Joyce is considered uncool, mainly because she has a big butt which makes guys think she's easy so they spread rumors about her and then the girls don't want to associate with a "slut". Of course, flaws can't be fixed easily and what some people see as flaws, other people see as good things, so I guess that could go either way with Joyce. She had flaws, but they were ones that were never noticed therefore they weren't resolved. I liked the idea behind this book, but I just couldn't get into it because of the main character. She recently served on the National Book Award Committee for Young People's Literature and is on faculty at Vermont College MFA Writing for Children and Young People. Known for their realistic portrayal of teens of color, Williams-Garcia's works have been recognized by the Coretta Scott King Award Committee, PEN Norma Klein, American Library Association, and Parents' Choice, among others. They hunger for stories that engage them and reflect their images and experiences."Īuthor of four award winning novels, Rita Williams-Garcia continues to break new ground in young people's literature. Writing stories for young people is my passion and my mission. In the midst of real events, I daydreamed and wrote stories. "I learned to read early, and was aware of events going on as I grew up in the 60s.
Even now, my daughters call me 'Pokey Mom', because I slow poke around when they want to go-go-go. I like to believe I was dreaming up a good story and wouldn’t budge until I was finished. Although I was her last child, I took my time making my appearance. My mother, Miss Essie, named me 'NoMo' immediately after my birth. (Sept."I was born in Queens, N.Y, on April 13, 1957. The emotions ring true, as does the portrait of contemporary black culture. Williams-Garcia (Fast Talk on a Slow Track) perhaps effects a faster metamorphosis in Gayle than is strictly credible, but no matter. But through learning about family history from astute, acid-tongued Great and Miss Auntie, Gayle, who has always stood defiantly alone, begins to see how she is an integral part of a greater whole. Foul-mouthed Gayle has nothing but contempt for the houseful of ``holy rollers''-especially cousin Cookie, who at 16 still wears kneesocks and hasn't been ``busted'' by a man, much less kissed. And to her dismay, Luther's wife, ``Miss Auntie,'' assigns her to help care for Great, her bedridden great-grandmother, along with a host of other chores and, of course, caring for Jose. Much to Gayle's surprise, the Gateses live in an antebellum mansion on a sizeable estate. Brooking no opposition, Mama marches Gayle to a clinic for an abortion, then sends her and Jose to Columbus, Ga., to live with Mama's semi-estranged brother, minister Luther Gates, and his family. As this unusually perceptive, streetwise novel opens, Gayle, 14, already a mother to seven-month-old Jose, is once again pregnant.
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