Baby of the Family

Mulberry, Georgia #1

by Tina McElroy Ansa

An evocative, delicately comic story of a girl’s coming of age. From the moment of her birth in a rural black hospital in Georgia, Lena McPherson is recognized as a special child, with the power to see ghosts and predict the future. Named a Notable Book of the Year by the New York Times.

Genres: Fiction, Fantasy, African American, Magical Realism, Coming Of Age, Southern, Ghosts

276 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1989

About the author

Tina McElroy Ansa was an American novelist, filmmaker, teacher, businesswoman and journalist. Her work appeared in the Los Angeles Times, Newsday,The Atlanta Constitution, Florida Times-Union, Essence Magazine, The Crisis, Ms. Magazine, America Magazine, and Atlanta Magazine.

Reviews

[Brown Girl Reading · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was very disappointing. I had very high hopes for it desiring to read something backlist. The writing was vibrantly beautiful but there was absolutely no plot at all in this book which was surprising because of the manner in which was written. It's definitely a book about the baby of the family Lena, who has been recognized as a special child since she was born with a caul over her head. It is believed that because of this she has inherited the power to see ghosts and predict the future. The storyline follow closely the McPherson family. They are a black family living well in a big house unaware of their daughter's plight. Baby of the family feels like vignettes that deal with Lena's discovery of her power. However there doesn't seem to be real goal or end to this story. It took much longer to read this story than normal; probably because I was searching for the reason of it's being written. There is a second part to this novel called The Hand You Fan With. I will definitely try to check it out to see if things get better.

[Monica **can't read fast enough** · Rating 4 out of 5]

Review to come

[Jamal · Rating 4 out of 5]

this novel has All the elements and components that makes a Novel awesome to me! Wish I had discovered this story much earlier.

[Gayle · Rating 4 out of 5]

Here is another reason that I'm glad to have finally discovered the wealth of books by black authors. I hate that this book was published in 1989 and it was 2011 before I discovered Tina McElroy Ansa.
Lena is a girl who was born with a caul. An elderly nurse explains to Lena's mother what she must do to keep Lena's 'gifts' positive, but the mother regards such as nonsense and destroys the caul.
Lena is bothered by the ghosts she sees and doesn't share her experiences and fears with anyone.
Later, the book becomes a coming of age story, which some readers found to be a cop out, but I didn't find it disconcerting at all.
I'm reading as much to study the craft of the author as well as their story, and I was entertained throughout and am amazed at how good it is for a debut novel. Her imagery is superb.

[Megan Baxter · Rating 4 out of 5]

I had never heard of this book before it popped up on one of my lists put together from one of the Nancy Pearl Book Lust books, and likely would never have come across or read it, if I hadn't. That would have been too bad, because while I can't say it set my world on fire, it was thoroughly enjoyable, and a little on the enchanting side.

Note: The rest of this review has been withdrawn due to the changes in Goodreads policy and enforcement. You can read why I came to this decision here.

In the meantime, you can read the entire review at Smorgasbook

[Gabrielle · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars. The novel offers an interesting premise though I am not sure that it had much of a plot. I love reading most stories of Black girlhood and relished the fact that this one was about Black Southern girlhood. Characters reminded me of people that I know well. Beyond that the book was a little flat for me and some of the chapters felt bit disconnected. The last few chapters picked us some steam and redeemed the book for me. I'm happy to finally be able to check this classic off my list.

[Ruby Hollyberry · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love this author, and this is her first book. I wish there were more than there are. There's the sequel to this: The Hand I Fan With, plus Ugly Ways and You Know Better which are in the same town but about other characters. There is supposed to be a sequel to Ugly Ways called Taking After Mudear, but I've not been able to find it in any bookstore or library so far. Borders doesn't even have the ISBN in their catalog!! So unfair!! I suppose they cut their African American fiction list down? Or perhaps the fact that these are more fantasy than fiction in places limits their appeal to some? I can only speculate. But I wish there were dozens and I had them all. Should appeal to anyone who likes ghost stories or alternatively, Sandra Dallas fans.

[Natasha · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have had this book for many years and never finished it. I think it was too "old" for me when I received it because now that I've read it I wouldn't recommend this book for a child/tween. It was a very interesting story about a special little girl who grew up a little confused and a little scared because she could see things others couldn't. I like how the chapters were broken down into either an event, a person, or a set subject and just focused on that part of Lena's life. This was a definitely a refreshing coming of age story even with the supernatural spin on things. I'd recommend it to young adults and above.

[Mayastlpmc · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is one of my favs.... It is full of strange happenings but, if you leave your mind open your heart will follow. ENJOY!!!!

[Kathy Piselli · Rating 4 out of 5]

By coincidence I was concurrently reading two books about young girls who can see ghosts, one in Mozambique and the other in Mulberry, Georgia. I had not read anything by Ansa yet, and she died recently, and also lived on the Georgia coast, one of my favorite areas, so I tried Baby. By the time Ansa published it, she was already living on St Simons, but the reminiscences she bases Mulberry on seem fresh, though I think there are certain differences between Pleasant Hill and an ordinary small town in 1960s Middle Georgia (useful for those not familiar with a community like this). The child is very sheltered in her younger years, and the reader spends a lot of time in her thoughts, and a rich world it is. Later she's allowed to hang out in the juke joint with her mother where we are introduced to some characters - I liked Gloria with her gold front tooth and who "nearly always" had a mole on her right cheek. There's great repartee between the grandmother and the hired hand Frank. And Ansa remembers details like Dippity Do, that made me laugh out loud. The story really packs a lot into a small space, covering so many issues faced by Black families, the tug of war between well-off and poor, boys and girls, and the mean girls in school. I don't know if the ghosts Lena lives with were part of Ansa's life. But it was moving to live for a time inside the head of a girl who learns to integrate a great secret and a great gift into herself as she grows up.

[Robeth · Rating 4 out of 5]

I recently found a slip of paper with this handwritten quote from the book 'Baby of the Family.' It was written in my handwriting, so I know it was me who wrote and saved the quote.

"Early in the morning in the middle a' the night, two dead boys rose to fight. Back to back they faced each other, pulled out their swords, and shot each other. Two deaf and dumb policemen heard the noise, came and killed the two dead boys. If you don't believe my story is true, ask the blind man, he saw it too."
From Baby of the Family
By Tina McElroy Ansa
January 1990

I remember buying and reading this book when it first came out, so that would be way back, in the late 1980s!! I am on a quest to read it again in 2025.

[Helaine · Rating 3 out of 5]

The story of a well off black family in the 1950's. Their baby is born with a caul over her head and throughout her life, she can see ghosts and various demons. Bad and good happens to her--all supposedly because of the caul. She makes special friendships, sees a ghost of a slave woman and gets life advice from all of them. The story ended rather abruptly when her grandmother dies and returns as a ghost to assure her that those special powers will due her well in the future as long as she goes back to her nurse who brought her up for advice. Makes you want to read the next book to see what happens to her as an adult.

[Jenee · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed the book. It starts off with the Lena's birth and her encounters with spirits. Then it goes in another direction. Usually that wouldn't work for me, the other direction was very interesting. I loved the town and the Black Southern charm of the characters. I wished there was more about her connection to the spirit world. I hope Tina McElroy Ansa writes a book that focuses more on Lena engaging with ghosts.

[D Marie · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a good book. Years ago, I read The Hand I Fan With but not this one. I’m glad that this book did not disappoint. The characters are wonderful and I love the setting. Mulberry sounds like a lovely place. I felt bad for Lena. Nurse Bloom tried to protect her but her mother didn’t believe in “ superstitions “. It seemed like she couldn’t catch a break because there wasn’t anyone to guide her. I would definitely recommend this book.

[Lakecia Allison · Rating 3 out of 5]

I am from South Georgia, a small town similar to Mulberry, so there were some parts of this book that made me think of my Greatgrands and country folk rituals. I like the book but it didn't keep my attention as I thought it would. Though I enjoyed many moments in the book because it touched home, I just expected much more from this novel that I did not get.

[Helen Ladson · Rating 5 out of 5]

The follow up- The Hand I Fan With flows perfectly with this masterpiece!

[Monalisa Watkins · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent book and it addresses an underwritten (?) subject in Black fiction. Ms. Ansa is a great author. Reminds me of Tananarive Due. Love both.

[Lisa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sweet family story. Enjoyable read. Girl born in a caul with special gifts.

[Mely · Rating 5 out of 5]

I throughly enjoyed this book. It’s a light hearted journey of a gift child. I look forward to reading the next book.

[Mbinguni Mbinguni · Rating 5 out of 5]

An amazing author with a writing style that is sure to capture your imagination immediately!

[Karin Williams · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved this book and will read more by this author

[June · Rating 3 out of 5]

There is no plot. You can only read so many vignettes.

[Mac · Rating 5 out of 5]

Nostalgic and relatable. I really enjoyed it.

[Tiffany Barcik · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was fine. A little patchy and read like a book of short vignettes sometimes. There was some interesting characters but the cohesiveness of it was a little loose.

[Karen P · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was mentioned in “South to America,”
which I read earlier this year. And that book made an impression on me, so I wanted to read this book.
When a baby is born and is proclaimed special by some, how does she find support and help and encouragement along the way? What about those - maybe even parents - don’t want that specialness?

[Kaethe · Rating 5 out of 5]

The baby was born with a caul over her head, which means she can see ghosts. A wonderful story about family.

***

I chose wisely. Rereading my books from 1988 wasn't some sort of plan, my choices are always usually more random: putting a book on a shelf and spotting another, going over a bookcase to purge a few...that sort of thing. But there, my first tow squares are devoted to rereads and I am not sorry. There are a few new-to-me planned. I've spent some more time looking over my card, my list, and my TBR stack, matching up a few. My stack is rather more heavy on the mysteries: fourteen of my squares don't have a book waiting for them so far.

But I was saying, this book was an excellent choice. There hasn't been a lot of Southern on my stack for a while, except Whiskey in a Teacup, which we'll just move quickly by. So, it was good to wallow in the heat for a bit, to sit down to Southern food (only fictionally, I'm not otherwise a fan), to enjoy the familiar from a different angle. Lena's world somewhat resembles mine, but from the other side of segregation.

Things I envy most: her big old house, and the adults swearing. While I would have loved to have grown up with my maternal grandmother in the house, my paternal grandmother would not have been possible: she scared the hell out of everyone. Aunt Shirley was the only local daughter-in-law, she saw MawMaw all the time, and never had the nerve to smoke in front of her, not in forty-some years of marriage. The other three children fled as far away as they could.

Also, the plotlessness was a break from my usually story-driven choices. There's an arc,

but it's more a way to connect all the different vignettes. You'd call it picaresque if Lena were more rebellious, as it is, hmmm. Really, I'm not sure at all. But it was fun to see "Co-Cola".

Personal inscribed, signed and dated copy for which I thank the author. She was delightful and charming for the short time I spent with her.

[Jill · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is not something that I would have picked up on my own, but somehow it ended up on my to-read list. I think it came from a very old list of books with lesbian themes, although I never found one in it (except for a strange scene where two very young girls engage in sexual play without realizing what they are doing). It was kind of creepy at times, with the protagonist seeing ghosts and spirits. I'm not sure I really liked it, but I did appreciate getting a better understanding of African American culture around that time period.

[Ronald Wise · Rating 4 out of 5]

Tina McPherson is born in the Black hospital of a small town in Georgia with a caul over her face, and is from day one recognized as a "special" child. Nurse Brown takes steps to protect her from the evil aspects of this specialness, but her mother, not believing in the "old ways", sabotages her efforts. For me this was an interesting look at what it would be like to grow up as a Black girl, roughly my age, in the American South. This novel came to my reading list from Nancy Pearl's Book Lust recommendations named "African American Fiction: She Say", a list of fiction by Black women.

[keidra · Rating 4 out of 5]

Tina McElroy Ansa had one great book in her and this was it. It's not billed as such, but BOTF is a sci-fi book as far as I'm concerned (with a psychic main character, how could it be anything but?)

Rich, descriptive writing and an uncanny awareness of the inside life and thoughts of a child, especially a "different" one. She blows it all to hell in the sequel, but her literary voice is spot-on here.

[Jesse Bullington · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read this when I was coming down from The Salt Eaters, which I'll be the first to admit is a tough act to follow. A much more linear story, Baby of the Family has healthy doses of Gullah/Geechee folklore tied into its coming-of-age narrative. A lot to like in terms of Ansa's voice, and her focus is almost more on class than race. The sequel, on the other hand (I Fan With)...