Uptown Literati X Clutch Weekly Reading Recommendation 2.5.10

Who: Pulitzer Prize-winning author, Junot Díaz

What: The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao, Díaz’ sophomore novel that created a literary firestorm for it’s stunning and fantastical account of a multi-generational family haunted by a supposed curse, the fuku. Told in brilliant color and dialogue, Díaz is able to narrate in the voice of four different characters, infusing his dialogue with Dominican vernacular and poetic prose to illustrate life’s tumultuous and satisfying moments.

Why: The Brief Wondrous Life is a book whose hype has not overshadowed its magnificence and beauty. Díaz manages to merge important literary references with relevant pop culture without skipping a beat. At once hysterical and heartbreaking, Díaz’ novel illustrates a people navigating through pain, love, violence, and redemption, with the stubborn tenacity of their character and the omnipresence of divinity guiding them.

Rating: 5 stars

--Nicole Crowder

Uptown Literati X Clutch Weekly Reading Recommendation 1.29.10

Who: Activist and Author Beverly Bell; Foreword by Haitian-American writer Edwidge Danticat

What: Walking on Fire: Haitian Women’s Stories of Survival and Resistance, a diverse collection of istwa, Haitian Creole for “both story and history.” After a proud, rousing foreword by Haiti’s high priestess of Literature, Krik? Krak! author Danticat, Bell sweeps readers into the multi-layered ’90s world of Haitian women. While Bell’s introductory passages are more academic, with passages on the island’s political history and women’s movement, they create a perfect balance to the often emotional stories of the 38 Haitian women storytellers.

The women represent the full range of Haiti’s ethnic and economic diversity, from Lise-Marie Dejean, former Minister of the Status and Rights of Women, to “Tibebe,” the illegitimate daughter of a wealthy man and a maid, who was given away and raised as a restavék, a child slave. Full of hope and the unyielding résistance that led their ancestors to rebel centuries ago, these women walked on fire and lived to tell the tale.

Why: Any story or book or historical knowledge that helps us understand the people of Haiti and their spirit, right now and in the futire, is a good thing.

Uptown Literati x Clutch Weekly Reading Recommendation 11.20.09

Who: African-American novelist Colson Whitehead

What: Sag Harbor. The story of a black teen belonging to a community of upper class African-American professionals and his growth out of pre-pubescence and into self-awareness during summers spent at the gated community Sag Harbor. Using diction and cultural references that lends themselves to the era—the 1980s—Whitehead paints a colorful and humorous sketch of a black teen during the days when ice cream color shirts and jeans, high- top shoes and fades were new fashion statements and not a throwback. Whitehead’s protagonist Benji Cooper is an all-white-prep-school-attending-Lite FM listening-Fangoria magazine-loving teen during the fall and winter back in Manhattan. But during the summers at Sag Harbor his mannerisms morph into a dap-giving-Run-DMC-listening-slang-talking kid. It’s this dichotomy of self in different environments that Whitehead explores in his fourth book.

Why: Using humor in literature requires skill, especially when tackling the issue of race identity. Whitehead’s humor adds a new dimension to the discussion of what it means to “act white” or “act black” without diminishing the significance of the conversation. Through Benji, Whitehead questions what is stereotypical behavior and attitudes of a young black man? How does he fit into or evade the box of black identity? But Whitehead does not approach this question with resentment. Instead, he employs nostalgia to transport the reader back to when they, too, were a teen and how confusing, awkward, and memorable it was for a lot of people, despite your race.

Rating: 3.5 stars

--Nicole Crowder

Uptown Literati x Clutch Weekly Reading Recommendation 11.13.09

The Weekly Reading Recommendation is a weekly book column written by Uptown Literati's editors for Clutch.

Who: Novelist Sue Monk Kidd

What: The Secret Life of Bees, Kidd’s well-loved novel, which was turned into a popular film last summer. Imbuing much of Kidd’s own colorful childhood, the story is narrated by motherless teen Lily Owens. Along with her Black caretaker Rosaleen, the girl is forced to flee her hometown in 1960’s South Carolina and winds up in the care of the eccentric Boatwright sisters, who are a brand of sophisticated African-Americans that Lily has never encountered. She and Rosaleen experience a short, dreamy reprieve from their usual lives, which were previously filled with longing (for Lily) and animosity (for Rosaleen), before more tragedies strike.

Why: Centering on an orphan’s heart-felt discoveries, the book is emotional and earthy, almost to the point of being overly emotional. Although narrated by White Lily, most of the characters are Black and there is a reverential tone to many of the characterizations that borders on being offensive. But despite flaws, the novel is a celebration of family and sisterhood.

Rating: 3 stars

-- Whitney Teal