Kiss the Sky, Farai Chideya’s debut novel, follows 30-something has-been indie rocker, turned TV music critic, Sophie Lee, as she struggles to overcome her demons and finally reach superstar status. When we meet Sophie, her band, Sky, is preparing for a benefit show that could catapult her back onto the rock scene. After stumbling upon mild success before drugs tore them apart, Sophie and her ex-husband/band mate/love of her life, are trying yet, again, to reach the mountaintop. Between Ari’s constant drug abuse, Sophie’s lack of confidence and incessant love for Ari, and the band’s scheming manager (who is also Sophie’s lover), Sky’s chance of stardom seems nearly impossible.

Chideya’s transports the reader to pre-9/11 New York City, describing the streets, the smells, and the attitude of the city before ever corner was dotted with Starbucks. Chideya allows Sophie’s blunt, vulnerable, and self-conscious voice to drive the story, leading us through her various neuroses, childhood scars, bad decisions, and her accent to success. Despite Sophie’s self-destructive habits, we find ourselves rooting for her to break through and become a bonafied rocks star.

Kiss the Sky is a fun, fast-paced novel that guides readers through the sex, drugs, and drama of the underground New York City rock scene. Pop in your favorite mix tape, and prepare to have a good time.




~~
Have you read, Kiss the Sky? (thoughts?)
What are you reading now?
What do you want to read next?

Years ago I was perusing Borders’ African-American Lit section when it was still fun to look at and I saw the stunning cover of Blues Dancing, Diane McKinny-Whetstone’s third novel. I prescribe to judging a book by its cover, and that book was begging for me to pick it up. I bought it, took it home, and consumed it in two days, wrapping myself in the lives of the characters and the city of brotherly love. From the start of Blues Dancing, I became a fan of McKinny-Whetstone’s work and have kept an eye out for each of her books. About a week ago, I had the pleasure of finishing, her fourth novel (of 5), Leaving Cecil Street, and she did not disappoint.

McKinny-Whetstone begins the novel with a saying that is so Philly that I almost wanted to run out and grab a hoagie and my Roots CD. She begins by saying that, “Cecil Street was feeling some kinda way in 1969.” With that one, authentic phrase I knew I was in for another lush journey through the streets of Philadelphia. One of her major strengths is her ability to paint a picture through melodious prose that speaks to each of your senses. McKinny-Whetstone’s work is a pleasure to read, and Leaving Cecil Street is another gem.

Leaving Cecil Street is a story of community, of relationships, and of love. The story centers around a close nit West Philadelphia block that is in transition. Although the working-class neighborhood is still very well maintained, the world around Cecil Street is in complete upheaval. King and Kennedy have been assassinated, James Brown is proclaiming he is Black and Proud, and the world is struggling to deal with all of the changes. Although the novel is narrated in the third person, one could ague that McKinny-Whetstone allows Cecil Street to speak for itself. We meet its lively residents—some outgoing, some eccentric—hear the corner boys serenade the neighborhood above a night air thick with greens and macaroni and cheese, and we meet Shay and Neet, best friends who are more like sisters than anything else. Just like Cecil Street, Neet and Shay’s relationship is in a state of flux, and just like the neighborhood, they struggle to hold it together.

McKinny-Whetstone has been compared to Toni Morrison because of her ability to bring the reader into the story, not just on a peripheral level, but to draw them in so much so that they are almost apart of the action. And in Leaving Cecil Street, she draws the reader into the complex stories of her characters, causing us to become emotionally invested in each of their lives. At times I found myself shocked, I found myself talking back to characters, and hoping they just get it together. Being involved, emotionally, is a sign of a great book and Leaving Cecil Street is just that. I encourage you to take a trip to Philly and let Cecil Street be your first stop.


Note: I also recommend her latest effort, Trading Dreams At Midnight. Another great read.

On rare occasions, maybe once in a lifetime a musician comes along and captures our hearts so completely that we often look to them—their music and life—for inspiration and answers. For Shay, the protagonist in Carleen Brice’s debut novel, Orange Mint and Honey, Nina Simone is that guiding force.

At the outset of the novel Shay is jobless, on the verge of getting kicked out of grad school, and at the end of her rope. In a desperate attempt to make sense of her life, she asks, “What Would Nina Do?” One night, the high priestess appears to Shay and tells her to go her home.

Although many in Shay’s predicament would be running back to the comforts of home, Shay has no fond memories of her home life to console her. Shay’s mother, a recovering alcoholic, put her through a hellish childhood, choosing men and booze over her daughter. Shay, vowing never to return to Denver, brushes off the idea until she finds herself being evicted from her apartment and forced to take a leave from school. She calls her mother, after years of not speaking, packs up her things and heads home to Denver.

Dead set on riding out her sabbatical from school by staying as far away from her mother as possible, Shay attempts to lock herself away in her room. Nona, her mother, has other ideas and wants to make amends for her actions during Shay’s childhood. Shay isn’t convinced. She doesn’t buy Nona’s uber-positive outlook on life and is convinced she must still drinking. Shay searches the house for empty liquor bottles, but comes up empty. One night she sees Nona in her garden and is convinced that that is where she must be hiding the bottles, but soon learns that Nona has traded drinking for gardening.
Growth and change is a central theme of the novel. Shay’s bitterness over her mother’s past actions threatens to undermine the positive changes that Shay needs to take in her own life. She is painfully shy and blames her mother for socially stunting her growth. Her resentment toward her mother also threatens the future of their tenuous relationship. Although Nona continues to try to make amends, the possibility of reconciliation seems unlikely until a crisis hits.

In Orange Mint and Honey, Carleen Brice weaves a beautiful tale of a complicated mother-daughter relationship that is as lush and soulful as a John Coltrane sax solo, and as beautiful as a field of wild, blossoming flowers. Brice accurately captures both Shay’s and Nona’s voices as they both fight for the change they so desperately need. Brice, a cultivator of words, uses gardens as a metaphor for the cycle of life—a once barren land can become a beautiful and verdant with hard work and determination. Orange Mint and Honey is a captivating story that is sure to keep you turning the pages and wishing for more.

Mark Twain once commented that "Books are for people who wish they were somewhere else." And over the course of the Winter break, I've had the pleasure to travel to three interesting places, and encounter a myriad of captivating characters.

Reading has always been an escape for me. A place where I can tune out the stresses/pressure of my life and delve into the loves, dramas, and worlds of others. The books that I love the most have enveloped me in their characters' lives so much so that I think about them once I'm long finished with the book. Although the books I've read over break have all had distinct and unique stories, they have all been tied together through the common thread of deft characterization. Each of these books was an interesting read that I'd encourage you to pick up as well.

I love books. So feel free to comment on any of these (if you've read them) and suggest some that you think I'd like.

~~~
Midnight: A Gangsta Love Story



When Sister Souljah's novel, The Coldest Winter Ever, first burst on the scene nearly 10 years ago, the streets were abuzz with her gritty tale of Winter Santiaga, an around-the-way girl who navigates the streets to regain the money and stature that was lost when her king-pin father was imprisoned. Through Winter we meet Midnight, the calm, calculating, and beautiful underboss of her father's organization. Since Winter was released, people have been clamoring for a sequel to the popular street-lit tale. Although the new novel, Midnight, centers around the mysterious character from Souljah's first book, it is by no means a sequel to The Coldest Winter Ever.

When I first saw the cover of Souljah's follow-up Midnight, I was completely thrown off by the byline, "A Gangsta Love Story." I immediately rolled my eyes at the word, "Gangsta" because I'm completely fed-up with the wave of Street Lit that has infected the African-American literature section. But ultimately I put my initial hesitations aside and picked up the book.

At the outset of the novel we are introduced to Midnight. All quiet swagger and confidence. He begins the book by telling us how people, especially women, react to him, and we are immediately taken back to the Midnight of Winter, and fall in love with him all over again. As the book moves on we learn that he is seven and fleeing from the Sudan with his pregnant mother, leaving behind a once-powerful father taken down by some unknown political conflict.

Although I ultimately enjoyed reading the novel, it did move slowly, especially in the beginning when Midnight recounts his life in the Sudan, his family's wealth, and his view of Black Americans. It is clear Sister Souljah was attempting to make a point about the materialism of American culture, but at times I felt she was a bit too heavy-handed in her approach. There isn't a lot of dialogue or interaction in this novel. We see the world through Midnight's perspective and are privy to his thoughts. Everything is filtered through his upbringing, his views, and experiences, which makes for a rich first-person narrative, but is a bit lacking when dealing with the thoughts and motivations of the other characters.

There are many unanswered questions in Midnight. In the beginning of the book we learn that he is the son of a very wealthy and politically important man in the Sudan. Midnight’s father teaches him lessons about life, business and manhood. He also teaches Midnight to protect himself and his family from outsiders. This lesson shapes Midnight’s life and is particularly important when he flees the Sudan and immigrates to Brooklyn, NY. The reasons behind the family's move to New York is never exposed. The reader is left to draw their own conclusions about the demise of Midnight’s father and the reasons behind his family’s sudden immigration.

The book follows Midnight as he navigates the streets of New York, translating for his mother, fighting other boys for respect, running a business, falling in love, and growing into a calculating young man. The book spans seven years and ends when Midnight is 14, which contributes to the unbelievable nature of the novel. For instance, at seven we are to believe that Midnight purchases two guns and is mature enough to not only use them, but to use them wisely while conducting business (collecting money, building business contacts, etc) for his mother's small design company. Another unlikely tidbit in the novel is that Midnight never attends American schools, and no one seems to question why he, at seven, is always in the street, but never in school.

In Midnight we see the makings of the man who would become the mysteriously beautiful character in Winter. In this novel, Midnight falls in love with a Japanese artist and must struggle to win her family's approval of their unlikely love, hence the novel's byline. The love story in Midnight is both engaging and a bit frustrating. Although Midnight and his love are madly infatuated with each other, neither speaks the other’s language, which makes for interesting, and improbable, situations. Their love and the struggle they must go through to keep it fuels the second part of the novel. Midnight must resolve his feelings for Akemi, his love, with his upbringing, which leads to yet another unlikely choice for a fourteen year old, and a cliffhanger ending.

Midnight is a coming of age novel about an unlikely protagonist, a young street-wise, Sudanese immigrant. Although the novel takes several questionable twists and turns, it is an interesting and fun read. As long as you approach Midnight, not as a sequel to The Coldest Winter Ever, but as a stand-alone novel, you will not be disappointed.

~~
Next Up: Orange Mint and Honey by Carleen Brice