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Naomi Jackson

Goodreads Author

Born

in Brooklyn, The United States

Website

http://www.naomi-jackson.com/

Twitter

thenaomijackson

Genre

Fiction, Nonfiction, Poetry

Member Since

September 2007

URL

https://www.goodreads.com/thenaomijackson

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Naomi Jackson is the author of a novel, The Star Side of Bird Hill. Star Side was nominated for an NAACP Image Award and the Hurston/Wright Legacy Award and longlisted for the National Book Critics Circle’s John Leonard Prize, the Center for Fiction’s First Novel Prize, and the International Dublin Literary Award. The Black Caucus of the American Library Association named Jackson’s novel an Honor Book for Fiction. Jackson studied fiction at the Iowa Writers’ Workshop. She traveled to South Africa on a Fulbright scholarship, where she received an M.A. in Creative Writing from the University of Cape Town. A graduate of Williams College, Jackson’s writings have appeared in The New York Times, Harper’s, The Washington Post, Virginia Quarterly R ...more

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Why is obeah such a prominent part of Hyacinth's character, in particular, and of the Bird Hill story, in general?

Naomi Jackson Thanks for this great question, Chad. I found inspiration for Hyacinth's character, and the integration of obeah (an African based spiritual practice …moreThanks for this great question, Chad. I found inspiration for Hyacinth's character, and the integration of obeah (an African based spiritual practice in the Caribbean comparable to vodun or santeria) into Caribbean communities, in books by Caribbean writers. One of my favorite novels, Jamaica Kincaid's Annie John, features a grandmother character who's an obeah woman, and many other writers from the region have written about the duality of African-based traditional religions and Christianity. I wanted to tackle this issue in my fiction, and Hyacinth seemed like a perfect character with whom to explore this. (less)

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Do you think that your presentation of the family was balanced and not swayed to get readers sympathy?

Naomi Jackson Hi Corrine,

Thanks for your question! I tried to present the family in a balanced way in order to create a rich portrait of each character and a true p…moreHi Corrine,

Thanks for your question! I tried to present the family in a balanced way in order to create a rich portrait of each character and a true picture of the family unit as a whole. This was less designed to elicit readers' sympathy than to get at the emotional truth of the story. (less)

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Naomi Jackson’s books

Average rating: 3.83 · 2,310 ratings · 418 reviews · 6 distinct works • Similar authors

	The Star Side of Bird Hill 3.83 avg rating — 2,299 ratings — published 2015 — 11 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Spring 2015 Debut Fiction Sampler by Elena Delbanco, Catie Disabato (Goodreads Author), Brendan Duffy really liked it 4.00 avg rating — 9 ratings — published 2015	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Dance and Ethics: Moving Towards a More Humane Dance Culture it was amazing 5.00 avg rating — 2 ratings — 2 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Families in Flux: 15 Small Group Studies on Building Healthier Relationships 0.00 avg rating — 0 ratings	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Retail Store Closing Procedures: Steps To Take To Safely Close Your Store 0.00 avg rating — 0 ratings	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Reflections on the Pandemic: COVID and Social Crises in the Year Everything Changed by Teresa Politano (Contributor), Patricia Akhimie (Contributor), Marc Aronson (Goodreads Author) (Contributor) 0.00 avg rating — 0 ratings — 3 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars

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Naomi is Currently Reading

Naomi Jackson is currently reading

Dreaming in French: The Paris Years of Jacqueline Bouvier Kennedy, Susan Sontag, and Angela Davis

by Alice Kaplan

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Apr 17, 2015 07:35AM

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Long Division

by Kiese Laymon (Goodreads Author)

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Dec 02, 2014 04:42AM

Quotes by Naomi Jackson (?)

“[T]he only thing that has power over you is what you can't say, even to yourself.”
― Naomi Jackson, The Star Side of Bird Hill

tags: anger, fear, self-awareness

9 likes

“Maybe this is what growing old was like, she thought. Maybe the world gets smaller and smaller until there's nothing but the walls around you to show you where you end and the rest of the world begins.”
― Naomi Jackson, The Star Side of Bird Hill

tags: aging, getting-older

6 likes

“She wore her body like a mistake she hoped to one day be forgiven for.”
― Naomi Jackson, The Star Side of Bird Hill

tags: body-image, women

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