Tina McElroy Ansa : "The Hand I Fan With"

I love the way Tina employs the spiritual realm; it enhances her story line. In the case the main character Lena McPherson, Mulberry's indespensible business owner, is the person that everyone can count on in their lives on a daily basis. If you ask anybody, they were declare that she is the one with all the answers; the one you can depend on to not forget a birthday or an anniversary; the one who has made herself available for everyone in the town from her employees, to misdirected teens to old Miss Cliona from Yamacraw. She finds comfort in her dedication but the one thing she wants - a romance of her own - she can't seem to help herself with. Inside she's lonely and she thinks her wish is hopeless until one day she discovers that the man she and her friend were trying to conjure up for her, appears in the form of a handsome, muscular, polite gentleman who is over 100 years old and able to become a physical man or a wisp of smoke.

Your Blues Ain't Like Mine

Written by Bebe Moore Campbell, this novel revolved around an event that forever entwined the challenging lives of two women - one black, the other white - and their struggles to painstakingly carve out happiness for their individual futures. Ms. Campbell expertly chronicled the events of "Your Blues Ain't Like Mine" with historical fact from the Jim Crow segregated south to the George Bush era. Throughout the book, she kept her readers engaged with telephoto views inside each of her characters and careful timing of shared information. Contrary to its title, the contents of "Your Blues Ain't Like Mine" detailed a poignant look at black and white culture. Ms. Campbell showed that if you dig deep enough below the color of the skin, having the blues is a universal concept.
"Your Blues Ain't Like Mine" is a positive addition for every bookshelf.