My thoughts:•tThis is a another book that I wondered why it has taken me so long to read as it has been sitting on my shelf unread for so so long – maybe it is because I knew my granddaughter would love this book and was waiting on until she became of age to highly recommend to her.•tThough I am not a big fan of coming-of-age stories or YA stories – I was immediately engaged from the first chapter and became invested in the characters so much that I quickly read this book over two nights.•tShange is a consummate storyteller whose ability to address issues relating to Black women is uncannily good and so her characters come across as relatable and heartfelt.•tBetsey Brown was written in 1985 and Shange wrote this book because she wanted to provide reading material for adolescent African American girls. And does an excellent job of creating scenes/situations that are universal to adolescents; bodily changes, first budding love interests, the need for privacy and getting a sense of who they are and who they want to be as adults and into this mix Shange also confronts issues specific to the AA experience.•tEnjoyed how Betsey’s journey is paralleling the changes/journey of AAs in the beginning age of the Civil Rights Movement, especially after the Brown vs The Board of Education decision. Loved how the family name is Brown to help solidify the journey.•tBetsey Brown’s story is about being 13 years old, being black, and being female in 1959 St. Louis as they decided to ‘desegregate the schools. •tI liked how this storyline explored the tensions that Betsey, her mother and grandmother has as a “privileged” member of a doubly oppressed group – black women and how each was a product of their time and class.•tRiveting storyline, engaging characters, enthralling look at the beginning of the Civil Rights Movement, and beautifully rendered writing made Betsey Brown a highly satisfying captivating read for me. Highly recommend this book be part of school and public libraries and is certainly a must read for lovers of coming-of-age stories and African American life. •tWhile I have read other works by Ntozake Shange and I once again reminded of her contributions to the writings of the black woman’s aesthetic and am motivated to reading more of her work.
I enjoyed this book mostly due to the historical parts. I wasn't that crazy about the way the author writes in that poetic way where complete sentences aren't always written and full information is not always disclosed and the way it just moves to another person or subject without any real direction.What I did like is that I grew up in St. Louis, although I am white and lived in the suburbs, it was the same time period and I am quite familiar with many of the places she mentions since my parents grew up in the city and all my relatives lived in the city plus we went to church in the city. I was also well aware of Tina Turner. Every time she mentioned Tina and lyrics from her songs, it brought Teen Town memories back to me. I still have the vinyl album "The Soul of Ike and Tina Turner" and I love it. My school was integrated at the same time but I looked at it from a very different angle; never really thought about the fact that the black kids were probably upset and scared; we never had many problems but there was some anxiety. It's a little late now but I'm glad I read this book because it gave me information I never really thought about before. I probably never would have heard of this novel but it has been picked for our library book club - will be interested to hear what others have to say.I didn't quite get Jane and we got very little information about what happened to Carrie - would have liked more detail.
(FROM JACKET)With ashotonishing lyrical beauty and dramatic intensity, Ntozake Shange tells the story of thirteen-year-old Betsey Brown, a "colored girl" poised between the enchanted world of childhood and the passionate promises, romantic and political, of the adult world. Set in St. Louis in 1957, the year that school integration disrupted America, Shange's story reveals the effect of racism and integration on a child and on a family.Seamlessly woven into the masterful portrait of an extended black family is the story of Betsey's adolescent awakening, the exuberant rush of first romance, the frustrating awkwardness of a girl striving to be grown, and the sobering responsibilities of approaching adulthood.
—J
Before I review this book - I feel the need to explain how I have to select books to read.In a perfect world, or at least in a town with a pretty decent library, I would simply look up the book that my friends had suggested on the electronic card catalog and pull it off the shelf...happy reading.In the not so perfect world of the military library and the SMALL town library it isn't so easy. The e-card catalog NEVER works (not even for the librarian) and the selection of books is at best "slim pickins". The library at Ft Richardson USED to have this great section, where all the library employees put out their favorites and all the NEW books. Well the powers that be, whoever they are, changed all that and now I am forced to wander the stacks and simply grab books off the shelves hoping to find a good one.Hence, the reason my selections are so "out there" and varied. It would seem I have been on a journalistic campaign of late. I am in the middle of another one as I write this. Must be all on one shelf. :)But here is the review for Betsey Brown......fun!!!! The author has a way of transporting you to the room with the character. I didi find the "we are treated wrong" a bit tiresome but the fun stuff just over powered that negativity. I know those horrifc things happened but I cannot change what has happened - only what will happen where I have some control. The use of "African American" words does get old when it is not consistent but having said that, I really enjoyed this book and highly recommend it. Ntozake Shange also wrote "for colored girls who have considered suicide/when the rainbow is enuf as well as Sassafrass, Cypress & Indigo. I would like to read those...if I can find them. What are the odds? I am not complaining about the lack of books up here but I am telling you if I ever hit the big lottery, I am buying these libraries a 1000 new books.Enjoy!!
—Mum
