worth the effort, 20 Oct 2002
Granted, this is not an easy book to get into, but after seeing bad reviews (after I'd bought it) and a slow beginning, I was immensely glad I'd made the time. If you want tidy endings and clear-cut moral statements, stay away. But I found reading this tender, carefully drawn, sometimes claustrophobic portrait of an already-splintered family in a time of complete crisis fascinating and very moving. And the horrors the family and their community go through on the personal level of what is being done to their children is made all the more interesting - and appalling - by the context of the racism to which they are subjected by the press and the American authorities. Beyond the family's experiences is the all-too-widespread issue of white (British as well and American) society's attitude to the death of black children, valuing them so far below white kids, and the personal as well as political tragedies that result from this prejudice. But this book also shows the commitment and bravery of communities facing such discrimination and pain, and as a subtext gives an intricate account of the way that people pull together and the inspiring ways that communities and local organisations defy the powers-that-be to try and challenge their situation.
An outsider looking at the deep south., 16 Aug 2002
I am in complete agreement with the previous reviewer. I found this book tedious in the extreme. I only finished it because there is so much work gone into writing it by the author. I almost felt duty bound. The narrative was difficult to follow and who all the people were evaded my mind. There was a distinct lack of continuity and being in the vernacular made it even more difficult to read / enjoy. What should have been a social statement lacked any cohesion and in fact, was annoying to read.
Not worth the effort..., 04 Oct 2001
I was really looking forward to reading this book and held onto it for months before taking it on holiday with me. I struggled to get into it but persevered with the hope it would get better. It never did.
It's a shame that 10 years of research resulted in such a confusing and disjointed piece of work. I was lost from the beginning as I couldn't keep up with who was doing what and why. How the characters reached their conclusions is left to the imagination, and while mine is very active, I couldn't make the same connections due to the lack of information provided. If the experience had been even semi-enjoyable, I might attempt reading it again to see if things could be more clear - but the thought of dredging through it again is far too depressing.
Despite my disappointment and confusion, I kept going to at least find out how it all ended... only to meet with further disappointment. The final 'show-down' was lost on me and you never actually find out what happened or who was responsible. Fine if that's how the true story ended - but this was a work of fiction, so some satisfaction at the end seemed to be in order.
Tedious in the extreme, 22 Mar 2000
By all measures this should be a monumental work on the nature of prejudice, racism, poverty and a mother's search for her son. Instead it is (unfortunately) just TOO LONG. I had a review copy before it was published and I just couldn't drag myself through the book. Each time I looked at it, it was glowering back at me. I love reading but this book was too much like hard work. It gets confused about what its trying to be and where its trying to go. Which is a big shame because the subject - the Atlanta child killings of 1979/80 - is well worth investigation. The author died before the book got to print so it was edited and published by her friend Toni Morrison. A tough job! How can you cut and slash the work of a dead friend? Sadly, the book would have more impact and get more readers if it was half as long and twice as punchy.
