The Hatwearer's Lesson

This modern-day fable features a young African-American woman who achieves her heart's desire financially, professionally, and socially--only to discover that true happiness lies in her humble upbringing. Yolanda Joe has written a heartwarming story of family and the quest for true love. Susan Spain does a fine job capturing the main characters--rich and poor, young and old, male and female, Northern and Southern. But she is less successful in giving distinctive voices to the vast cast of minor characters. Whenever there is dialogue, the lack of vocal differentiation makes it difficult to discern who is speaking. P.R. (c) AudioFile 2004, Portland, Maine

February 10, 2003
Readers who know that success isn't measured by material wealth will root for beautiful Terri Mills, a powerful attorney for the city of Chicago, who comes to understand that false values could destroy her life. Despite having grown up without parents or much money, Terri has made it big. She's riding high until her fiancé, Derek Houser, cheats on her. His smooth-talking apologies are none too convincing; in fact, his smarminess and self-indulgence makes one wonder what she ever saw in the guy besides his Jaguar XJ6. Yet Joe (Babe's by Golly Wow) makes clear that it's especially difficult for a professional African-American woman to find a man who is not intimidated by her smarts. Not to mention that Terri and Derek are the perfect power couple, and Terri hates the idea of losing the fruits of their collective networking. When Terri's beloved Grandma Ollie becomes ill back home in Collingswood, Ark., Terri rushes to her bedside. There, she has time to reflect on her muddled love life, and Grandma Ollie offers additional insights by way of stories from her own youth. Distracted by Grandma Ollie's dramatic past and Derek's long-distance contrition, Terri doesn't realize that local rodeo superstar Lynnwood Conway has fallen in love with her. The unassuming ease with which Lynnwood woos Terri forces her to reconsider what and who truly makes her happy. This is a spirited fairy tale for young black professional women with an ending as predictable, and as satisfying, as one would expect.