J. California Cooper (1930–2014)

Some Soul to Keep by J. California Cooper reflects life in several long short stories that are realistic enough to feel voyeuristic while simultaneously feeling symbolic of something larger. Cooper captures the essence of life in a way that pulls the reader into the hearts and minds of her characters with unrelenting tenacity and compassion. She never shies away from the pain people can inflict on one another even as she offers a sense of hope that people can survive and grow and overcome show more the obstacles they face. Some Soul to Keep presents multi-dimensional characters who grab hold of one's beliefs, flips them over, and turns them inside out leaving one questioning life yet somehow feeling like one understands the world just a smidgen better than before one started reading. show less

The Matter is Life by J. California Cooper took me by surprise. I felt off-center as I began to read. Cooper uses language and grammar to give her characters voice and individuality. She writes stories that delve into the dirty aspects of life with an intense and uncomfortable honesty. Cooper writes life without dressing it up in frills and lace. Cooper addresses myriad topics from religion to drug use to family dynamics in this book of short stories. She delves into the way humans interact show more with one another as well as with themselves. She lets life's tatters and tears show. She creates raw and gritty characters in stories that feel all too real. The Matter is Life pushes the reader to think about why life matters and how to better embrace the what matters in life. show less

Sometimes even your best friend hesitates to tell you when she/he knows you're playin' a fool, but in this book of rollicking stories, you may see yourself in a few, and Ms. Cooper will be your new best friend for pointing things out to you. Even after 20+ years of marriage, I could still find useful insights ("wake up, girl!") into life, love, and perseverance. You can sink real low, but nobody can KEEP you there but yourself. Ms. Cooper gives literary voice to a large number of African show more American women, and her writing is as meaningful (and maybe more so) to those who are not African American women. show less

It's hard to imagine a book about slavery in America and not come away repulsed by what you are shown, but this book gets away with it. Presented almost like a loving relative telling a rather lengthy fairy tale, the reader can absorb the horrors without the full depth of emotional trauma. Appreciation without devastation. While the goal is one of optimism, I question some of the author's positions on issues. For instance, especially toward the end, she seems to be stating how good it is for show more a black person to look white. Not just for acceptance in a white-dominated society, but because it's just better. She also ends emphasizing the power of love when what she shows throughout is more the power of persistence in making life better. However, neither of these take away some of the beauty of what is written. At one point, a main character acknowledges to her new husband that she has seen the scars of his abuse as a slave, and says, "I's gonna rub em down with my special linment." To which he replies, "Yo special limment is love. You done already rubbed me all over my heart and soul. My body be awright now." And so is the reader, in the end. show less