Dawn Turner Trice

This is a tough read because of the situations and subjects it covers (check content warnings if you're one to do so), but it's also such a beautiful work that I'm thankful to have stumbled on it. Something like a mix of Gloria Naylor, James Baldwin, and Alice Walker, the story revolves around a chance friendship between an older woman and a young girl. We learn of one's past while seeing the other's heartbreaking present unfold, and there are moments when, despite the uselessness, a reader show more can't help but be tempted to shout 'It's not fair' in the way of a child. And yet, there is so much joy and wonder, and so many beautifully drawn characters, and so much humor and gorgeous writing alongside the heartbreak and trauma detailed in this book. And there's hope, which makes it all the more powerful.

I'm not sure how this book ended up on my shelf, but I'm glad it did, and I'd absolutely recommend it to anyone interested. (But do check content warnings, particularly if certain content centered on/around children bothers you.) show less

This is a beautiful, moving memoir. It covers friendship, the love of family and how hard growing up can be. I loved how easy it was to read, the beginning is engaging and interesting. As the story got harder to read, and sad at times, I was completely absorbed and was rooting for and brokenhearted for the characters in turn. I'm so glad I read this one.

A huge thank you to the author and publisher for providing an e-ARC via Netgalley. This does not affect my opinion regarding the book.

Dawn Turner does an excellent job of portraying growing up in a black neighborhood of Chicago in the 60’s and 70’s. I grew up in a Chicago all white suburb during the same time period and our experiences couldn’t have been more different. The three girls Dawn, her sister Kim and best friend Debra all end up taking different paths in their life. Kim and Debra have drinking and drug problems. Kim’s problem ends up killing her and Debra’s problem ends up with her killing someone. Dawn show more herself ends up being a very successful journalist. It’s easy for people to think that if Dawn did it why didn’t Kim and Debra. This memoir makes one feel compassion and understanding about the path of everyone’s lives. I couldn’t put this book down. show less

The first third is perfect. Beautiful. The rest is really really good, just some structural awkwardness and the usual difficulties of writing memoir about being an adult rather than a child. The love and hope and honesty of Turner are profound. She brings in so many social perspectives yet never loses the heart of the story -- which is her heart, really, and the hearts of the loved ones she writes about.