Some Sing, Some Cry

by Ntozake Shange, Ifa Bayeza

Award-winning writer Ntozake Shange and real-life sister, award-winning playwright Ifa Bayeza achieve nothing less than a modern classic in this epic story of the  Mayfield family. Opening dramatically at  Sweet Tamarind, a rice and cotton plantation on an island off South Carolina's coast, we watch as recently emancipated Bette Mayfield says her goodbyes before fleeing for the mainland. With her granddaughter, Eudora, in tow, she heads to Charleston. There, they carve out lives for themselves as fortune-teller and seamstress. Dora will marry, the Mayfield line will grow, and we will follow them on a journey through the watershed events of America's troubled, vibrant history—from Reconstruction to both World Wars, from the Harlem Renaissance to Vietnam and the modern day. Shange and Bayeza give us a monumental story of a family and of America, of songs and why we have to sing them, of home and of heartbreak, of the past and of the future, bright and blazing ahead.

Genres: Historical Fiction, Fiction, African American, Race, Audiobook, Historical, Book Club

568 pages, Hardcover

First published September 14, 2010

About the author

Ntozake Shange (pronounced En-toe-ZAHK-kay SHONG-gay) was an African-American playwright, performance artist, and writer who is best known for her Obie Award winning play for colored girls who have considered suicide/when the rainbow is enuf.

Among her honors and awards are fellowships from the Guggenheim Foundation and the Lila Wallace-Reader's Digest Fund, and a Pushcart Prize.

Reviews

[Brown Girl Reading · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a very good read and I urge you to give it a try. Check out this live chat I did with Stephen from SteveReadsBooks. Careful there are SPOILERS in the discussion. http://browngirlreading.com/2015/11/0...

[Chrissie · Rating 3 out of 5]

ETA: Lizzie, to me, appears to be inspired by the real person Josephine Baker. You can find her at Wiki!

*******************

This book follows seven generations of a Black-American family AND Black-American music AND American history from slavery, the Reconstruction, WW1, the flu epidemic, the flappers, the Depression, WW2, the Vietnam war all the way through to the 21st Century. 568 pages or 26 and 1/2 hours of listening time. The book tries to do too much. Black-American music as it evolves is also reviewed: gospel, jazz, R&B, swing, bebop AND classical music. All the musical top names are sited. You cannot do all of this in depth. On top of all the names and historical events you follow a family. Is this a story about a family, where we are to care for all the characters, aunts and uncles and grandparents and generation after generation of children? What author can pull all this off? I loved Lizzie. The author really brought her personality to life for me, but this did not happen with any other character. When I was living life with Lizzie that is when I loved the book. The things she said!!!!

The book is written by two sisters. They split the book into eight sections, each writing four. I did not notice a difference in the writing! Ntozake Shange had several strokes and had to stop for five years, while her sister continued, but she liked to do thorough historical research and trips to the places where the story is set: Harlem, Chicago, Paris, and Charleston. Charleston breathed and maybe Harlem too, but certainly not Paris! Both sisters are playwrights. Reading this book is like going to the theater. You see, hear and even smell through the depiction of foods…….but you don’t get under the skin of the characters or a deep understanding of history. You get a smattering. Oh yeah, drugs are thrown in too! The picture had to be accurate.

The audiobook is narrated by Robin Miles. Many, many songs are sung and for most she does an excellent job, BUT some went wrong. Classical music is not her forte. Southern and Irish dialects she masters superbly, but p-l-e-a-s-e her French is just not up to mark. And she does not successfully imitate Edith Piaf! So there we are in France during WW2. In one chapter the Résistance is “covered”. Do you understand? There is in every way too much included in this book. Nobody can pull all this off successfully.

I still liked the book! I loved the part centered on Lizzie. There is also a theme on the importance of family, which I enjoyed, of how mothers and daughters have SUCH a hard time communicating!

What is the book trying to say about Black-American music and in fact all music in general?

“Music is just another way of keepin up with livin. Nothin wrong with that!”(chapter 4)

[Beverly · Rating 4 out of 5]

All the reviews I read basically said the same thing:
- it is not a perfect book
- but definitely glad they read the book
- not an easy book to get through
- an interesting approach to looking at black history
- it was a lyrical novel

The book did pick up once I got through the first time period - it did start to flow better for me.
There were parts were I was fully engaged and others that I thought dragged on.
There was a character or two that I really enjoyed reading about - but many were just flat to me.
The actual historical events were well woven into the story and helped to show how "ordinary" survived through these events and managed day to day.

So by the time I finished - like the other reviewers mentioned I was glad that I had stuck with the story.
It also made me realize how much music is integrated into my family history and how music and dance has been with me since a baby and this a way of passing down our culture.

I thought that the stories between the mothers and the daughters was well done - and how each internalized and reacted to the effects of slavery and racism.
Each of the women had something to cry about - but sort to figure how best to have something to sing about.

But the story really came to together for me when really a quote from one of the authors - Ifa Bayeza - "In most sub-Saharan African languages, soun dis paramount. Spelling is not important. The sound holds the truth. When in doubt, read aloud. It is a story meant to be spoken and sung as well as read."

I agree that this story would have been enjoyable if I had "listened" to the story instead of reading it - so would recommend this as an audio book.

[Inda · Rating 5 out of 5]

Of course, I choose this book because of the name recognition as I have been a fan of Ntozake Shange's work for years. I knew reading this book would be a long process as it is not just another book made for easy reading and ebook consumption. Rather, this book is proof that literature is alive and well and those who still enjoy settling with a good book that does more than entertain still have options.

This sweeping tale does more than chronicle the life of a family. What Bayeza and Shange do here is tell the story of American music and its inextricable link to social events and culture. As a devoted fan, I love how music was more than just personal to the seven generations presented in the Mayfield family; music was a way of life, inseparable from the personal and political.

The authors draw from many iconic figures throughout 20th century music including Bessie Smith, Josephine Baker and Billie Holiday among countless others. I not only enjoyed the story unfolding about the family from the end of slavery to the late 20th century but also testing my own knowledge of music to find the parallels between these iconic figures and their fictional counterparts.

As someone who often gets lower reviews for things such as print being too small, I was glad to see not only does this book have a much smaller print but also is much more epic than anything I could ever write. This is the kind of good writing authors should aspire to in our electronic age. A lot of love and labor went into this and it shows. Even though it was released last year, this is one of the best books I have read in a long time and commend the sisters for their beautiful, engrossing work. I can hear the music in your words and appreciate every note.

[Jess · Rating 3 out of 5]

An incredibly interesting chronicle of the Mayfield family spanning from post Reconstruction era Charleston to 1920's Harlem to the Civil Rights Movement in Alabama/Chicago and ending with modern music. I loved the strong themes of art and music in each decade and generation of the Mayfield women. I am woefully ignorant to the time Harlem music time period and scene. I found it fascinating and plan to read more information on it. The stronger theme throughout this book is the legacy the women of the Mayfield create and try to pass on to their children. The legacy of roots, family, home, and ultimately cultivating a passion. For some that passion was found in the arms of another, in land ownership, business entrepreneurship, music, claiming respect that was stolen from them simply because of the color of their skin, in identity and yearning for a mother's love, or in a way of life seen rapidly changing. A rich, beautiful story of a family that contributed to the changing social and art scene in America.

[Dora · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm so excited that I won this in a "first reads" giveaway! It arrived the other day and I can't wait to read it. I read some Shange in college and she's real good.

OK, this book took me foorreeeever--- it's such a "great American novel" project. This novel covers 7 generations of a black family, from emancipation through the 1960s.

I really enjoyed it quite a bit; in particular it was wonderful to see these eras in America through the lens of a black family-- particularly following musicians and the common migration patterns among black people during this time (from the south to the north, and the relationships between family members). The only downside was as soon as I got attached to a character, the novel would move on to focus more on her daughter.

[Susan (aka Just My Op) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Starting shortly after the emancipation of the slaves, this fictitious family saga begins on the Sweet Tamarind plantation on one of the Carolina islands and covers seven generations as well as a good part of the world.

Mah Bette considered herself wife to her master, Julius Mayfield, even as she was his slave, and she bore his children. This is the story of her life after emancipation and the lives of the generations that followed her. It is also a story of America and the ongoing battle for race equality.

If you are looking for a fast-paced action adventure, this is probably not the book for you. If you are looking for an insightful tale of family, of struggles, and of victories, read on. The characters are very human, believable, and likeable, flaws and all. The authors did a wonderful job of describing the settings and the atmosphere of the times. While the book is fiction, inclusion of historical figures and events make this a story everyone can relate to. And throughout the story, there is song, there is music, always tying the family together.

Initially, the dialect was hard for me to read, but that became easier as I got used to reading it and as the dialect changed with time to something that is more familiar to me. Ifa Bayeza included an interesting note explaining why the vernacular was written as it was. There were possibly a couple of anachronisms, like the use of duct tape in the 1920s. And were records made of “plastic” in the 20s? I don't know, it wouldn't be the first time I've been wrong.

The book is beautifully written. There is a quote that I found especially powerful in the Advanced Readers' Edition, but it may not be the same in the final published version:

They'd seen this look before. On the faces of Max Schmeling fans as the Brown Bomber was defeated, on the nightly news footage of Little Rock, in the press coverage of Emmett Till's mother walking passed her son's killers, alternately smiling and snarling at her. The hatred their son had just described he now wore on his own face. It was the look of hatred so deep, there is no passion, like strangling a man and not breaking a sweat.

A copy of this book was provided to me by the publisher for review.

[Tracey · Rating 3 out of 5]

I loved this book at first and I ultimately enjoyed it, but by the end of it I was tired of it and couldn't keep track of all the characters.

There were portions that moved almost too quickly and some portions that were too drawn out.

Several of the earliest characters lacked any kind of closure. A case in point, after following Eudora's life for I-don't-know-how-many-pages suddenly she's a minor character with a few mentions and then her death is just a mention 2 years after the fact. At least Ma Bette's funeral is chronicled with a full family gathering.

On the upside I loved the stories themselves and the way that African American history is told through these 7 generations of women.

[Carla · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a pretty good book other than the ending....it seemed like the authors were trying to rush the ending, which led to a confusing mix of new characters in the last 50 pages...but other than that, I enjoyed it.

[Hope · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent!

[Michael · Rating 4 out of 5]

I believe this is an important book, but I am finding it very hard to review.

The story of seven generations of Black women, the first of whom was a slave, it is the story of the legacy of slavery, racism, difficult mother-daughter relationships, difficult female-male relationships, and music. Music, all kinds of music, is ever-present in their lives.

The book is very interesting, and as above, important, but I felt the last part of it was rushed. There was so much in the book, that I found myself wishing this could have been a series of books. As it was, just as I was getting to know a character, we were on to the next generation of characters, and the previous generation was downgraded to supporting characters.

Perhaps because there were two authors, there seemed to me to be stylistic problems. The tone changed from chapter to chapter, as did the way the characters were presented. Perhaps I wasn't reading it closely enough, but there was no explanation to justify the changes in the characterizations.

I'm glad I read it-I learned a lot-but some aspects of it left me unsatisfied.

3.75

[Rachel · Rating 3 out of 5]

I don't usually do well with epic multi-generational stories, they tend to move on too fast, once you get to know a character you leave them, there's no intimacy with the individuals themselves. This one, however, is very well done and a great mix of a family's life and the history they lived through, seen through the lens of the music they love.

[Karyl · Rating 3 out of 5]

I chose this book because February is Black History Month, and I'm always trying to read things that further my understanding of all people. I also loved the fact that this book is written by two sisters; I was interested to see how they'd split the work load. But while I'm glad I read this book, in some ways I'm left very disappointed.

The first section of the book is a little difficult to get into. The reader feels as though the author just drops her unceremoniously into the deep end of the pool, as it were. But eventually the reader catches up with the authors, and the reader begins to be sucked into the story.

Once the story takes off, the writing is beautiful and lush and lovely. I enjoyed the way in which the authors included various dialects and way of speaking for the characters; it made them feel so much more real. The early characters were beautifully fleshed out, and it was interesting to see how African-Americans of different shades would experience racism based on how dark or light their skin was.

But then the story starts getting bogged down, and the writing becomes jagged and choppy, bringing the reader up out of the plot. I feel badly mentioning this, as other reviewers have noted that Shange suffered a series of strokes while writing this book, but the earlier vivid imagery and prose just disappears, and it's rather jarring. Plus the authors' desire to capture seven generations of one family started feeling far too ambitious of a project. By the last third of the book, I was just reading to get through the book, not because I was enjoying it any longer.

I loved how music was so interwoven into these families' lives; as a musician myself, I can appreciate all kinds of music and the talent it takes not only to perform it, but also to create it. The Mayfields were an incredibly talented family, from gospels to jazz to opera and everything in between.

I am glad I read this book, but it was quite an endeavor to get through the entire thing.

[Joyce]

I'm on page 106 of Ntozake Shange's Some Sing, Some Cry, a succulent and mammoth - 576 page - multigenerational novel about a recently emancipated family in Charleston, South Carolina. The writing has such depth and the characters are so rich that I'm intellectually full and emotionally drained after a chapter or two. If I read too much, I'm almost upset because I feel greedy about devouring the heart-wrenching and satisfying prose.

I mean there's a meeting in the church where Denmark Vesey planned his revolution and a book party for Ida B. Wells at the home of a "high-toned," upper crust black society hostess, where conversation is about the literacy poll tax and the loss of black senators at the end of Reconstruction. All this is set amid the horrifying brutality against my ancestors, the tracing of the roots of black music from spirituals to jazz, and at this point in the book, the touching story of a berry-skinned talented seamstress conflicted about her suitors from different classes and her desires for acceptance into the mulatto world. For a lit chick, who's drawn to many things activist, historical, musical and based in the richness of people of color, well, Shange's book is just irresistible.

And I only get to check in with these friends, these adopted family members, these well-written characters like once every 10 days or so. At this rate I probably won't finish the book until this time next year.

This is an excerpt from a "Literary Jones," apost on my blog, Enjoyceinglife. If you'd like to read the rest, please visit http://enjoyceinglife.blogspot.com/20.... Thanks!

[Laura Hoffman Brauman · Rating 4 out of 5]

There was so much about this beautiful multi-generational saga that I loved. Some Sing, Some Cry opened as slavery was ending and Ma Bette and her grandaughter, Eudora, are leaving the plantation for a life in Charleston. As you move through the generations, you see both the strength of the family, especially the women, as well as the way the trauma and challenges of the previous generations leave their mark on the newest members of the family. Music is a central theme throughout the novel - if you are a fan of music of any kind, you will appreciate the way music is a source of inspiration and strength, a way of expression, and a means of processing and dealing with life's difficulties. The storytelling did feel a little uneven -- you spend a lot of time with early generations and by the end, the newest generations are just getting touched on. It took me a bit to get into the novel and it felt a bit disjointed in the writing style. In the authors' note, they talk about trading off sections like two sisters talking - which makes sense, but may have made it a bit harder to get a narrative flow going. This has been in my stack to read for a couple of years -- I really enjoyed this read and wish I had picked it up sooner.

[Passion Y · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a long one but definitely an interesting read. To see each generation born, grow and eventually give birth was something. Each generation faced their own unique challenges and I was surprised that it captured many obstacles that were relevant then and now. Anywhere from enlisting into war, single - parenthood, drug abuse and rehabilitation, marriage, to the carrying of traditions and education.

I’d say if you like Love Songs of WEB DuBois, you may like this one as well.

🎶

The characters whose storyline stood out the most for me were Lizzie and her daughter Cinnamon. They chased their dreams and left nothing on the table. I really think that they lived fulfilled lives, while showing their family that what they wanted most mattered - stardom - and that they would do almost anything to get it.

Lizzie ended up in Paris, and Cinnamon eventually became the opera star she dreamed to be. Though, when Cinnamon’s music career ended, I was shocked. But she then made time for family life and marriage.

Though earlier in the story, I was upset when Eudora’s husband sold their land and ran off. Believe it or not, the money he made from the sale never reached his wife and kids.. 😭

[Susan · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a compelling 200-year, 7 generation, history of a family of african/american women. The characters in the first 2/3 of the story came alive for me and drew me into their lives as if I was there. But then things started rolling too quickly in the last 1/3 of the book and I kept forgetting who was who. I am left thinking maybe a story of this power and magnitude should have been 2 books? Or maybe something this sweeping, written by Shange and her sister, was too daunting to edit? Here are a couple of many powerful images:

"It was an ominous fall morning, like a heroin haze kind of day, like a lazy charlie Parker day, taut, delicate, and spiraling to God knows where."

"They'd seen this look before. On the face of Max Schmeling fans as the Brown Bomber was defeated, on the nightly news footage of Little rock, in the press coverage of Emmet Till's mother walking passed her son's killers, alternately smiling and snarling at her. The hatred their son had experienced he now wore on his own face. It was a look of hatred so deep there is no passion, like strangling a man and not breaking a sweat."

[Donna · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was sometimes 2 stars and sometimes 4 stars...so I will settle on 3. This was a multi generational sweep of the Mayfield family from emancipation to civil rights. I loved the story telling and all of the historical background. There was a fair amount of research that went into this and I think the author blended it into the story nicely. Some of this was so eloquently worded that I felt myself drawn to the writing. I really liked that part.

On the down side, I had a hard time with all the singing. I know I should have been touched by it but I wasn't. I'll admit, I had a stressful day..that may have had something to do with it. I wanted a nice escape and this wasn't that. But it wasn't just that, I never really felt grabbed by any of the characters. Some were a little more magnetic than others, but I never felt completely pulled in. So 3 stars and that is because I really loved the writing.

[Michelle · Rating 5 out of 5]

I listened to all 26 hours of this audiobook, and was enthralled, entertained, and sad to have it end. Ntozake Shange and her sister Ifa Bayeza have crafted a sweeping saga of seven generations of Black women, interweaving within in it song, prayer, lament and love throughout. You come to know and care about the family which began in violence in slavery and emerged, in our present time, in triumph. A must read for anyone interested in African American literature.

Note: I highly recommend the audiobook.
Award-winning audiobook narrartor Robin Miles does an outstanding job with the myriad speaking and singing voices of the novel.

[April Corbett (Dorris) · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book is too long! It is so hard to review this book beyond that. This is an historical fiction but it is written in heavy dialect and that makes it a little exhausting. I did listen to this through my Audible subscription and I really enjoyed the speech and singing of the narrator, but even she can only carry this book so far. It’s just too long. It follows several generations of a mulatto family, but I can’t tell you the point or outcome of this book. It’s just too long and not interesting enough to pull me to the end. I gave up on it. Maybe I’ll revisit it again in the far away future. It’s just too long.

[Brenda · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved it. The story follows Mah Bette, a recently emancipated slave, and her family through seven generations. I fell in love with the gutsy and strong woman and them living their lives through the gift of music. This story is all about love, strength, loyalty and tragedy. Things that we experience all through life.

This is an incredible book, giving insight into the trials of African-American women from just after the Civil War through the beginning of the twenty first century. The beauty of the music, the language, the interrelationships is not to be missed at all. This is a must read

I highly recommend this book

[Lynda · Rating 3 out of 5]

This epic tome covers 200 years and 7 generations of the fictitious Mayfield family, beginning with emancipation and ending in the late 1960’s. All of the women are either musically gifted or spiritual, thus, Shange and Bayeza take us through the history of American music as viewed through the lives of these women. The book would have been better for me had it been split into 2 volumes. By the last third I felt as though the scenes were rushed to get all the pertinent milestones noted and I was reeling from the introduction of so many new characters.

[Maggie · Rating 2 out of 5]

Just when you get into this book, it's all chop/change and on to the next generation. None of the stories follow through and you never quite get the satisfaction of progressing through on any single story line to the end.

But, it might not even matter, since each subsequent story is a tedious repetition of a previous one. This is definitely one of those 'the daughter makes the same mistakes as the mother, and as the grandmother, and as the great-grandmother.'

[Lindsey Z · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 🌟

Some of the characters I absolutely adored! Shange and Bayeza take on the gigantic task of tracing one family's lineage through enslavement, the world wars, and beyond. There is an evocative thematic thread about music, though all of the club scenes were a bit too much for me. And the book went off the rails a bit towards the end as they tried to race through decades and generations. The pacing was just off. But I do think this book examines how Black Americans respond to and are affected by touch points in American history in thought provoking and rich ways. And I was astonished that this book was co-authored, as it really does feel like one writer wrote it. I loved the scenes in Charleston the most, which is the setting Shange knows and writes about best.

[Kim · Rating 5 out of 5]

I listened to the audiobook which added the exquisite layers of music and dialect to this family saga following 7 generations from slavery to the twenty first century. The interview with the authors at the end enriched my understanding and deepened my appreciation for their accomplishment.

[Jennifer · Rating 4 out of 5]

Beginning with the end of the Civil War, it is a multi generational saga of an African American family, and a good piece of American history as well. The intermingling of American musical history gave the story added depth. As is to be expected of a book of this scope, there is a huge number of characters. I was surprised how easily I kept track of them all. The dominant force in the story is the women. All the women are strong, determined and passionate. I was occasionally frustrated with the earlier generations - these incredible, smart, strong women constantly falling for the wrong man - the men continually a disappointment. Finally, Cinnamon (5th generation) breaks the cycle and picks a consistently stable man. She is also the first woman in the line since the story begins who is not raped and left to deal with the results the best she could.
I absolutely loved the way the authors dealt with the history of racism from Reconstruction through the present. I thought they were very down to earth and balanced in their treatment of an extremely sensitive subject. Having just read a book - Setting the Record Straight: American History in Black and White on the subject - I was really pleased to see many references in the story of black politicians and leaders from Civil War times to the present. I especially liked the line used in the section on the Civil Rights movement "I hear tell that during Reconstruction colored folks voted fine as a summer day. Had plenty of colored representatives - congressmen, even senators."

I did have a hard time getting into the book I struggled for the first 150-200 pages, but after that, it was hard to put down. The language was beautiful, the story was interesting, but I kept hitting speed bumps. After reading Shange's "Note on the Composition" I think I understand why. Each sister wrote sections of the book, trading off. While the transitions were not distinct, I think it was enough of a style change to throw me off a bit. That along with the fact that both writers are playwrights, required a different style of reading. The book really is more sensory, it is probably fabulous when read aloud. Once I started to see pictures of the characters and hear them talking (sadly, about when they left the South and went North), it got easier.

[Leigh Anne · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sweeping historical saga about seven generations of the Mayfield family, all of whom were either musical, spirited, or both.

The story begins at Sweet Tamarind, the plantation where Ma Bette has, until just recently, been the slave and lover of Julius Mayfield. With the Civil War over and her master dead, Ma Bette is finally free to leave the plantation, taking her granddaughter Dora with her (Dora's mother, Juliette, alas, did not survive her own tenure as a slave). Ma Bette and Dora start a new life and a grand story - each generation, from Dora's daughters to their daughters to their daughters - experiences a life of adventure and heartbreak that plays out over three wars and countless shifts in musical style.

My favorite character of the many who dance through these pages was Cinnamon Turner, who was determined to be a classical opera singer. When she auditions for Julliard, the committee asks her why she isn't singing any "Negro music" and she gives them what for because she wants to be another Marian Anderson. Cinnamon not only gets a full ride to Julliard, she wins over even the most skeptical and racist of her teachers, working her butt off to achieve her dream, and not even letting the good looking jazz musician, Baker, distract her (much). And the saddest part of the book is when Cinnamon mysteriously loses her voice and has to give up her dreams; the doctors can't find any physical reason for it, but she never gets it back despite patience and her best efforts in therapy. And so the gifted singer channels her songs through other people by giving them lessons. So heartbreaking!

The book ends in the present (or maybe the future?) with Liberty, the seventh generation girl who is a renowned DJ. She takes all the styles of music her ancestors have played, samples them, and weaves them together into a unified whole that sets the globe dancing. It's a victory dance, a testament to all the women who have sung, cried, prayed, and worked to make their way in the world. By the time I got to the end I was honored to have traveled so far with these women and their men - this fictional family's story mirrors the larger narrative of African American history, and would be a great companion novel to assign in AP history or English. Maybe both.

[Dbvdb · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked the narrative aspect in the first third of this book. By the second half I felt like I was being pelted by names of musicians. I was disappointed as the characters disappeared in their older years as if the stories of the young are more important. If you are interested in a review of musicians, like several in our book group, through the ages you will enjoy it.

[Judith · Rating 3 out of 5]

Some Sing, Some Cry: a Novel, by Ntozake Shange and Ifa Bayeza, is a huge, sprawling family saga, spanning seven generations, from Emancipation to the present, from Ma Bette's banjo to digital music, and from the Carolina Sea Islands to New York, Paris, and Los Angeles. Shange and Bayeza are sisters and they track a history of mothers and daughters from Reconstruction through the Great Migration, the Harlem Renaissance, two world wars, race riots, and more. Some scenes are too brief and some characters sketchy, but sisterhood and music draw the reader in generation after generation.

When I imagine this story as a trilogy, I think it could have been truly amazing. In Dora's lifetime, we could have met her daughters and grandaughters, as well. We might have followed Lizzie to Paris, on through the war and we wanted to know about Maisie's life in Paris, as well. Cinnamon and her children could have been the factor that tied together the rest of the family story in the U.S. That would have been a real African American epic. This was a good glimpse, but I wanted more.

[Jessica · Rating 3 out of 5]

I hate those allegorical beginnings of so many books by black authors. But I suffered through this one and was richly rewarded, until I wasn't. The first half to two-thirds of this book is pretty good. Interesting weave of characters through history and interesting backdrop of Charleston (a city I don't know much about). After the early nineteen hundreds, though, the book goes off the rails and becomes merely a survey of black music through the twentieth century. Now whether this was due to two authors writing or the fact that Shange had a series of strokes during the writing, I don't know, but the book could have ended hundreds of pages earlier and would have been a masterpiece.

My other problems with the book? Every time someone gets raped, they get pregnant. What happened to Lizzie's dad? His disappearance drove me nuts. Oh, and particular to the book on tape version - there were errors. I got to hear the reader start reading, clear her throat, correct herself and ask for another take, not ONCE but TWICE. So sloppy!