K'Lynn
8/8
Thought the author was an expert at creating three-dimensional characters that she immediately cared about. She wanted Grace to stop using and Champ to clean up. Their relationship was beautifully rendered. She liked the fact that this native Portlander showed us a part of town that is swept under the rug. K'Lynn has seen drug deals go down at a park and had always assumed they were dealing pot, but now wonders if it was crack. The slang, dialect and language was off-putting, but worth it. This story transcends the Black Experience. Wanting a better situation for yourself and family is universal. The story was sad, but powerful and she would recommend it.
Maggie
7.5/7.5
Loved Grace's stories, but had no empathy for Champ. His attitude and treatment of women was appalling and reinforced negative stereotypes of black men. "What is he on about?" She thought he was very intelligent but didn't use his intelligence to try anything different. His use of $5 words was overdone, wouldn't have happened in real life, and he did it only to prove how intelligent he was. Maggie did feel a bit for him when he got rooked by the shady realtor, and thought his love of his old house made him vulnerable. Although she loved Grace, Maggie was disappointed that she fell at the very first hurdle that presented itself, and wondered why she couldn't see that her boys were better off with their father. Maggie also loved the local aspect of it. She missed these people and wanted to keep reading about them.
Becky
7/7
Found the author to be a powerful storyteller. The language took some getting used to, but she was usually able to figure out what was being said. Champ's crude attitude towards women was jarring, but not gratuitous or incongruous within the context of the story. Becky had more sympathy for Champ than she did for Grace, figuring that his problems with women stemmed somewhat from his experiences with Grace as his mom. He had to be the father figure to his brothers. He fell into the dealing and manufacturing, and then got used to the money. He yearned for a connection to the comfort and stability they had had at their old house. Grace tried to do the right thing by giving back all of Champ's gifts. . . but then she ended up with Michael and goes to the disgusting crack house which left Becky feeling horrified, frustrated, and mad. Champ gets arrested because Grace was so whacked out when they got pulled over. How could she live with that guilt?
Pat
8/8
I thought his voice was great and I enjoyed trying to figure out what he was saying. I loved seeing an area I am familiar with described through the eyes of a culture different than mine. I too thought that his word choice was sometimes awkward, although a character did call him out about this. Worshipping basketball to the point that success at it outweighs everything else frustrates me, especially as a teacher. Americans in general do this, but in the story receiving a nickname for your playing ability in the 8th grade was enough. As if this is the only card to play. Becky said she thought basketball was a good thing, providing focus and a positive outlet. And of course it does those things. Then Miles summed up how I felt perfectly, but I can't find what he said in my notes. What did you say, Miles? If you remember, or if anyone else does, comment below.
Miles
7.25/7.25
Was annoyed with the prologue as the voices were scattered, and he didn't know who was talking. The language and cussing were fine, as was Champ's large vocabulary, but Miles didn't think the characters were fleshed out. If he were a casting director and this was a movie, he wouldn't know who to cast. At the risk of sounding prejudiced, Miles said the American Black Male is a fascinating thing. There is a mind-boggling, undying devotion toward their mothers, yet all other women are objects. Miles thought that this story might shed some new light, but he found it only reinforced his stereotypes. That said, he didn't see it as a story about poverty or drugs, but rather a history of repeatedly making bad decisions. It is very depressing. There is such a disconnect between the social work involved and the actual problem. Both Champ and Grace came across helping hands, and both chose the easy way out. Kudos to K'Lynn for the pick.
Michelle
6/6.5
Thought the language changed quickly from streetwise black to educated white. It was a very sad story, but she saw it not as a black culture issue, but as a drug culture issue. Michelle said we can't know how it feels when we are not addicts ourselves. The options and choices before them, don't matter. Grace tried church, but went right back to her old ways when things got difficult. Champ had so much love for his mother. He would have given her all those gifts if he had earned the money legitimately. He knew what he needed to do, but couldn't bring himself to it. When they visited Multnomah Falls and Grace said to them that the Truth of who they were was them together, at that very moment, on the bridge. This moment was very special to Michelle.
Sandy
6/6.5
At first Sandy, thought the whole book would sound like an entire rap song. She found his upper vocabulary use unbelievable. When he mentioned Len Bias, Sandy became very interested, because she remembered so much about him and Len Bias was a very big deal where she was from. But she was disappointed because he never really got into the Bias story like she was hoping. She was often unsure what was going on and figured this book got an award because it is so different, not because it is good. Might have rated higher if not for the current black and white cop tensions. Sandy read, The Short Tragic Life of Robert Peace, which contained similar themes: Black Culture, Poverty, Drugs etc. and since it was told from a journalistic POV it enabled her to have some sympathy for the characters. Not so in this story. Sandy wondered if the author purposefully tried to make characters unlikable? Grace: Poor me! Poor Me! Everything is always the white man's fault.
Carolyn
6.5/7
Was confused at first so she read a summary online and then got on track. Champ wanted the house that he grew up in so badly, but he was always looking back, rather than forward. She wondered how he was able to live with himself, knowing what a negative impact drugs have on such a personal level, and yet making and selling them himself. How do people do this? Carolyn was reminded what a good life we have. We don't have to worry about how we're going to pay our bills. It's hard to understand how some people live this way. Temptations, bad habits, and hanging out in places where you used to do drugs are a perfect recipe for falling off the wagon. Carolyn loved the devotion that Champ had toward Grace, but she hadn't thought about what Miles said in this regard. Although she didn't really like the book, her score went up the more she thought about it.
Letitia
6.5/6.5
Letitia was initially confused by the prologue, but she eventually got in the jive of it and found Champ to be honest and authentic. She felt empathy for him and believed him when he said he didn't belong. As she read she kept waiting for the moment when he would return to prison and Grace to rehab. The author did such a good job describing Grace's desperation. The book was well-written, the writing was powerful, but the story was so hopeless, horrible, and sad, she doesn't think she could recommend. She's glad the author got out of this life style.
Talks about the autobiographical nature of the book.
Comments