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Betsey Brown
This is a unique and vividly told novel about a girl named Betsey Brown, an African American seventh-grader growing up in St. Louis, Missouri. While rendering a complete portrait of this girl, author Ntozake Shange also profiles her friends, her family, her home, her school, and her world. This world, though a work of fiction, is based closely and carefully on actual history, specifically on the nationwide school desegregation events of the Civil Rights movement in America’s recent past. As such, Betsey Brown is a historical novel that will speak to and broaden the perspectives of readers both familiar with and unaware of America’s domestic affairs of 1950s and 1960s.
Shange has set her story in the autumn of 1959, the year St. Louis started to desegregate its schools. In May of 1954, in its ruling on Brown vs. Board of Education of Topeka--a verdict now seen by many as the origin of the Civil Rights movement--the United States Supreme Court outlawed school segregation. The novel is firmly located in the wake of this landmark ruling; the plot of Shange’s novel and the history of America’s quest for integration during the Civil Rights era are fundamentally entwined. Thus textual references abound to the watershed events at Little Rock’s Central High School in the September of 1957, for example, and to "fire-bombings and burningcrosses" in the South as well as "'battalions of police and crowds of crackers'" at a demonstration in St. Louis.
Betsey is the oldest child in a large, remarkable, and slightly eccentric African American family. Her father is a doctor who wakes his children each morning with point-blank questions about African history and Black culture while beating on a conga drum; her mother is a beautiful, refined, confident, and strong-willed social worker who is overwhelmed by the vast size of her young family and who cares very little for “all that nasty colored music.”
Indeed, Betsey’s whole existence can be seen as a perceptive, adventuresome, and still-developing hybrid of her parents’ most distinctive qualities. Her feelings of internal conflict are often clearer or easier to identify when seen as the collision of her father’s dreams and her mother’s manners, or her father’s music and her mother’s cosmetics. There are several fascinating characters in this novel—and encountering, describing, and trying to figure out these characters will appeal to students of all backgrounds—but the two characters who, after Betsey, most influence the directions, themes, and issues of this tale are Betsey’s mother and father, Jane and Greer. Their her parents' difficult marriage, like the difficult era of desegregation that has only begun in St. Louis and the rest of America, is the realistic, conflicted, yet ultimately hopeful backdrop before which Betsey’s lip-synching, poem-reciting, soul-searching, truth-seeking, tree-climbing, and fact-finding take place. In fact, her parents' stubborn disagreements, heartfelt reconciliations, past glories, and future worries are all, at various times in the book, anchored or else set adrift by the activities of theireldest daughter (and first teenager!). Betsey’s running away sends her parents into a vicious fight, while her subsequent return seems to bring them closer together (if only temporarily).
As a novel, Betsey Brown is panoramic yet personal. It tells us what being a Black student in the early days of American desegregation was like by showing us what being Betsey Brown is like. This is an episodic, character-driven saga of the Black experience in St. Louis at the end of the “Fabulous Fifties,” but it is also a story about the many and various—and basically familiar—growing pains of a precocious, passionate, spunky young protagonist. We see Betsey fall in love; make friends; say prayers; argue with, look after, inspire, and ignore her younger siblings; run away from home; return to those who love and value her above all else; and switch from a school she knows and enjoys to a school on the other side of town where she is a minority and an outcast. We see Betsey outside the very door of her womanhood, we are told all about the steps and path that have brought her to this door, and we are left to wonder at what she will find beyond it.
Shange has set her story in the autumn of 1959, the year St. Louis started to desegregate its schools. In May of 1954, in its ruling on Brown vs. Board of Education of Topeka--a verdict now seen by many as the origin of the Civil Rights movement--the United States Supreme Court outlawed school segregation. The novel is firmly located in the wake of this landmark ruling; the plot of Shange’s novel and the history of America’s quest for integration during the Civil Rights era are fundamentally entwined. Thus textual references abound to the watershed events at Little Rock’s Central High School in the September of 1957, for example, and to "fire-bombings and burningcrosses" in the South as well as "'battalions of police and crowds of crackers'" at a demonstration in St. Louis.
Betsey is the oldest child in a large, remarkable, and slightly eccentric African American family. Her father is a doctor who wakes his children each morning with point-blank questions about African history and Black culture while beating on a conga drum; her mother is a beautiful, refined, confident, and strong-willed social worker who is overwhelmed by the vast size of her young family and who cares very little for “all that nasty colored music.”
Indeed, Betsey’s whole existence can be seen as a perceptive, adventuresome, and still-developing hybrid of her parents’ most distinctive qualities. Her feelings of internal conflict are often clearer or easier to identify when seen as the collision of her father’s dreams and her mother’s manners, or her father’s music and her mother’s cosmetics. There are several fascinating characters in this novel—and encountering, describing, and trying to figure out these characters will appeal to students of all backgrounds—but the two characters who, after Betsey, most influence the directions, themes, and issues of this tale are Betsey’s mother and father, Jane and Greer. Their her parents' difficult marriage, like the difficult era of desegregation that has only begun in St. Louis and the rest of America, is the realistic, conflicted, yet ultimately hopeful backdrop before which Betsey’s lip-synching, poem-reciting, soul-searching, truth-seeking, tree-climbing, and fact-finding take place. In fact, her parents' stubborn disagreements, heartfelt reconciliations, past glories, and future worries are all, at various times in the book, anchored or else set adrift by the activities of theireldest daughter (and first teenager!). Betsey’s running away sends her parents into a vicious fight, while her subsequent return seems to bring them closer together (if only temporarily).
As a novel, Betsey Brown is panoramic yet personal. It tells us what being a Black student in the early days of American desegregation was like by showing us what being Betsey Brown is like. This is an episodic, character-driven saga of the Black experience in St. Louis at the end of the “Fabulous Fifties,” but it is also a story about the many and various—and basically familiar—growing pains of a precocious, passionate, spunky young protagonist. We see Betsey fall in love; make friends; say prayers; argue with, look after, inspire, and ignore her younger siblings; run away from home; return to those who love and value her above all else; and switch from a school she knows and enjoys to a school on the other side of town where she is a minority and an outcast. We see Betsey outside the very door of her womanhood, we are told all about the steps and path that have brought her to this door, and we are left to wonder at what she will find beyond it.
208 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1985
34 people are currently reading
935 people want to read
About the author
Ntozake Shange
80 books797 followersNtozake 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.
Among her honors and awards are fellowships from the Guggenheim Foundation and the Lila Wallace-Reader's Digest Fund, and a Pushcart Prize.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 70 reviews
May 25, 2014
My thoughts:
• This 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.
• Though 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.
• Shange 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.
• Betsey 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.
• Enjoyed 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.
• Betsey 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.
• I 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.
• Riveting 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.
• While 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.
• This 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.
• Though 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.
• Shange 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.
• Betsey 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.
• Enjoyed 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.
• Betsey 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.
• I 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.
• Riveting 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.
• While 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.
June 1, 2015
A quick, light read, enjoyable in part because of its St. Louis setting, this book can be seen as a combination of Gail Milissa Grant's At the Elbows of My Elders and its depiction of black middle class family life in St. Louis, as well as, surprisingly, Mary Poppins. Over the course of the novel's 15 chapters, the Brown family experiences run-ins with racist police, the trials of early school integration, marital strife, and coming-of-age experiences like first kisses—but one of the running plot lines is the search for a suitable housekeeper/nanny. When Betsey's mother leaves the family for a time, the Browns find Carrie, a big down-home woman who ties her dresses with a thick rope, carries on a romance with the neighborhood gardener, is incredibly effective while never seeming to hurry and even taking liberal nips of wine during the workday, and will use only the latrine in the cellar "cause that's what her mama had in Arkansas." Her ways are often an affront to Betsy's more siditty mother and grandmother, and ultimately she is fired after having spent the night in jail after being involved in a violent altercation. A far cry from Mary Poppins's demure floating away while holding her umbrella—yet Carrie makes a lasting impact on Betsey as she looks ahead to adult life.
October 5, 2025
This is a 5 cuz I rounded from 4.5 just because of the last chapter. This was such a joyous read though, and i genuinely enjoyed every bit of it. Betsey is a character I will hold very near and dear to my heart. Spectacular book with spectacular characters and themes. Lovely shoutout to the city of St. Louis, Missouri, my dads hometown and my birth town. It was nice to read a book set here during the 1950s
May 16, 2020
rlly powerful little book, told through the perspective of a young black girl in St. Louis in 1959. lots of legitimate cultural critiques, clashing opinions within the black community, from all sorts of issues. the book hits on desegregation in public schools and the busing of black children to white neighborhoods, how the St. Louis police brutalize black citizens, a protest at The Chase, and Betsey declaring herself the "Queen of the Negro Veiled Prophet." the children are constantly dreaming, wanting to fall in love, reading poems by Countee Cullen and Claude McKay, and looking up to Chuck Berry, Tina Turner, Bessie Smith, the Ronnettes, and Smokey Robinson. the family unit breaks, but always comes back together, like St. Louis itself. in Shange's style, this books is full of poems and music and lyric. anyone who is interested in St. Louis history should read this.
Currently reading
September 5, 2016This book is about the main character, Betsy Brown, a young girl growing up and discovering her way through her teenage years. She is 13-14 years old, living in Saint Louis Missouri, 1959. The author gives a glimpse into life for African-American family and youth during this period of time. From the perspective of Betsey, we can see racial tension, the way African Americans were treated during this time, and the culture in a traditional middle class family like her own. We are able to see an interesting family dynamic, and watch the maturing of a young girl into a teenager who faces issues with family, friendships, and deals with emotional and sexual topics that her and friends are constantly battling.
Main Characters:
Betsy Brown is a young girl (the main character) who struggles with young adult issues that most 14 year olds don't need to deal with today. She balances love, friendships, family, and work. Through these trials she learns about herself and is very observant of her surroundings, especially social. She often talks about her views of black and white people, and the differences between their actions and ways of life. Betsy yearns for independence, but also has very childish ways that she slowly starts to leave behind.
Jane is Betsy's mom, who is a middle class woman. She is married, and her own mother lives with the family to help take care of the children. Jane is much lighter skinned than most, making her an upper class and giving her a sense of privilege that she has experienced through her life. She is very sophisticated, appreciates being held upon a pedestal, and beats to her own drum. Her and her mother struggle with Jane's husband who takes pride in his african roots and is much darker than they are, as he is much more socially active in the community and wants to involve their children.
Greer is Betsy's dad, married to Jane. He is a top doctor in Saint Louis at the time, which was extremely rare for an African American. Unlike his wife, he is very passionate about African history and his roots. He quizzes his children every morning about African culture and social issues that press them during the time. Greer is so involved that he wants his children all involved in political and social change, while Jane wants them safe and at home. That causes Jane to leave him and for him to have to parent on his own, which is difficult for the whole family and he hires housekeepers in her absence. He loves that the schools have become integrated, and while he is busy at work and disagrees with Jane often he is absolutely in love with her and tries to do his best to be a good father.
Vida is Betsy's grandmother who is very harsh on everyone. She is growing in age and shakes due to her joints, and often fails at tasks so Betsey tries to take over. She is a bit pretentious and looks down upon Greer for his dark skin and passion for African culture.
Carrie is one of the housekeepers that Greer hires. Although she is very different from the family and has issues with Vida, Betsy's grandmother who is harsh on anyone, she is the most successful in keeping the house and children in order. She also ends up having a romance with a gardener that Betsey is able to watch and take in as a romantic herself. Betsey becomes close with her.
Opinion:
This book was definitely relevant and interesting for its historical context (I live in Saint Louis now). The writing was very detailed and the author does a great job giving each character such a distinct personality, but I often struggled in reading this book. The style of writing was not something I am used to reading. There wasn't a main plot and climax of the story that really drew me in. It was just like I stepped into the head of a 13 year old girl during this period of time and felt the emotions that she felt for a short amount of time. Personally, it didn't pull me in as much as I hoped it would, but a good read on a coming of age and social context during this time.
Main Characters:
Betsy Brown is a young girl (the main character) who struggles with young adult issues that most 14 year olds don't need to deal with today. She balances love, friendships, family, and work. Through these trials she learns about herself and is very observant of her surroundings, especially social. She often talks about her views of black and white people, and the differences between their actions and ways of life. Betsy yearns for independence, but also has very childish ways that she slowly starts to leave behind.
Jane is Betsy's mom, who is a middle class woman. She is married, and her own mother lives with the family to help take care of the children. Jane is much lighter skinned than most, making her an upper class and giving her a sense of privilege that she has experienced through her life. She is very sophisticated, appreciates being held upon a pedestal, and beats to her own drum. Her and her mother struggle with Jane's husband who takes pride in his african roots and is much darker than they are, as he is much more socially active in the community and wants to involve their children.
Greer is Betsy's dad, married to Jane. He is a top doctor in Saint Louis at the time, which was extremely rare for an African American. Unlike his wife, he is very passionate about African history and his roots. He quizzes his children every morning about African culture and social issues that press them during the time. Greer is so involved that he wants his children all involved in political and social change, while Jane wants them safe and at home. That causes Jane to leave him and for him to have to parent on his own, which is difficult for the whole family and he hires housekeepers in her absence. He loves that the schools have become integrated, and while he is busy at work and disagrees with Jane often he is absolutely in love with her and tries to do his best to be a good father.
Vida is Betsy's grandmother who is very harsh on everyone. She is growing in age and shakes due to her joints, and often fails at tasks so Betsey tries to take over. She is a bit pretentious and looks down upon Greer for his dark skin and passion for African culture.
Carrie is one of the housekeepers that Greer hires. Although she is very different from the family and has issues with Vida, Betsy's grandmother who is harsh on anyone, she is the most successful in keeping the house and children in order. She also ends up having a romance with a gardener that Betsey is able to watch and take in as a romantic herself. Betsey becomes close with her.
Opinion:
This book was definitely relevant and interesting for its historical context (I live in Saint Louis now). The writing was very detailed and the author does a great job giving each character such a distinct personality, but I often struggled in reading this book. The style of writing was not something I am used to reading. There wasn't a main plot and climax of the story that really drew me in. It was just like I stepped into the head of a 13 year old girl during this period of time and felt the emotions that she felt for a short amount of time. Personally, it didn't pull me in as much as I hoped it would, but a good read on a coming of age and social context during this time.
July 31, 2020
"Betsey shook her head as if she were shaking off her color and all the problems not being white made. Why, there was the sky and clouds that bubbled up in huge towers above her head, and soil smelling of tomatoes or sage, the warmth of the sun on her arms, and here she had to worry bout white folks too? No, not today. Betsey waved bye to her compatriots and made off fo her favorite secret place."
Betsey Brown is a seventh grader growing up in St. Louis, Missouri. The novel is set in the fall of 1959--the year St. Louis began desegregating schools. Shange's delicate words draw the reader into the lyrically written daily life of Betsey Brown: popping bubblegum with friends, peer tensions due to class difference, familial conflicts, dreams about love & first kisses, floating away from adolescent troubles sitting in the branches of her thinking tree... we see Betsey's world as a whole, along with her growing pains... the wounds of memories.
The signature aesthetic quality of Ntozake Shange's works, colorful images of foods, poets, Black musical traditions & references to important Black historic figures, also glow within the pages of Betsey Brown. Through Shange's creation of individual characters, she showcases collective experiences: the integration of schools, shared chaotic family mealtimes, portraits of Black womanhood, & nods to the history of St. Louis.
When court-ordered integration forces Betsey out of her neighborhood school & into a white one, Betsey's already present teenaged self-consciousness is heightened by having to navigate a landscape unknown, "another country" -- without her friends to jump double-dutch, without "dill pickles wrapped in brown paper or candies like Mr. Robinson's." However, to say this is a book solely about school integration would be a disservice to the exploration of Betsey's coming-of-age.
There was a feeling evoked in me while reading Betsey Brown that was somewhat reminiscent of how I felt while reading Maud Martha by Gwendolyn Brooks -- both beautiful works that intimately render lives of Black women. Poets writing prose is always magical.
Betsey Brown is a seventh grader growing up in St. Louis, Missouri. The novel is set in the fall of 1959--the year St. Louis began desegregating schools. Shange's delicate words draw the reader into the lyrically written daily life of Betsey Brown: popping bubblegum with friends, peer tensions due to class difference, familial conflicts, dreams about love & first kisses, floating away from adolescent troubles sitting in the branches of her thinking tree... we see Betsey's world as a whole, along with her growing pains... the wounds of memories.
The signature aesthetic quality of Ntozake Shange's works, colorful images of foods, poets, Black musical traditions & references to important Black historic figures, also glow within the pages of Betsey Brown. Through Shange's creation of individual characters, she showcases collective experiences: the integration of schools, shared chaotic family mealtimes, portraits of Black womanhood, & nods to the history of St. Louis.
When court-ordered integration forces Betsey out of her neighborhood school & into a white one, Betsey's already present teenaged self-consciousness is heightened by having to navigate a landscape unknown, "another country" -- without her friends to jump double-dutch, without "dill pickles wrapped in brown paper or candies like Mr. Robinson's." However, to say this is a book solely about school integration would be a disservice to the exploration of Betsey's coming-of-age.
There was a feeling evoked in me while reading Betsey Brown that was somewhat reminiscent of how I felt while reading Maud Martha by Gwendolyn Brooks -- both beautiful works that intimately render lives of Black women. Poets writing prose is always magical.
February 2, 2014
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.
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.
June 17, 2014
To say that this is a book about integration would be an under-sell: “Betsey Brown” presents a personal look at the life of a young Black girl in St Louis, covering everything from her loves and friendships to her isolation and anxieties.
I’ve always loved Ntozake Shange’s voice. Her prose borders on poetry. To fully appreciate this book, it needs to be read aloud. Every word is chosen in such a way that, not only does the meaning convey exactly what Shange aims for, but its sounds and rhythm contribute to a sense of music that fits the story’s tone.
There’s a playfulness and innocence here that complements the protagonist so well, even when Betsey herself isn’t being discussed. The world is obviously coming into existence from her viewpoint and her’s alone - As Betsey explores St Louis and grows into a woman, the reader gets to enjoy a more nuanced narrative that matures and expands along with her.
I’ve always loved Ntozake Shange’s voice. Her prose borders on poetry. To fully appreciate this book, it needs to be read aloud. Every word is chosen in such a way that, not only does the meaning convey exactly what Shange aims for, but its sounds and rhythm contribute to a sense of music that fits the story’s tone.
There’s a playfulness and innocence here that complements the protagonist so well, even when Betsey herself isn’t being discussed. The world is obviously coming into existence from her viewpoint and her’s alone - As Betsey explores St Louis and grows into a woman, the reader gets to enjoy a more nuanced narrative that matures and expands along with her.
February 17, 2024
Excellent novel set in St Louis Missouri in 1959.
April 10, 2020
An informative portrayal of class and race, and how that intersection impacts people in different ways. I think my favorite part was how Betsey seemed to take in everyone around her, in a childlike way she did not judge them intentionally but learned from all the adults around her. Still, the character showed enough complexity that at one point she did cause problems, as children may do, for a caretaker from a background she did not understand. So I suppose the author was showing that childlike acceptance only goes so far, difference must be discussed because youth do notice it, and it is important they are helped to understand, empathize and respond well. The nuance in the characters, the different perspectives, and the way people came in and out of Betsey’s life all added realism and emotion/dynamism to a fascinating story.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
February 26, 2022
This piece is a short monologue written from the point of view of the character Allard in Betsey Brown, by Ntozake Shange:
Someone come tie my shoes, please!
I’m Allard.
Yuck! Betsey and Eugene always be kissing. I bet they get germs. Betsey says people in love don’t get germs. Huh! And Sharon says that’s where babies come from, but I don’t believe we come from no tongue kissing. Grandma says it’s all just some kinda low-down niggah mess. Me, I’d rather make a fire any day—big flame—whoosh! Burn up ghosts; burn up the KKK. Daddy says we ain’t colored. He says the Negro race is a mighty one, and that there’s whole countries that’s run by Negroes they own selfs. In the morning quiz he ask me What is discipline? Sharon an’ Margot thought I didn’t know, but I know discipline is the hallmark of a mighty people. Mama says we not disadvantaged. She don’t like Chuck Berry. But she upstairs with Daddy or she’d say, “shut off that mess!” Charlie, that’s my cousin, he rode me on the handlebars of his new three-speed over to the Catholic girls’ school. There’s no colored over there, just nuns and white girls. Charlie says the nuns have no legs. Two pōlices came and took us home ’cause the big, red-faced one said we was “trustpastin”. They callt us “nigras”. Margot say Charlie like white tail, but we was just ridin’ bikes. Daddy says we have to progress and that means we have to “inegrate”. Mama says that just means you get to pee after white folks. But why do we have to go to they schools? Why can’t the white folks come over here? Gramma says leave well alone, colored should keep where they is. I thought it was no good. I didn’t wanna go off with no white folks. I said “They gonna kill me, Mama, they gonna kill me.” Charlie call me “pickaninny” and say I must be the niggah them white folks talk about, and Mama say Charlie fillin’ my head with mess. I say, “I don’t wanna go,” and Charlie say, “So what, niggah? It’s the law.” I’m not colored, I’m a Negro. I went and I come back and the white folks didn’t kill me. Look, I’m alive! The white folks didn’t kill me! Mama says not all white people are evil, but five of ’em beat on Charlie. If they bother me, I’m gonna set ’em on fire, that’s what I’m gonna do; and they’ll go up in flames to glory. Grandma says she’s not sure that’s where they’d go. After the white folks didn’t kill me, Betsey ran away. I think she was tired of white folks. Daddy brought home Betsey and Arnett’s fried chicken and shrimp! But then Mama run away, and Carrie took care of us. Carrie is big an’ maybe too nice to be ugly but mighty peculiar lookin’. But Mr Jeff, he don’t care what she look like. He handsome and he don’t mind if her hair stand up all over like she got a fright. Mr Jeff come a courtin’. That’s when Betsey kisst Eugene most, while Mama was gone. When Mama come home, she said Carrie had to go. I love Mama, but I wisht that Carrie coulda stayed. Mama says she was niggerish and low-down but I like that church Carrie took us to where we can play the tambourine and get a spirit. Mama says Presbýterians don’t get the Holy Ghost. She says we act like the po’ children in the projects. Carrie never made me talk right like Mama does. I don’t see why we can’t have Mama home and Carrie too.
Come on, someone, tie my shoes! Pleeeease.
Someone come tie my shoes, please!
I’m Allard.
Yuck! Betsey and Eugene always be kissing. I bet they get germs. Betsey says people in love don’t get germs. Huh! And Sharon says that’s where babies come from, but I don’t believe we come from no tongue kissing. Grandma says it’s all just some kinda low-down niggah mess. Me, I’d rather make a fire any day—big flame—whoosh! Burn up ghosts; burn up the KKK. Daddy says we ain’t colored. He says the Negro race is a mighty one, and that there’s whole countries that’s run by Negroes they own selfs. In the morning quiz he ask me What is discipline? Sharon an’ Margot thought I didn’t know, but I know discipline is the hallmark of a mighty people. Mama says we not disadvantaged. She don’t like Chuck Berry. But she upstairs with Daddy or she’d say, “shut off that mess!” Charlie, that’s my cousin, he rode me on the handlebars of his new three-speed over to the Catholic girls’ school. There’s no colored over there, just nuns and white girls. Charlie says the nuns have no legs. Two pōlices came and took us home ’cause the big, red-faced one said we was “trustpastin”. They callt us “nigras”. Margot say Charlie like white tail, but we was just ridin’ bikes. Daddy says we have to progress and that means we have to “inegrate”. Mama says that just means you get to pee after white folks. But why do we have to go to they schools? Why can’t the white folks come over here? Gramma says leave well alone, colored should keep where they is. I thought it was no good. I didn’t wanna go off with no white folks. I said “They gonna kill me, Mama, they gonna kill me.” Charlie call me “pickaninny” and say I must be the niggah them white folks talk about, and Mama say Charlie fillin’ my head with mess. I say, “I don’t wanna go,” and Charlie say, “So what, niggah? It’s the law.” I’m not colored, I’m a Negro. I went and I come back and the white folks didn’t kill me. Look, I’m alive! The white folks didn’t kill me! Mama says not all white people are evil, but five of ’em beat on Charlie. If they bother me, I’m gonna set ’em on fire, that’s what I’m gonna do; and they’ll go up in flames to glory. Grandma says she’s not sure that’s where they’d go. After the white folks didn’t kill me, Betsey ran away. I think she was tired of white folks. Daddy brought home Betsey and Arnett’s fried chicken and shrimp! But then Mama run away, and Carrie took care of us. Carrie is big an’ maybe too nice to be ugly but mighty peculiar lookin’. But Mr Jeff, he don’t care what she look like. He handsome and he don’t mind if her hair stand up all over like she got a fright. Mr Jeff come a courtin’. That’s when Betsey kisst Eugene most, while Mama was gone. When Mama come home, she said Carrie had to go. I love Mama, but I wisht that Carrie coulda stayed. Mama says she was niggerish and low-down but I like that church Carrie took us to where we can play the tambourine and get a spirit. Mama says Presbýterians don’t get the Holy Ghost. She says we act like the po’ children in the projects. Carrie never made me talk right like Mama does. I don’t see why we can’t have Mama home and Carrie too.
Come on, someone, tie my shoes! Pleeeease.
November 2, 2025
3.5 ⭐️ What appears to be a first edition copy of this paperback ($6.95!) has been on my TBR shelf for a long time. I have no memory of purchasing it though I’ve long been a fan of For Colored Girls… This is a classic coming of age story about 13 year old Betsey who lives in an upper middle class 1959 St. Louis family with professional parents (a doctor and a social worker), her maternal grandmother, three siblings and a cousin. Housekeepers, responsible for managing the children, come and go each leaving an imprint on Betsy. She’s dealing with the stress of integration, feelings of first love, and parents who seem more focused on themselves than their children. There’s a lot going on in this house and I was left hoping that Betsey finds her way.
July 22, 2020
Betsey Brown takes place in the late 1950s. Her family lives in Saint Louis Mo. Her father is a doctor, They live in a big house, she is the oldest of five children. Betsey is 13 and this is a coming of age story. She is part of the time when they start desegregating the schools and experiences the cruelty that went with it. Her mother keeps hiring help to run the large house with very strict rules the housekeepers are expected to meet. Betsy is at an age she does not agree with her mother's strict rules. This book I think can be for middle grade kids but still fine for an adult to read. I liked reading this book myself.
February 24, 2020
By 2020 standards, this is not a “good” book, with its telling and head-hopping and lightning-quick jumps all over the place: lack of transitions, continuity, gradual growth. And yet. It works. What a beautiful slice-of-life and coming-of-age story. I was never quite sure how old people were or what time it was or how long till dinner, but I knew Betsey, Greer, Jane, Vida, and Carrie as well as a couple of ladies at the beauty shop. And I knew the city and I loved the story. Who did they all become?
February 14, 2023
Really powerful coming-of-age story for a young black girl growing up during the civil rights movement in St. Louis. The novel delves into complex issues that were seldom talked about during this time period, such as colorism and internalized racism within the black community. Readers can see the impact these disheartening long-held generational beliefs have on the protagonist, Betsey Brown, who struggles to find her own voice and identity when constantly being told who to be or how to be, rather than to just be.
August 29, 2019
Reading this book for maybe the third time and still loving it. One of those novels based on the writer's person experience, it's a coming of age story but for us white folks it opens a window in being black in the late 1950's and being one of the first children to bus away from home and integrate a school. The movement among points of view and the chop of the plot scenes keeps you swirling along as part of the family's life. A moving and funny story. Read it and follow Greer's congo drums.
January 27, 2023
See Juliette's review.
So she wrote in cursive instead of printing! That made me instantly angry because had a HUGE misunderstanding with one of my teachers in junior high over some such incident, which, since I'm white, was resolved. Why her Daddy hired Carrie -- I suppose it was for the author to show a contrast with his family? Jail, and he never let her explain . . . But a good book, showing St. Louis in the 1950s-60s, and a coming-of-age story of a determined Betsey. --
So she wrote in cursive instead of printing! That made me instantly angry because had a HUGE misunderstanding with one of my teachers in junior high over some such incident, which, since I'm white, was resolved. Why her Daddy hired Carrie -- I suppose it was for the author to show a contrast with his family? Jail, and he never let her explain . . . But a good book, showing St. Louis in the 1950s-60s, and a coming-of-age story of a determined Betsey. --
September 24, 2023
I don't usually like coming-of-age stories but Betsey Brown isn't your typical Bildungsroman. The protagonist's maturation plays second fiddle to the author's documentation of the attitudes and foibles of a family that one presumes is based on her own natal family.
In this short novel, we come to know an upper middle class black family in segregated St. Louis in the 1950s in which the adults are full of their own prejudices, including classism, colorism (rising to the level of internalized racism), sexism. The adults are at odds with one another on how racial equality should be achieved in the greater society. And they are all drawn as with love, as sympathetic characters, regardless of how flawed their attitudes seem at this late date.
In this short novel, we come to know an upper middle class black family in segregated St. Louis in the 1950s in which the adults are full of their own prejudices, including classism, colorism (rising to the level of internalized racism), sexism. The adults are at odds with one another on how racial equality should be achieved in the greater society. And they are all drawn as with love, as sympathetic characters, regardless of how flawed their attitudes seem at this late date.
June 22, 2018
I love Betsey Brown, every moment with her, growing up into a young lady in St Louis, 1957, proud of who she is, searching for answers and questions with exuberance and curiosity. An interesting point of view on racism and integration, too.
June 22, 2019
This was an interesting book. I didn't really like some of the characters in this novel. I thought that the novel would explore more of the issues of school integration in the 50s, but it really didn't. This is not one of my favorites, but i will read others by this author.
October 10, 2020
A lyrically written coming-of-age story, centering on 13-year-old
Betsey Brown and her family grappling with issues of 1959,
including busing and school integration. The novel touchingly
portrays such themes as adolescence, loneliness, and demanding
dignity versus settling for safety.
Betsey Brown and her family grappling with issues of 1959,
including busing and school integration. The novel touchingly
portrays such themes as adolescence, loneliness, and demanding
dignity versus settling for safety.
October 20, 2021
honestly rated it so low because i had to read it for school. it mainly consists of characterization and little plot, but has very insightful and important commentary on race and class. the writing isn’t clear and it is hard to picture what is happening, everything sort of seems to blur together.
October 21, 2024
This is a book set during the integration of schools in the 1950s, but it's really about family and childhood and what it means to belong in a community. This is the second Shange I've read and I thoroughly enjoy her ability to find the humor and the depth to every situation.
November 6, 2024
This book is an interesting form of writing. It felt more like a play. Having a 13 year old girl myself, there were lots of similarities to her experience, but of course, the context was much different. The complexities and nuances of the time were well portrayed.
January 9, 2018
One of the best coming of age stories that I've read. Wish I had read it years ago...
November 12, 2020
Story of a 13 year old Black girl poised between childhood and adulthood, in 1959, during a decisive point in American history.
April 20, 2023
Read for a class. Such a good coming of age book, everyone should read this
April 20, 2024
what happened to the plot??
October 24, 2024
Delicate; non-linear; simultaneously strange and mundane.
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