Ring around the Moon

by Mary Burnett Smith

A cry in the night awakens ten-year-old Amy Beale and alerts her to the difficulties in her parents' marriage.Earlier that steamy evening in July 1940, her mother, Arleatha, witnessed yet another of her husband's infidelities at one of his notorious "rent parties." Amy overhears her sobbing in the middle of the night, as Jack Beale begs for another chance. Arleatha agrees to give him one year. From her bed, a terrified Amy tries to strike a bargain with God: Keep the family together, and she will never do anything bad. Amen. But as every adult knows, a child cannot keep a family together -- and sometimes even love isn't enough.

In Ring Around the Moon, an older, wiser Amy looks back on that pivotal year. She chronicles the family's move from a small colored community to an affluent town nearby; the conflict there as she and her brothers, Lonnie and James, adjust to new friends, a new school, and interfering relatives and neighbors.

As the months pass and the children grow used to their surroundings, the struggle between Jack and Arleatha continues. Arleatha puts forth her best efforts but becomes ever more exasperated as her husband continues to drink, gamble, and play around. A proud man who feels trapped in his black skin, Jack wants a family but cannot help always looking for "the good life" for himself. His desires, as well as outside influences, strain their already difficult marriage. Then a terrible incident threatens to break up the family once and for all.

Genres: Fiction, Historical Fiction

Hardcover

First published September 16, 1998

Reviews

[Dennis · Rating 3 out of 5]

A touching book and I really felt for the main character, Amy, as well as the struggles in her family, but I wasn't in love with the book. Still, a satisfying read, and a good portrait of black community life at the time of the beginning of the Second World War.

[Erika · Rating 4 out of 5]

Even though it wasn't suspenseful and didn't seem to have a climax, it was hard to put the book down. I got very involved with the characters and wanted to know what happened next. It offered a very good, realistic look into this family's lives.

[Keely Gilchrist · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved the book because i love black historical fiction. This was a beautifully detailed look into the life of a black family in the 1940s. I wished there was more context when Amy was grown but other than that, it was well written.

[Mistic Keys Kettle · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was real deep. I felt the pain that these children and mother felt, as I read through these pages.

[Suzan Flanagan · Rating 4 out of 5]

A compelling account of a rough family life.

[Shayne · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ring Around the Moon - Mary Burnett Smith

I was unable to find this particular book in digital format so I had to revert to paperback.  The reversion was well worth it.

From the perspective of a ten-year old, the reader is propelled into a world of family dysfunction, a broken marriage and how that brokenness affects her and her brothers all the while, the parents are oblivious to this fact.

I love Mrs. Smith’s style of writing.  As I took on the experience of Amy and her brothers I found myself feeling the anxiety and trepidation they felt any time their father was present.  Lonnie’s actions and behavior put the fear of God in his own children, alienated them but he failed to realize it was due to his own doing.  Like Amy, I kept hoping Lonnie would get his self together for the sake of his family.

Anyone seeking a real life-like family filled, heartfelt drama, this is the book for you.

[Amiee · Rating 4 out of 5]

I picked up this book because I needed something to read on the plane when I couldn't read my nook. For some reason, I found this book to be immensely readable and didn't put it down when I was cleared to read on the nook.

The story takes place in early 1940s in suburbia PA. The story is told from the vantage of Amy as we live a year or so in her life. Amy's Dad "Blackjack" is an angry dark skinned man who Married Amy's Mom Arlethea who is very light skinned. They have 3 children Amy and 2 boys. Lonnie as he grows starts becoming Angry like his Dad, Amy starts to have a complex about her hair, and the youngest James becomes insecure and questions anything at may make his father angry.

It was very interesting to read about in semi segregated Philly and the dynamics race played in the family.

[She Reads for Jesus · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow! What an amazing novel that is written by the talented Mary. B. Smith. Her first novel, entitled 'Miss Ophelia', was a fantastic book, so I was quite eager to read this novel. I was not disappointed as I read this book that depicts the life of an African American family that deals with many struggles. Amy Beale is the central character of the book, who discusses her childhood as a 10 year old girl dealing with low self-esteem due to her hair, which she gets teased endlessly about, and her experiences in an unbalanced household with an alcoholic, cheating, and abusive father. I highly recommend this book to anyone who would enjoy an intricate novel that portrays the high's and low's of an African American family.

[Pamela · Rating 3 out of 5]

There were great moments and moments where I thought, "really?" Maybe I've read too much Audre Lorde.