In West Mills

"She love them damn books of hers more'n she love me." ~ 11%

Did you ever read The Turner House? What about The Twelve Tribes of Hattie? Well, this new novel appropriately called In West Mills is of the same vein. It is an intimate story about a woman nicknamed "Knot" that no one understands but accepts as a member of their rural community. Sheeeeeit, Knot can barely understand herself but she is determined to live life as she sees fit. Oftentimes, that means moonshine, literature and male company.

Never mind the town gossip. It means nothing in comparison to Knot's family disowning her. Having no communication with her family back home and living alone in a shack, she relies on her neighbor, Otis Loving. But Otis is so eager to help that he unknowingly puts his wife and family second to Knot. This is oh-so-apparent thanks to the author's writing style. The story is set in a majority black community— dubbed West Mills—in rural North Carolina. It covers decades: 1941-1987 so readers can see how much time passes but little as nothing changed. And there is never a dull chapter.

"And ain't nobody studdin' you and them 'ol secrets you got." ~ 60%

In West Mills deserves more credit than my review can offer. It brings about issues in the black community, the importance of communication and how we are quick to ASSume a situation. The storytelling is smooth and the main characters are well defined. My only negative feedback is the dialogue was hard to read in beginning. As chapters went on, I still was used to the language so it slowed my reading down a bit. However, the story wouldn't have been the same with formal words showing no southern accents. The author knew what he was doin'! 

Happy Debut Pub Day, De'Shawn Charles Winslow! In West Mills is now available.

Disclaimer: This book was received directly from the publisher for review purposes only. In no way does it influence my review. The opinions I have expressed are my own and would be the same if I spent my hard-earned coins.

Title: In West Mills
Author: De'Shawn Charles Winslow
Published: June 2019
Pages: 272
Edition: Galley
Rating: 🖤 🖤 🖤 🖤

 

US vs. UK

Everyone knows I am completely obsessed with the UK. "US vs. UK" was created by Jenny from Wondrous Reads and it compares covers from books released in the two countries.

US

UK

Today's first comparison is A Piece of Cake by Cupcake Brown. The US cover is pink with confetti and reminds me of a cupcake. How appropriate considering the author's name. The UK cover shows a young girl standing on the sidewalk with her hand on her hip. Sassy, right? This is no contest. The US cover matches the title perfect.

Total: US 19, UK 17

US

UK

Today's second comparison is The Twelve Tribes of Hattie by Ayana Mathis. The US cover is a blend of orange, red and yellow with a solo brown chair. It also has the Oprah's Book Club selection stamp. Nice touch to grab readers attention. The UK cover has red and blue stripes with white lettering. A chair is shown at the bottom of the cover, with two figures above it. The UK cover just seems bland. The US cover says, "Pull up a chair and start reading me!"

Total: US 20, UK 17

US

UK

Today's third comparison is On Dublin Street by Samantha Young. While the US cover shows a kissing couple, the UK cover shows a woman looking over her bare shoulder. Both backgrounds are dark. This is a toughie. The US cover is fitting to the content of the erotic book; however, the UK cover matches the title better. I like the windows facing Dublin Street, so the UK cover wins this round.

Total: US 20, UK 18

US

UK

Today's last comparison is The Lover's Dictionary by David Levithan. The US cover has a white cloudy background with a pink heart in the center. Very Valentine's Day-ish. The UK cover has a red background with several symbols, including a bicycle, a cross, a heart and a drink. From reading the love story, I don't see the relevance of the symbols that are displayed on the UK cover. Simple is better so the US cover wins!

Total: US 21, UK 18

Which covers do you favor?

 

The Twelve Tribes of Hattie

 
"Hattie didn't know how to be a different kind of mother." ~ pg. 129

The Twelve Tribes of Hattie is a story of family, promise and generational habits. It begins during The Great Migration in 1923 when Hattie flees Georgia and settles in Philadelphia. The young fifteen-year-old marries August and begins a life, she hopes, to be better. Two years later, they start a family, with the firstborns being named Philadelphia and Jubilee. "...names of promise and of hope, reaching-forward names, not looking back ones." Unfortunately, the first of many tragedies strike. Hattie watches helplessly as her seven-month-old twins died in the order they were born: first Philadelphia, then Jubilee.

Hattie gives birth to nine more children and raises them with not an ounce of tenderness. Hattie's parenting style is to prepare her children for the harsh difficult world. Life is not kind, so why should she be kind? The next chapters focus on Floyd, Six, Ruthie, Ella, Alice, Billups, Franklin, Bell and Cassie. The last tribe is Sala, Hattie's granddaughter. We can only hope that by now, Hattie gets it and will show tenderness.

The Twelve Tribes of Hattie is not a page-turner. It was not uplifting, but instead a sad reality that parents shape the lives of their children. Unknowingly, a parent's actions has an effect on a child from birth until death. Each tribe of Hattie was an example of this. The individual stories of each tribe was left open-ended, yet somehow complete.  

Ayana Mathis did a remarkable job writing this book. It is hard to believe this is her debut novel. She writes with poetic, descriptive flair that reminds me of Toni Morrison's prose. My 4-heart rating is more-so to commend the writing style and premise of the book.

I rarely read a selection from Oprah's Book Club, but glad I jumped on this bandwagon. Reading Oprah's notes and interacting with other Oprah's Book Club 2.0 members enhanced my reading experience of The Twelve Tribes of Hattie.  Well worth it.

Title: The Twelve Tribes of Hattie
Author: Ayana Mathis
Published: December 2012
Pages: 243
Edition: Hardcover
Rating: ♥♥♥♥