rest of the slaves that they are evil. Many turn their backs of Isaiah and Samuel and they become more isolated. But their love for each other sustains them until Timothy, Paul’s only son, returns from the north after completing his education. One night, when he spies the pair entwined in each other arms, their lives change, and will never be the same again.
Continue reading “Robert Jones Jr’s — The prophets *****”
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