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16th out of 40 books
—
75 voters
Makeda
"Eloquent and erudite, Robinson's oft-times mystical coming-of-age saga teems with rich and evocative historical insights."
-- Booklist
"Hypnotic . . . one of the finest novels this year . . . [Robinson] is a gifted storyteller."
-- Essence
"Makeda is beyond ambitious and imaginative . . . well written and powerful, with an ending that is equal parts tragic and romantic in nat...more
-- Booklist
"Hypnotic . . . one of the finest novels this year . . . [Robinson] is a gifted storyteller."
-- Essence
"Makeda is beyond ambitious and imaginative . . . well written and powerful, with an ending that is equal parts tragic and romantic in nat...more
Paperback, 350 pages
Published
August 30th 2011
by OpenLens
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Sep 04, 2012
Kathy
rated it
5 of 5 stars
Recommends it for:
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Readers from 30 in 90 Written Magazine
I just completed this wonderful story by Randall Robinson. It is the story of a young man Graylon, "Gray" March and his grandmother Mattie Gee Florida Harris March "Makeda" born blind in Richmond Va at the turn of the century. Gray and his grandmother have a relationship born of love and respect that grandmothers represent. Makeda had dreams in color that were from the past lives that she had lived in Ethiopia and amongst the Moors in Spain.
I loved the book as Ethiopia is a country that I have...more
I loved the book as Ethiopia is a country that I have...more
3/2012 The book, Makeda, has strong writing, interesting historical information, and thought provoking ideas. However, the story was not what was described in the online description or on the book’s cover. Perhaps the discrepancy was due to my lack of understanding of African-American history and culture. The books is described as, “Makeda Gee Florida Harris March is a proud matriarch, the anchor and emotional bellwether who holds together a hard-working African American family living in 1950s R...more
This author takes us on a spiritual journey through many reincarnations of an old soul, who in this reincarnation is a blind African American retired laundress and empowers her grandson to know, without a doubt, that no matter how downtrodden, disadvantaged, poor, seemingly uneducated, or no matter how lowly your current job, that you are a part of culture, and man's glorious achievement. That no matter how " third world" a country appears to be, it is the repository of knowledge western science...more
Maybe I missed it (which is entirely possible given how scatterbrained I've become) but I'm surprised this book didn't get more press. I found myself comparing Robinson's book to those of another black law scholar/novelist, Stephen L. Carter. The big difference between the two is pacing: Robinson's, for all its elegant prose, moves at a not-too-fast, not-too-slow clip, whereas Carter's tend to plod along while also lacking the same grace of language. The story in and of itself isn't that complic...more
This story is right up my alley, the metaphysical and spiritual aspects of it flowed with my being like old familiar friends. I did have some issues with the writing, there were times when it felt like it was coming from different writers; or maybe their were long periods of time between writing pieces of the book; it gave it a choppiness and some parts were contradictory to the overall vibe of the book. Also, there were times when I felt the wording was trying to hard...the use of big words for...more
Makeda is an amazing fact-infused fiction work that I found deeply inspiring. It described a people and existence that African Americans desperatly need to remember and reconnect with. However, the coming of age story line and common experience of navigating higher education resonated with me as well. I'll definitely be gifting a copy to all my friends and family. This novel can easily be described as a "must read". I'll be reading through it again myself soon enough. Randall Robinson's promotio...more
What could West African history and cosmology, the Queen of Sheba and early Christianity possibly have to do with a simple, blind, old woman, who is only moderately educated and has lived all her life in Richmond, Virginia? Quite a lot, you will find when you read Randall Robinson's thought-provoking and persuasive novel. With Makeda Robinson ventures into a world of fiction that transcends any genre definition of a traditional novel. It integrates a fictional memoir, a coming-of-age and a very...more
Randall Robinson, best known for his efforts in foreign policy advocacy and his bestselling nonfiction works An Unbroken Agony and Quitting America, turns his hand to fiction with the story of a young African-American man whose sense of self is shaped and buoyed by his visions of the past.
Gray March feels little connection to his emotionally distant parents, but from early childhood he is strongly bonded to his blind grandmother Makeda. Only to Gray will she divulge her dreams of Africa, dreams...more
Gray March feels little connection to his emotionally distant parents, but from early childhood he is strongly bonded to his blind grandmother Makeda. Only to Gray will she divulge her dreams of Africa, dreams...more
By the title alone, if you are a reader who enjoys "factual" fiction you know you are in for a treat. The book is essentially a coming-of-age story, but told with a backdrop of African history. When and where have the Dogon been mentioned in a work of fiction? The thoughts that run through Gray's mind are certainly designed to be instructive to the reader. It is rare that a novel can be educational in regards to African history, and how it relates to the contemporary African-American but Makeda...more
Makeda will not be the book for everyone. I savered every word of his lovely writing. Makeda is about a man's special bond with his grandmother.
Grayson has had a bond with his blind grandmother since he was little. He is the one person she feels comfortable sharing her past-life dreams with, one of which motivates him to visit Africa.
This book explores relationships, reincarnation, African history, and lovely writing.
Grayson has had a bond with his blind grandmother since he was little. He is the one person she feels comfortable sharing her past-life dreams with, one of which motivates him to visit Africa.
This book explores relationships, reincarnation, African history, and lovely writing.
This book was a pretty good mix of fiction and fact. The author seemed to "time hop" a bit too much, and I found myself trying to figure out which century or year he was in. I also felt that he could have been a bit more detailed in some parts of the book. Other than that, it's a nice book.
Mr. Robinson's first attempt at fiction. The ideas behind the story are great, but he needs to work on character development and voice. Really wanted more backstory on Makeda and the parents. I will read Mr Robinson's next attempt at fiction. He is an excellent nonfiction writer.
Great coming of age story along with great bits of African history, metaphysics, and identity formation. Dr Quarles laments toward the end of the book that he did not require more reading of African (Mali) history to his students. I would like to see this book read in high schools and colleges. I loved being able to see images of the andrika symbols and the lalibela crosses which are so beautiful.
A good premise for a novel, but way too wordy and detailed. The author comes across as an intellectual English major on steroids!! Got better at the end, but not enough to justify a higher rating.
One of the most interesting books I've read in a long time. I thought this book contained so many moments of gorgeous clarity and insight. This is the kind of book that I long to read.
Though it was slow going, I got truly caught up in this book and the message as I got more into it. personally, it deserves the five and then more stars it got by me.
Wonderful story of a Grandmother that dreams of her African previous lives and her grandson, who wants so much to prove she is certain of her past lives. I enjoyed the story, some parts a little too wordy.
I didn't finish this in time for our book club meeting and discovered that most of us hadn't! :-). We asked the one girl who did to tell us about how it ended, and I wasn't impressed. Other things to read. Like this month's book! :-)
Fascinating. Interesting. Thought-provoking.
Beautifully written. A good reminder of our "forgetfulness" in the face of progress and ambition.
The grandmother's story was interesting, but the rest of the book wasn't captivating. I fell asleep on the audiobook several times lol.
I liked the subject, I liked the two main characters, but I didn't care for Mr. Robinsons writing style.
I just started this book. Randall Robinson can tell a story like no other. You can almost here his voice through the words of this amazing story. I'm taking this on my Thanksgiving getaway and can't wait to tell you about it once I return. If you haven't heard Randall read or speak, you simply must; if you haven't read his words, you're missing out! I already highly recommend this book. Love it and recommended it for a book club.
Great story but the writing was pretentious. The author felt the need to use difficult vocabulary. I loved the central character Makeda and her many lives.
Dec 21, 2012
Nawesa
marked it as to-read
Entrevista a autor en esta página:
http://www.democracynow.org/2012/1/13...
http://www.democracynow.org/2012/1/13...
Really liked the primary relationship, protag and grandmother, but not into his writing style.
May 18, 2013
Becca
marked it as to-read
May 18, 2013
TBoddy
marked it as to-read
May 17, 2013
Lisabeth Lueninghoener
marked it as to-read
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May 16, 2013 04:58am