From Publishers Weekly
Two African American women whose premeditated single motherhood was a political statement 20 years ago animate Lattany's funny and poignant third novel. Patrice Barber and Cherry Hopkins, both in their late 40s, share a friendship dating back to the 1960s, when they participated in the civil rights movement. Patrice's son, Toussaint, and Cherry's daughter, Aisha, have been inseparable since childhood, and no one is surprised when they become engaged. In a contrived plot device, Patrice tumbles to the coincidence that Toussaint and Aisha share an allergy and an identical pattern of moles. Neither Cherry nor Patrice has ever admitted the identity of the men who sired her child. Confession time on both sides: the father of both turns out to be poet and revolutionary Eugene Dessalines Green, whose current whereabouts are unknown. The young people adjust to half-sibling status with what is almost a sense of relief, but Patrice determines to locate Green's other offspring to prevent other instances of inadvertent sibling romance. Enlisting Cherry's aid, Patrice ferrets out Green's other lovers, women like themselves?independent, proud, intelligent and without regrets. Green's reappearance is yet another coincidence, but Lattany handles it well. Patrice and Cherry, their worldly-wise children and the magic man who reenters their lives are some of Lattany's (Guests in the Promised Land) most mature creations, and she uses them to demonstrate that true kinship resides in the heart rather than in the bloodline. Author tour.
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc.
--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
From School Library Journal
YA. A delightfully engaging story. Cherry Hopkins and Patrice Barber, two middle-aged African-American women, discover they share more than their youthful experiences during their Freedom Riding days of activism and Black Power rallies. Single mothers by choice, they realize while preparing for the wedding of their very traditional offspring, that these young people share the same father. This shock of discovery sets Cherry and Patrice off on a mission to locate the rest of the kinfolk that may exist and the man, Gene Green, who started it all. Meanwhile, the youthful lovers, now turned brother and sister, find their father, blind and alcoholic, living on the streets. Humor and pathos mingle throughout the everyday trials of living for these likable, creative, determined, middle-class females and their equally talented and resourceful children. The coming together of the generations, the merging together of contrasting values, and the richness of African-American culture and traditions make this story an excellent addition to YA collections.?Dottie Kraft, formerly at Fairfax County Public Schools, VA
Copyright 1997 Reed Business Information, Inc.
--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
