Blackbirds: Volume 1
by Andre Coleman
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Book Summary Information
Author: Andre ColemanEdition: Hardcover
Audio: English (Published)
Published: 2007-06-10
ISBN: 0977379213
Number of pages: 224
Publisher: Razor7 Publishing
Book Reviews of Blackbirds: Volume 1
Book Review: An American Masterpiece
Summary: 5 Stars
When I think about Andre Coleman's Black Birds Volume I, great films like Roots, Rosewood and A Rasin in the Sun come to mind. I can easily see Black Birds on the big screen. With the start of the Black Birds series, Andre has embarked upon a work of literature that will definitely stand the test of time if he is able to bring the brilliance, skill and talent to subsequent Black Bird Volumes that he has poured into Volume I and I have no doubt that he will. Not only could Black Birds become an epic film but I could also see it on stage. It would be comparable to the late great August Wilson's ten play series, The Pittsburgh Cycle.
In Black Bird's Volume I, Andre Coleman has created an American Family that we all can relate to on one level or another. Yes, the McCray's are African American but their story is universal. Yes, they live in the Jim Crow South in the 50s' but just as much as things change, things stay the same. The dirty tactics and racial undertones of our current election speak to the aforementioned. Robert and Leona McCray, like every parent, want the best for their children. In spite of poverty and racism that permeates their small town, the McCray's work hard and try to live the best life that they can. They are raising their three children, Lincoln, Joshua and Reta to be upright and respectful.
Andre moves Black Birds along with imagery that taps into all of the senses. He makes you feel the rabid heat that smothers the small town of Dernier, Louisiana. You can't help but taste the eggs, biscuits and pancakes that Leona prepares for her family. Nor can you ignore the smell of the smoke that fills the black part of town after its burned down by an angry white mob or not hear the countless shouts of "boy and sunny" that are the thrown at the grown African American men of Dernier and sadly you won't be able to close your eyes to the injustice and brutality of that time.
It doesn't take us long to get to know the McCrays, each so beautifully written with idiosyncrasies and foibles that we often see in ourselves and others. Robert is a man who can defer to his wife but maintain his manhood. Leona is a strong woman who can be feisty one moment and tender the next. Lincoln, the oldest is a pretty boy and a dreamer who wants to be the next Elvis Presley. Joshua is an old soul whose very being detests the injustice that underpins his life and Rita is a daddy's girl who wants a TV.
Each character has their on objectives, Robert to protect his family, Leona to love her family, Lincoln to be a star and Rita to be a daddy's girl. However, it's Joshua's desire to court a young African-American girl and a subsequent deadly encounter with the Sherriff's white racist son that opens a Pandora's box creating an explosive series of events that bring out the life and death survivor instincts in Robert and his family that are depicted in ways by Coleman that will have you mesmerized, breathless and on the edge of your seat.
Black Birds is a must buy and a must read.
Summary of Blackbirds: Volume 1
Set in the small Southern town of Dernier, Louisiana, during the Jim Crow era, "Blackbirds: Volume 1" tells the story of one summer in the lives of 16-year-old Joshua McCray, his siblings Lincoln and Rita and their parents Robert and Leona - The book is the first in a five volume set following one family from 1955-1970 as they struggle with race, justice, loss and the pain of growing up.Literature & Fiction Books
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