This books is so exquisite in its language, I felt sad for knowing I could never be a writer like this. It features several short stories with intertwining details that spans from the 1920's through present-day and traipses across New York City, San Francisco, Palm Beach and even India and France! The beginning story of Anarchists and Communists in 1920's and 30's New York made me think of Richard Wright and the parts in Paris reminded me of James Baldwin. The entire book made me envious of any students that are attending Sarah Lawrence College and could actually sit in a class taught by Silber! One of the loveliest I have read lately......
This story might take a minute to tell. Bear with me. When my sister and I were little girls, my mother took us to a large baptist church in town. Even as a child, I never remember feeling welcome there. But I do remember the lovely older couple that kept my Sunday School class. They gave us saltines and kool-aid, and I remember thinking they would be nice grandparents to have. At Christmastime, the Sunday School class was set to have a random gift exchange. Every child was supposed to bring a gift that could be exchanged with any other child.....no specific gift designations. I received the gift of an Avon 7 bead necklace which was very popular at the time. I loved it so much and was thrilled to have it! I was somewhere between 5 and 7 at the time. (Back in the 1970's and 80's, Avon was a cosmetic company that was also known for it's inexpensive jewelry. I couldn't find a price on what this necklace would have cost back then, but apparently there is ...

Comments