Read With Us: The Women of Brewster Place

As we announced last month, the latest Read With Us book selection is . . . 

The Women of Brewster Place by Gloria Naylor.

This book was first published in 1982, and was awarded the National Book Award for First Novel in 1983. The book is not very long - only 192 pages - but, boy! Does it pack a wallop! Now considered a "contemporary classic," the story is told in 7 interconnected stories -- technically not short stories -- but 7 related stories. As in . . . characters we meet in one story appear in another story. (Think Olive Kitteridge. Or Girl, Woman, Other.) 

Why did we choose this particular book? Well . . . we know that many of you - like us - are on your own journey in understanding racism. We're trying to be/become allies. We're learning together. We're moving forward. So we thought a book from the Zora Canon might resonate for many of us right now.

Bonny and Carole and I landed on The Women of Brewster Place because it sounded like a book we'd be interested in reading as a sort of fictional "partner" to the non-fiction books we've also been reading: The Warmth of Other Suns, Caste, How To Be An Anti-Racist, I'm Still Here, etc. The women characters portrayed in Brewster Place . . . represent the very women described in those non-fiction books. It's like they come to life in novel form -- a great way to expand our understanding and make the issues more relatable.

Here's a quick summary description of the book (from Goodreads):

"In her heralded first novel, Gloria Naylor weaves together the stories of seven women living in Brewster Place, a bleak inner-city sanctuary, creating a powerful, moving portrait of the strengths, struggles, and hopes of black women in America. Vulnerable and resilient, openhanded and open-hearted, these women forge their lives in a place that in turn threatens and protects—a common prison and a shared home. Naylor renders both loving and painful human experiences with simple eloquence and uncommon intuition. Her remarkable sense of community and history makes The Women of Brewster Place a contemporary classic—and a touching and unforgettable read."

You have plenty of time to grab the book and read along!
We'll be hosting our blog-based book discussions on November 10.

 I do hope you'll Read With Us . . . The Women of Brewster Place by Gloria Naylor. 

 

 

Comments

[Patty]

I'll be reading! Thanks Kym, Carole and Bonny!

[Bonny]

Thanks for a lovely intro, Kym! (Now I really do need to read this book before next week!)

[Jane]

What a nice introduction. Some time ago this book was on my list to be read and I don't think I ever read it. Hmmm

[Mary]

I'm so enjoying this book! thank you for the suggestion!

[Britt]

Her other novel Mama Day is my favorite book of all time! I’ve read this as well. If you read all of her books you will find an interesting connection from one to the next to the next. Nothing crazy explicit, but a thread from one to the other.

[Carole]

Thanks for creating such a great explanation for our current book club choice!

[Carolyn]

I finished it this morning...and the only concern I have about that is retention for the Nov. conversation! Talk about packing a punch. Right in the gut. So looking forward to the unpacking process here! Curious if anyone has read Linden Hills?