Scan barcode
amyw_97's review against another edition
4.0
A very depressing novel. Though there’s some errors in the writing and certain parts of the story can become torrid, it’s a solid book that shows life as someone homosexual in the 30’s-60’s. It also illustrates the struggles of a black family in Chicago during this time. It’s heartbreaking what the protagonist goes through and what happens to his family/friends. I really hated the mother.
michaelion's review against another edition
challenging
dark
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
As fiction my rating would be much lower, but as nonfiction it's like well this is someone's real life story that really happened to them, and it's not like he's a bad storyteller, but if it were fiction it wouldn't be very good. There's no paragraph separations which really would've helped the tone of the stories being told. It's also listed as LGBTQ, but the overwhelming majority of the story is his childhood. That's part of the queer experience too of course but as a Black queer person I would argue this story is more about the struggles of Black life coming out of the South. He even spends a chapter or two denying his queerness. Also, the book is a lot more about his mom as the title shows. But I'm just being nitpicky now.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Child abuse, Child death, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Gore, Homophobia, Misogyny, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Transphobia, Violence, Blood, Medical content, Grief, Abortion, Murder, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism
Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Gun violence, Miscarriage, Racial slurs, Racism, and Suicide
Minor: Animal death, Chronic illness, and War
lezreadalot's review
3.0
Hard-hitting, tragic, poignant. While more or less sympathetically told, it's very much a story of its time, and bigotry, internalised and otherwise, takes a starring role. I feel like the author snuck in to the telling more than once, and I'm not sure how much I liked him. It's a very stark look into the racial and sexual politics of Chicago in the 30s-60s, at the homophobic, misogynistic and sexual violence that permeated. It's not a happy book and my heart hurts that even half of it is true.
Very much enjoyed Bobby Spears' narration. No affectation, no dressing up; just raw characterisation,and it was excellent. It really was.
Don't go into this without hella warnings.
Very much enjoyed Bobby Spears' narration. No affectation, no dressing up; just raw characterisation,and it was excellent. It really was.
Don't go into this without hella warnings.
nolasgem's review against another edition
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.75
trilobite's review against another edition
3.0
It's not easy being a queer black man. Especially in 1940s - 50s Chicago.
I read this because I was in the mood for something pulpy. This isn't a review, just some things I want to note so I can remember the language used.
"Ah jes hate white folks so much, Ah'm gonna' bus mah haht opun iffen Ah don bile en the leckrik chair. Ah got tu git way frum white folks, an stay way." - Mama
"Ain't yu uh blip, Mama dahlin'? Heah ah am fatern uh goose wif frogskins an kickin' yo doe down whilst yu playin' possum lak Ah'm shuckin' an jivin' out heah. Them dirty white folk ain't gonna see yu fer uh munt. Opun the doe, Mama dahlin', an looka heah yu ken..." - Junior
"Niggah, yu shet thet blasphemin, lyin, sucking mouf uh yose. Jesus hepped po peeples. He nevah stole from em. Yu uh dirty low down niggah thet's going tu th basement uh hell." - Mama
"Heah, heah gal, git yosef tugethah. Yu drunk an crazy tu? Ah ain't got no time fo no niggah foolishment." - Mama
blind pig def. a speakeasy; an establishment that illegally sells alcoholic beverages.
shill - a person who purposely gives onlookers the impression that he or she is an enthusiastic independent customer of a seller (or marketer of ideas) that he or she is secretly working for. The word originally denoted a carnival worker who pretended to be a member of the audience in an attempt to elicit interest in an attraction.
Lemon pool - "...it's cue stick con played by a shark who never lets the sucker know his true ability. He lets the sucker win and lose in a natural way to build him up for the kill and the shark also knows how to 'skill out' and make it look he 'lucked out'........sometimes two lemon players will pretend to be bitter rivals and play each other while a third or maybe a fourth member of the team will lay bets among the onlookers. Naturally the lemon player with the heavy bets on him to win will lose to his partner......It's possible in spots to pick up nice money playing the lemon, but it's a hard hustle and the scores are usually small and far between. I know some cracker jack pool hustlers solo sharking that are starving to death." - Soldier
big foot country or big foot land def. - the South?
puglist [pyoo-juh-list] - a person who fights with the fists; a boxer, usually a professional
sadiddy - someone who is uptight in an utterly conceited sort of way, or who 'acts' as if they are completely superior towards/around another person.
paddy fever - attraction to white people? opposite of "jungle fever?"
hincty - conceited or snobbish
peckerwood - white guy
I read this because I was in the mood for something pulpy. This isn't a review, just some things I want to note so I can remember the language used.
"Ah jes hate white folks so much, Ah'm gonna' bus mah haht opun iffen Ah don bile en the leckrik chair. Ah got tu git way frum white folks, an stay way." - Mama
"Ain't yu uh blip, Mama dahlin'? Heah ah am fatern uh goose wif frogskins an kickin' yo doe down whilst yu playin' possum lak Ah'm shuckin' an jivin' out heah. Them dirty white folk ain't gonna see yu fer uh munt. Opun the doe, Mama dahlin', an looka heah yu ken..." - Junior
"Niggah, yu shet thet blasphemin, lyin, sucking mouf uh yose. Jesus hepped po peeples. He nevah stole from em. Yu uh dirty low down niggah thet's going tu th basement uh hell." - Mama
"Heah, heah gal, git yosef tugethah. Yu drunk an crazy tu? Ah ain't got no time fo no niggah foolishment." - Mama
blind pig def. a speakeasy; an establishment that illegally sells alcoholic beverages.
shill - a person who purposely gives onlookers the impression that he or she is an enthusiastic independent customer of a seller (or marketer of ideas) that he or she is secretly working for. The word originally denoted a carnival worker who pretended to be a member of the audience in an attempt to elicit interest in an attraction.
Lemon pool - "...it's cue stick con played by a shark who never lets the sucker know his true ability. He lets the sucker win and lose in a natural way to build him up for the kill and the shark also knows how to 'skill out' and make it look he 'lucked out'........sometimes two lemon players will pretend to be bitter rivals and play each other while a third or maybe a fourth member of the team will lay bets among the onlookers. Naturally the lemon player with the heavy bets on him to win will lose to his partner......It's possible in spots to pick up nice money playing the lemon, but it's a hard hustle and the scores are usually small and far between. I know some cracker jack pool hustlers solo sharking that are starving to death." - Soldier
big foot country or big foot land def. - the South?
puglist [pyoo-juh-list] - a person who fights with the fists; a boxer, usually a professional
sadiddy - someone who is uptight in an utterly conceited sort of way, or who 'acts' as if they are completely superior towards/around another person.
paddy fever - attraction to white people? opposite of "jungle fever?"
hincty - conceited or snobbish
peckerwood - white guy
kenningjp's review against another edition
5.0
Tense and gorgeous. Definitely a product of its time but still an interesting read for those interested in black literature and in how queer folks are portrayed in literature.