Some Glad Morning (Paperback) Review

Much of Irene Steele's first novel takes place in 1984 in Chicago where Mildred Johnson and her Aunt Rose get involved in working for the first black candidate's campaign for mayor of that city, pretty much because of a chance meeting on the El that Mildred has with O'Kanta, a suave civil rights activist who steals her heart away. The author weaves the mayoral campaign plot with the Mildred and O'Kantra romance, Aunt Mildred and Chapman's courtship-- if you can call their relationship that-- and her life in the 1960's in Crayton, Tennessee.

Ms. Steele makes her case for the rights of African Americans but for all of us as well. In a particularly moving passage where Mildred asks Rose about what her father was like, her aunt responds: "'He was a proud man. L. C. [her father] believed that black people were put here to do more than sharecrop. He wanted a better life, not just for him, but for you and your children. He tried to make a difference.'" (Shouldn't that be the dream of everyone, regardless of their skin color?) Although the novel ends in 1985, it is as timely today as then. A white mayoral candidate sends out campaign literature with a picture of Raymond Williams, the black candidate for mayor, with exaggerated features, eating a slice of watermelon. Not that long ago in Atlanta a white politician running for local office did something similar to his black opponent.

Ms. Steele is good at developing her characters. For instance, Aunt Rose. In spite of all the sorrows in her life-- and she has had plenty-- she likes to debate the pros and cons of who is the best blues performer or to break into her "shimmy" as well as keeping up with Mildred's romance and the local gossips in her Chicago neighborhood. She will wear a red dress to church if her candidate for mayor is speaking and she likes good food. (This novel made me hungry for both lemon meringue pie and for hearing the gospel song I grew up with, a line of which Ms. Steele uses for the title of her novel, Albert E. Brumley's "I'll Fly Away.") For all Aunt Rose's fun-loving ways, however, she ultimately is about keeping promises and enduring in the tradition of William Faulkner's character Dilsey in THE SOUND AND THE FURY or one of Toni Morrison's many admirable women characters.

I for one would like to sit down with Rose and eat one of Mildred's blueberry muffins (she is the baker in the family) with a cold glass of milk.

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Product Description:
Mildred Johnson is orphaned when her parents are killed in a protest for voting rights in the South. Her Aunt Rose flees with her to a Chicago relative's. Years later, they join a campaign to elect Chicago's first black mayor, and Mildred falls for the leader of a grass-roots voter registration drive. During the campaign, the truth about her past is revealed.

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The Other Side of Morning [Paperback] Review

This author has captured the very essence of what friendshis is all about.She's also defined how solving your problems with friends by your side through thick and thin will help you get through everytime.

I was truly amazed at how she brought the story lines together.It's very rare that you can find such an author. I am going to have this book as one of my book club choices for us to read and discuss.

It's an easy read and a page turner.You never know how they are going to handle the issues that come their way, and the most important thing I wanted to say was I love the way no one judges but how they offer their support.

Was this author reading my mind?Did she hear me praying and talking about what I needed?If not, she hit the nail on the head.

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Product Description:
As we take the journey into the lives of these six friends, believe me, you won't forget their names. Some of us will tend to think about our own lives and then we'll think about people we know. If you can identify with what's going on in the lives of Queen, Erin, Mia, Rekka, Lisa and Dee or you know someone who may have or be experiencing the same things, I know they are not alone and you know that you are not alone. Their stories are simple, but yet complex. Queen loves one who loves another and battles with herself and those little demons in her life. Erin has taken on another life totally; it's amazing how gurlfriend just makes her way through life and living. Mia and Lisa, well these two sisters are dealing with life's situations to the best of their ability; while Rekka will end up paying a debt she never owed. Dilemma is a better word to use and once you start reading, you will understand why. Friendships, relationships, and love are all a part of what can be found, saved, lost and rekindled on the other side. As we read through these lives, let's see where their hearts and hands take them, but you and me, we have to take that walk to: "The Other Side of Morning"

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I'll Be Sober in the Morning (Paperback) Review

Upon stumbling in on a nude Winston Churchill as he was a guest in the white house, Churchill said to Franklin Delanor Roosevelt "The Prime Minister of Britain has nothing to hide from the President of the United States." - "I'll Be Sober In the Morning: Great Political Comebacks, Put downs, & Ripostes" shows that some of the most powerful men in the world have also have been some of the most sharp-witted. Filled cover to cover with countless retorts and hilarious vocal burns, and charmingly illustrated by Steve Stegalin, "I'll Be Sober In the Morning: Great Political Comebacks, Put downs, & Ripostes" is highly recommended to humor shelves everywhere with a nod to political studies shelves.

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Product Description:
A collection political, comebacks, putdowns, and ripostes over the last 2500 years, with 12 humorous illustrations by Steve Steglin.

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