african american fiction

His Own Where

admin — Sat, 03 Jul 2010 00:00:00 +0000

June Jordan was the very best kind of revolutionary: someone whose love and fearlessness were boundless, someone who never told anything less than the absolute truth, someone who measured out joyfulness and rage in equal parts. A prolific essayist and poet, Jordan died of breast cancer in 2002, leaving behind her an extraordinary body of work as beautiful as it is impassioned.

His Own Where, first published in 1971 and recently reissued by The Feminist Press, is something of a departure for Jordan, who wrote very little fiction. One of her earliest books, the novel was a finalist for the National Book Award and offered considerable evidence that Jordan would go on to be, as the poet Sapphire notes in the book's new introduction, "a political essayist without peer." But His Own Where is even more remarkable for the purity of its language, its sheer exuberant beauty, and the distinct and brilliantly original craftsmanship in every sentence.

The story itself is deceptively simple: Buddy and Angela, two poor African American teenagers in 1960s Brooklyn, meet, fall in love, and run away (from adults, from Angela's abusive parents, from Buddy's oppressive school) to the temporary sanctuary of each other. But there's not a single wasted word in this skinny book, not a sentence that's less than perfect; every phrase is marked by a poet's ear for the possibility of language. Buddy and Angela "become the heated habit of each other." You can feel each sentence in your mouth, rich and dense and begging to be read aloud. Jordan captures perfectly the intense, manic joyfulness of falling in love for the first time.

There's not a moment in the book that feels dated (with the possible exception of a scene where Buddy purchases multiple cups of coffee and chocolate bars with $1.75), and even now, forty years after its original publication, His Own Where feels like something that's never been done before. His Own Where does more than just talk about love; Buddy and Angela deal with the often menacing and oppressive forces of the adult world, the constraints of prejudice and oppression, and the difficulty of surviving in a difficult and sometimes unsurvivable city.

But there's nothing bleak or hopeless about this book. Love and hope abound on every page, and there's plenty of gleeful humor—most notably, a scene where Buddy organizes the boys at his school to campaign for comprehensive sex education (luckily that sort of thing would never have to happen today, now that all young adults have totally unrestricted access to information about safe sex and contraceptives). Buddy "be worrying about old people when they think that love be dangerous."

Start here, if you've never read Jordan, and then dive right in to her magnificent, searing, and gorgeous essays; and if you're not burning down the master's house when you've finished, you're dead to the world.

Written by: The Rejectionist, July 2nd 2010

Damaged

admin — Fri, 16 Apr 2010 00:00:00 +0000

By Kia DuPree

Grand Central Publishing

Damaged epitomizes a feeling of darkness and reeling loss with an utterly profound yet utterly hopeful ending. Continually faced with ongoing loss and disappointment, protagonist Camille Logan deals with a progression of horrifying moments, save for a small light of a boyfriend who seemingly will do anything for her. Once he is shot in an unexpected situation, Camille regains her lost feelings and chooses survival on the streets.

Depicting the story while by fully embracing the environment, author Kia DuPree brings a "realness of the streets" to the readers. Dialect and vocabulary clearly show her familiarity with the subject and environment where the characters dwell. The use of a southern dialect makes Damaged reading a bit like Toni Morrison's Beloved or Sula. DuPree provides the rawness of feeling lost without family, and she gives us the disappointments of lies and abuse, as well as illuminating moments of ambition and the determination of making a better life for oneself. Starting from the middle of the story, readers follow the book's chronology through the five years that lead to the book's end.

Damaged is dark and difficult. DuPree shows how poor youth struggle to survive abuse through the foster care system and then continue to suffer on the streets of an urban jungle. Exposing the inner city’s fast life, DuPree puts you on the train and takes you all the way to the end of the line. Everything is for sale and getting off the train isn't easy. In fact, sometimes there is no escape.

Well-written and clearly heartfelt, DuPree does justice to the perseverance and needs of all young people in cities who undergo change and need positive role models. Capturing the essence of power, control, and the people who abuse the two, she holds no brakes on exposing the very beliefs we have. A definite page turner, Damaged gives us hope.

Written by: Carolyn Espe, April 15th 2010

Kiss The Sky

admin — Thu, 17 Sep 2009 23:06:00 +0000

By Farai Chideya

Atria Books

_“I don’t believe in the devil anymore. But if I did, he would look a lot like Ari Malcolm Klein.” _

This is how Farai Chideya draws her readers into her mesmerizing, charismatic novel Kiss The Sky. Sophie Maria Clare Lee, a Black girl from blue collar Baltimore, remakes herself by applying and being accepted to attend Harvard. By the time the novel opens, Sophie has graduated, married Ari Klein, toured America as part of an indie rock band, and is divorced.

Ten years later Sophie has made a career as a music television host in New York City, but she is tired of the work and decides to become the newest female pop star. The talent and drive are present to aid in her success. The catch—there is always a catch—is she begins to play music with Ari Klein again. A complicated triangle is completed when Leo Masters, her manager, is drawn into her new self-made stardom.

Is Sophie’s fame worth her faith, family and friendships?

Farai Chideya spent many years covering music and pop culture. Her knowledge is evident in the smooth way this intricate story unfolds. My love of music was fed by this novel, and one of my favorite parts of the book is the Play Lists included in the back. Whether you are a lover of pop music or not, this imaginatively rich novel is a must read. I loved adding it to my bookshelf.

Written by: Ann Hite, September 17th 2009