Human Trial

RAMBLINGS THROUGH THE ATTIC OF THOUGHT (poetry)

Moore’s Work Enlightens, Deserves Wider Audience, August 19, 2009

E. Joyce Moore is one of my favorite writers, from essays to poetry, her missives tend to be heartfelt, yet analytical. Her poetry tome, Ramblings Through The Attic Of Thought , is no exception. This a poignant potpourri of poetic style and musings, from haiku to hip-hop; covering subjects ranging from broken hearts to the state of black America. Moore fires at the reader from point-blank range.

In After The Storm, Moore pens:

strange though, somewhere deep inside mea tiny flame of relief burns brightI am still alone, just by myself.framed no longer, I am set freeI open myself to life’s sunlightno more a pretty painting on someone’s shelf.

Predefinition offers us another blunt look at race relations through Ms. Moore’s eyes:

I look past you, You look past me / If we looked at each other What would we see? / Would you see the kindness / In my eyes Would your sense of humor / Take me by surprise? / What would happen / If we didn’t assume / or define each other / And chose to make room For the truth.

Moore elaborates on aberrant behavior, which today’s youth pass off as hip, from hop-hop hoochies to this piece about “saggin’”:

Pull yo’ pants up Brotha / The look is passé / Spread the word / In case no one has heard…And looks bad anyway… When you don’t / Even know why / Your belt loops’ At your thigh / No, you don’t even / Know why It means / You’re a jail ho’

Moore’s work makes the reader think, and her imagery is strak. I would rather see young people reading her work and becoming enlightened, than reading the popular schlock that today passes as Afro-american “literature.”

DEACON’S CIRCLE (novel by Derek Vitatoe)

Vitatoe a Burgeoning Storyteller, August 2, 2009

Deacon’s Circle is an interesting tale that takes on some rather stark subject matter: Child sexual exploitation–with several graphic murders tossed in, to boot. One of the requirements for reading this book is a strong intestinal fortitude, as some of the sex scenes between adults and children are quite graphic.

The story centers on Deacon Ali Gaines, a shiesty church official caught up in the proverbial “love for money,” sexual obsession and opulent lifestyle that a harem-keeping sheik would envy. While we know a lot about Ali, we get a picture of the heroine–detective Madeline Harris–in bits and pieces. This is one of the books drawbacks.

Gaines not only steals from his church, but he too, is connected to the sex slave ring. Kicking the story up a notch, however, is a mysterious and brutal serial killer who is wiping out Ali’s inner circle, including a double homicide committed in a church that shocks the senses. Gaines is panicked and at one point, thinks the goings on might be some sort of divine retribution for his myriad of crimes.

Vitatoe knows his material. Every character is believable, but the story is sometimes hampered by overuse of clichés and metaphors. He has a good ear for dialogue, which I don’t think we see enough of. Vitatoe is quite inventive, but his voice suffers when he relies on phraseology such as:

“‘Stay here with him, Davis,’ Madeline instructed one of her colleagues as she and the others geared up. They weren’t prepared for what awaited them on the inside.” Or, “Sanders turned to his right, and a shoulder caught him in the stomach and sent him tumbling in the dirt. When he finally shook the stars circling over his head…”

Still, the story has plenty of action packed scenes and enough twists and hint of a love interest involving Madeline and one of her partners to hold the reader’s interest. The ending, while it packs a wallop, leaves several unanswered questions which I suppose are being saved for a sequel. 3 out of 5 stars.

TALK RADIO (novel by Mark Gelbart)

Good story, but should have run longer, May 7, 2009

Mark Gelbart’s Talk Radio rehashes the liberal v. conservative debate, when a loser liberal abducts a popular right-wing talk show host bearing similarities to Rush Limbaugh. The characters are a bit stereotyped and the differences between the central characters, liberal Richard Schmidt and the talk show host, Buck Bennett, is too stilted, and eventually, you begin to loathe both.

Still, the book makes for an interesting read as Gelbart allows the story to unfold as leisurely as life does in the south. Richard, a loser insurance salesman and whipping boy fro his boss, eventually finds love in Lakeisha, a black waitress at a mom and pop café. Lakeisha is able to see the “inner beauty” in Richard, yet has no idea that he has kidnapped a man and nearly killed him by depriving him of water. As Richard’s life improves, Buck suffers. Lack of light, isolation, and the lack of water results in Buck having difficulty distinguishing between fantasy and reality.

The one flaw in the book is that the ending, while it takes a helluva twist, tells rather than shows, lacking the details readers require and thus, leaves the reader feeling as if he missed something. Of course, to do this would have required another fifty to one hundred pages, but in my view it would have been worth the effort.

In particular is a trial that has many compelling elements that should have been elaborated upon, especially witness testimony and the mindset of one juror. Instead the result is that 95% of Talk Radio works smooth and easy, and the final 5% comes off as rushed. Unfortunately, it is that 5% that has the most impact. Gelbart might have been better served had he started the story with the kidnapping, worked backward and then fleshed out the conclusion.

All in all, Gelbrat’s first novel shows a promising writer.

CATHARSIS (vampire anthology by Minnie Miller)

Vampire Tales With A Modern Twist, May 7, 2009

Minnie Miller’s Catharsis consists of three short stories, two of which center of vampires. The scene of the first story, Run, Baby, Run, is set in the woods of the antebellum south, where a runaway slave named Sybil is on the lam, attempting to avoid her cruel pursuers. As she is buried underneath the autumn foliage of the woods, she is befriended by a vampire, a former slave himself, named Damon. Sibyl accepts his promise of eternal life and the opportunity to exact revenge on those who murdered and tortured their enslaved brethren.

Damon also appears in the second story, An Unusual Love Affair. We are also introduced to Ashley, who makes the transition to vampire but tries to do so on her terms, which includes living among mortals in a tri-level mansion. Her fantasy doesn’t last long and eventually, she and Damon must flee.

The third story is a tale of the Supernatural, of love eternal–in a literal sense. While the premise of the stories are unusual, the smooth narrative reveals Miller’s skill at getting readers to suspend their disbelief and accept as reality the world she has created. None of the stories are what I would term “creepy.” Miller, in fact, gives her vampire characters human emotions and frailties. Vampire tales have always had their niche and this short anthology not only fits in with that group, but is unique in that it comes from a modern Afro-American perspective.

THIS AIN’T NO HEARTS AND FLOWERS LOVE STORY, Pt. I (novel by Brooklyn Darkchild)

Ms. Darkchild Ain’t Never Lied!, April 13, 2009

Brooklyn Darkchild is a literary wunderkind–Li’l Kim-Dr. Ruth-Ann Landers-Donna Summer all rolled into one. She is also a disciple of truth in advertising, as her novel This Ain’t No Hearts and Flowers Love Story, Pt. !, is exactly what the title professes it to be. The story, written in something resembling a long narrative poem, is laden with gritty drama, and tempered with humor and life lessons that will leave readers wondering why Darkchild’s work isn’t placed in bookstores next to more widely-known authors.

The story centers on cousins Obie and Princess, one of whom struggles on the streets of New York and the other raised within the confines of luxury. Both have been exposed to drugs and aberrant sexual behavior, but more important they are bonded by the fact neither has a mother whom they can turn to for affection or advice. Rather than making them cynical, it forces them to grow up quickly and fuels their drive to become stars in the entertainment industry. It is the older Obie who gets there first, but Cess has all the determination of Louretta Hawkins, the lead character in Kisrstin Lattany’s classic, The Soul Brothers and Sister Lou.

Through Obie’s eyes, we watch Princess blossom into womanhood and like Obie, we too, fall in love with her. After sexually charged denials, the two slowly evolve into lovers, and we get both sides of the story. Its balanced, not a pity party deal, as Darkchild shows off her firm grip on the subtleties and intricacies of love (and lust, for that matter). She paints in vivid strokes the psychodrama that takes place not only between the O.B. and Cess, but even the bit players–including Cess’s obsessed suitor Einstein, and bisexual uncles and onlookers.

OB and Cess’s love is tested by outsiders–includes a haunting from the ghost of a one-night stand and a violent attacker. The book ends with the promise of a sequel already penned.

One of the things I liked about the characters is that they are written as introspective without drowning the reader in narrative. We always understand the motivation behind the character’s dreams and actions. In the end, this becomes not just a tale of love, but a coming of age story.

So much of the black literature market fails to address the coming-of-age genre. This book nails it and also conveys the message that candy and flowers are one thing, but love borne through a common struggle, and that simmers, is wondrous all by itself.

COMING SOON: Reviews of works by JEN KNOX and KEN WEENES