Using What You Got

Tiara Bynum is a beautiful African-American on the cusp of womanhood. Haughty, manipulative, and used to getting her way, she finds that her narcissistic behavior ultimately leads to her downfall. Specifically, when the man of her dreams does not return her ardor, she makes decisions that have disastrous consequences for all concerned. Susan Spain's narration gives vitality to this conflicted young woman. Buyer beware, this is a realistic portrayal of contemporary urban life, and the auxiliary characters use profanity in just about every sentence. But make no mistake--this is a provocative production. P.R. (c) AudioFile 2005, Portland, Maine

July 7, 2003
This third novel for Miller (Satin Doll) revisits the Harlem projects, where Reggie Bynum, a former poker player and boxer who now works for the New York City Department of Sanitation, is raising two daughters alone. His wife abandoned the family when the girls—now 12 and 18—were very young, and Reggie, haunted by the memory of his own deadbeat father, dotes on his daughters, sometimes to a fault. His sister, Charlene (Aunt Charley), drinks Johnny Walker Red and hangs around his apartment, supposedly to "help out," but really to stave off her own loneliness. Reggie's younger daughter, Jo-Jo, is a tomboy and talented basketball player, while his older one, the shallow and self-absorbed Tiara, is obsessed with finding a rich guy to rescue her from the projects. She meets Lionel, noticing his black Porsche, his Versace loafers—and nothing else about him. Both she and her father are dazzled by his money and his claim that he is a business major at NYU. At the same time, Tiara meets Rashad, a cab driver who volunteers at the local community center. His apparent nonchalance drives Tiara crazy, but his depth and kindness draw her to him. Tiara's sudden transformation at the end is hard to swallow, supporting characters are even less developed and the plot is predictable. But Miller's prose has a kinetic energy and she includes enough saucy dialogue to make this a decently entertaining read.