Like Sisters on the Homefront

Starred review from September 4, 1995
As this unusually perceptive, streetwise novel opens, Gayle, 14, already a mother to seven-month-old Jose, is once again pregnant. Brooking no opposition, Mama marches Gayle to a clinic for an abortion, then sends her and Jose to Columbus, Ga., to live with Mama's semi-estranged brother, minister Luther Gates, and his family. Much to Gayle's surprise, the Gateses live in an antebellum mansion on a sizeable estate. And to her dismay, Luther's wife, ``Miss Auntie,'' assigns her to help care for Great, her bedridden great-grandmother, along with a host of other chores and, of course, caring for Jose. Foul-mouthed Gayle has nothing but contempt for the houseful of ``holy rollers''-especially cousin Cookie, who at 16 still wears kneesocks and hasn't been ``busted'' by a man, much less kissed. But through learning about family history from astute, acid-tongued Great and Miss Auntie, Gayle, who has always stood defiantly alone, begins to see how she is an integral part of a greater whole. Williams-Garcia (Fast Talk on a Slow Track) perhaps effects a faster metamorphosis in Gayle than is strictly credible, but no matter. The emotions ring true, as does the portrait of contemporary black culture. Ages 12-up.

Narrator Joniece Abbot-Pratt delivers a dynamic listening experience of a book originally published 25 years ago. When 14-year-old Gayle becomes pregnant again, her mother sends her to live with her uncle's family in Georgia, along with her baby, Jos�. Away from her friends, she's stuck hanging out with her straitlaced cousin, Cookie, and caring for her dying grandmother, Great. Abbot-Pratt excels at adding personality to each character, switching seamlessly between Cookie's clear enunciation, Gayle's black vernacular, and Great's low, gravelly timbre. Listeners will be endeared by Gayle's candid tenacity as she discovers more about her roots through caring for Great. A heartwarming, authentic performance affirms the power of family. A.K.R. � AudioFile 2020, Portland, Maine