I kicked off my reading of Black authors during Black History Month with The Women of Brewster Place by Gloria Naylor, reprinted by the small press Fox, Finch, and Tepper (who's attached to the outstanding bookshop Mr B's Emporium). Their press reprints out of print books who they believe are still worthy of being on the market. I am so very glad they made the decision last to reprint this beautiful, challenging book last year.
Go into this book knowing two things: it is lovely. It is hard. The stories of these women, who have struggled and suffered, are not easy to swallow. There are some explicit scenes of sexual violence that are harrowing and struck me to my core. But these stories, as hard as they are to read, are real and important. These are the type of stories that create empathy in readers, that make us see and, in a way, allow us to experience the opposite of what we know, what we can't imagine.
The Women of Brewster Place is a collection of stories of the sturdy, strong, beautiful women who have somehow found themselves in the ratty old buildings of Brewster Place. The novel starts with Mattie, a young woman from rural Tennessee who finds herself pregnant by a sweet talking man her father hates, and when all the truth comes out, she's spurned from her home and forced to raise her son and survive on her own.
Mattie makes appearances in all the stories of Brewster Place, acting as the likable, non-judgmental mother figure on the street. She is the calm in the storm of all these women's lives and acts as an anchor that pull us through the stories.
This book is successful. This book made me cringe and laugh and empathize and sympathize. It made me sick to my stomach and my heart tighten. For a dose of reality and empathy, please read The Women of Brewster Place. Gloria Naylor is a masterful storyteller who deserves to shine once more.
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