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The Darkest Child
Bakersfield, Georgia, 1958: Thirteen-year-old Tangy Mae Quinn is the sixth of ten fatherless siblings. She is the darkest-skinned among them and therefore the ugliest in her mother, Rozelle's, estimation, but she's also the brightest. Rozelle--beautiful, charismatic, and light-skinned--exercises a violent hold over her children. Fearing abandonment, she pulls them from school at the age of twelve and sends them to earn their keep for the household, whether in domestic service, in the fields, or at "the farmhouse" on the edge of town, where Rozelle beds local men for money.
But Tangy Mae has been selected to be part of the first integrated class at a nearby white high school. She has a chance to change her life, but can she break from Rozelle's grasp without ruinous--even fatal--consequences?
But Tangy Mae has been selected to be part of the first integrated class at a nearby white high school. She has a chance to change her life, but can she break from Rozelle's grasp without ruinous--even fatal--consequences?
397 pages, ebook
First published January 1, 2004
1413 people are currently reading
24641 people want to read
About the author
Delores Phillips
4 books448 followersDelores Phillips was born in Georgia. She is a graduate of Cleveland State University and works as a nurse in a facility for abused women and children in Cleveland. This is her first novel.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 2,201 reviews
August 12, 2016
Heart wrenching but well written and thought out. It's hard when you know the fiction was and probably is someone's truth. Just a reminder to be grateful.
February 16, 2016
4.5 stars
Whew! Wow what a book. What a beautifully written yet sad book. Why has this Author not written another book? Perhaps this was the only story she needed to tell. The writing was so wonderful and vivid that I could see/imagine what was happening. That is not always a good thing with this book as there is a tremendous amount of abuse in this book. I found that I could not read this book fast. I had to take breaks from it. This is not an easy read.
The book begins when Rozelle tells her employer that it is her last day of work because she is going to die over the weekend. In reality she is pregnant. She has 10 children from different fathers and she is a disturbing woman. Mainly because she is disturbed. Was she mentally ill? What she incredibly mean? There is something just off about her and the Author never really tells us what. Her children also know something is not quite right about their Mother. She is abusive to her children. Abuse is a light word for how she treats her children. Forcing two daughters to prostitute themselves for money and one to raise money to get her brother out of jail. Not all of her children survive. It is not a kind world that this family lives in. As I stated the descriptions are so vivid that the scenes are disturbing. This book is about pain, hope, determination and survival. This is a book where you want to know what happens next and yet at the same time, you dread what happens next.
Rozelle is a light skinned woman who could pass for White. As stated in the description, she favors (if you can call it favoring) her lighter skinned children. The narrator, is her dark skinned daughter Tangy May. A girl who loves books and school. Her Mother allows her to attend school the longest but soon decides that it is time for her to leave school and start earning money to help support the household.
This book has many characters. There is a character who just wants to teach and help better his peers through reading and writing. There are those who are angry with the "Jim Crow" South, there is Miss Pearl, who tries to help the family.
The part in the book where Rozelle tells Tangy May that they last time she saw her one child she was a fireball. UGH!
In short, beautifully written book. I highly recommend this book but be warned it is not an easy read. There are parts that will make you uncomfortable. I do hope that Delores Phillips continues to write. I can't say enough about how much I enjoyed her writing. She is so vivid and descriptive.
Whew! Wow what a book. What a beautifully written yet sad book. Why has this Author not written another book? Perhaps this was the only story she needed to tell. The writing was so wonderful and vivid that I could see/imagine what was happening. That is not always a good thing with this book as there is a tremendous amount of abuse in this book. I found that I could not read this book fast. I had to take breaks from it. This is not an easy read.
The book begins when Rozelle tells her employer that it is her last day of work because she is going to die over the weekend. In reality she is pregnant. She has 10 children from different fathers and she is a disturbing woman. Mainly because she is disturbed. Was she mentally ill? What she incredibly mean? There is something just off about her and the Author never really tells us what. Her children also know something is not quite right about their Mother. She is abusive to her children. Abuse is a light word for how she treats her children. Forcing two daughters to prostitute themselves for money and one to raise money to get her brother out of jail. Not all of her children survive. It is not a kind world that this family lives in. As I stated the descriptions are so vivid that the scenes are disturbing. This book is about pain, hope, determination and survival. This is a book where you want to know what happens next and yet at the same time, you dread what happens next.
Rozelle is a light skinned woman who could pass for White. As stated in the description, she favors (if you can call it favoring) her lighter skinned children. The narrator, is her dark skinned daughter Tangy May. A girl who loves books and school. Her Mother allows her to attend school the longest but soon decides that it is time for her to leave school and start earning money to help support the household.
This book has many characters. There is a character who just wants to teach and help better his peers through reading and writing. There are those who are angry with the "Jim Crow" South, there is Miss Pearl, who tries to help the family.
The part in the book where Rozelle tells Tangy May that they last time she saw her one child she was a fireball. UGH!
In short, beautifully written book. I highly recommend this book but be warned it is not an easy read. There are parts that will make you uncomfortable. I do hope that Delores Phillips continues to write. I can't say enough about how much I enjoyed her writing. She is so vivid and descriptive.
January 26, 2016
This is a painful story told from the perspective of a girl, Tangy Mae, who suffers terribly at the hands of her mother, a woman with many children but no long term partner to support her. Tangy recognises that 'there was something terribly wrong with our mother' but is unable to escape from her increasingly abusive behaviour, partly because she feels responsible for her younger siblings. The family's tale plays out against the background of a small town in the 1950s, mired in racism. Phillips skilfully (and naturalistically, without barging into the text with interpretations) sets up the family as a microcosm of the racial and gender politics of the time, with dark-skinned Tangy Mae receiving the worst treatment and the girls generally being expected to sacrifice everything, while the light-skinned older boys are spared much of their mother's violence and receive more affection.
The young Black men have difficulty getting work, and spend their days waiting in the town centre for white men to pick them up in trucks and take them off to do a few hours or days hard labour for pitful wages. One of the men compares the situation unfavourably to slavery. Another is particularly thoughtful and aware, directing his anger and frustration towards political action and seeking to organise the discontented black youth, encouraging self-education among them, and writing to the NAACP for assistance. The obstacles his efforts encounter pile up, well drawn by Phillips to illustrate how a few key White racists could effectively obstruct Black struggle for racial 'uplift'.
The men's plight contrasts with the situation for girls and women, who seem to find it relatively easy to get work housekeeping in white homes, although their wages are not impressive. One girl taken on for such work resigns after three days of harrassment from the young men of the household. As she walks out, head held high, the narrator comments 'no respectable colored [sic] woman would work for them again'. This represents, obviously, a significant improvement on slavery! Supportive relationships between women are important: Tangy and her deaf sister help each other even though a man comes between them; Tangy's mother's best friend helps her out on several occasions. Nonetheless, such relationships can clearly be abusive as well as caring. We learn that Tangy's mother was victimised by her own mother, who extends care to her grandson, reprising the gender dynamic of the central family.
I found Tangy Mae's efforts to stay in school and her experiences there particularly affecting. She is evidently very academically talented and supported by her teachers, but increasingly the varied forms of abuse heaped on her make it impossible for her to participate fully. The subject of integration in education is explored – for Tangy I think this is almost just another hurdle. Her romantic feelings also get a very rough ride.
There's a lot to engage with in this novel, but its simple structure and sympathetic characters make it easy to read. I appreciate that Phillips makes us feel the pain along with the hope, and lets wounds heal only partially. It's a hard and heavy story, but there's no doubting it's the weight of truth.
The young Black men have difficulty getting work, and spend their days waiting in the town centre for white men to pick them up in trucks and take them off to do a few hours or days hard labour for pitful wages. One of the men compares the situation unfavourably to slavery. Another is particularly thoughtful and aware, directing his anger and frustration towards political action and seeking to organise the discontented black youth, encouraging self-education among them, and writing to the NAACP for assistance. The obstacles his efforts encounter pile up, well drawn by Phillips to illustrate how a few key White racists could effectively obstruct Black struggle for racial 'uplift'.
The men's plight contrasts with the situation for girls and women, who seem to find it relatively easy to get work housekeeping in white homes, although their wages are not impressive. One girl taken on for such work resigns after three days of harrassment from the young men of the household. As she walks out, head held high, the narrator comments 'no respectable colored [sic] woman would work for them again'. This represents, obviously, a significant improvement on slavery! Supportive relationships between women are important: Tangy and her deaf sister help each other even though a man comes between them; Tangy's mother's best friend helps her out on several occasions. Nonetheless, such relationships can clearly be abusive as well as caring. We learn that Tangy's mother was victimised by her own mother, who extends care to her grandson, reprising the gender dynamic of the central family.
I found Tangy Mae's efforts to stay in school and her experiences there particularly affecting. She is evidently very academically talented and supported by her teachers, but increasingly the varied forms of abuse heaped on her make it impossible for her to participate fully. The subject of integration in education is explored – for Tangy I think this is almost just another hurdle. Her romantic feelings also get a very rough ride.
There's a lot to engage with in this novel, but its simple structure and sympathetic characters make it easy to read. I appreciate that Phillips makes us feel the pain along with the hope, and lets wounds heal only partially. It's a hard and heavy story, but there's no doubting it's the weight of truth.
December 13, 2025
This was a very hard read...I had to take breaks and read it in a crowded room... I've never read someone as horrid as Rozelle Quinn...I just had to reassure myself she was fiction... she couldn't be real... but she very well could have been...I honestly at one point thought that Tangy May would be the observer.... that she would escape because she was "too dark" but she didn't.... she had get through it to know she had to leave. Awfully sad but beautiful in many ways.... people who loved hard in spite of all their obstacles. So so many trigger warnings... yet somehow compelling...I kept being hit so hard but still wanted to keep reading. I was rooting for Tangy May all the way but I grew to like other characters, even Tarabelle.
November 29, 2011
This was definitely a difficult read. So difficult that I'm not even sure whether I can say I like it or not. The content and subject matter were just so brutal and violent that I couldn't wait to be over with it. On the other hand, the writing was good so I kept reading. I cannot imagine why any mother would treat her kids the way Rozelle did --- absolutely horrific. Her children (especially Tangy Mae) are definitely survivors.
August 28, 2014
Heart breaking, Disturbing, Sad, Curious story that you just can not stop reading.
...If that is the introduction that I give it then why did I keep reading? Because this is a book you can't put down. Like the cruel, startling evening newscast that you just keep watching. Like video of an accident you know is about to happen but you can't turn away. Because I am a hopeful person. I hoped that through all that was happening something would stop the injustice, something would stop the abuse and pain. This was an excellently told story. Don't get me wrong I'm not disappointed in the authors talents or the story itself at all but there were some hard pills to swallow. There is a "behind closed doors" element to this story of a family being told here and it's raw, it's ugly but I do know it's someone's true story. Somewhere.
1950's small town Pakersfield is a poor, degenerate racist backward little place that seems to breed the disfunction of it's residents. A stench of hate and ugliness lays over the town like a mist. I don't know if it's the town that's more evil or the cruel demented mind of Rozelle Quinn. I don't want to give the books secrets away but I'll state this. Rozelle is a woman with a painful past damaged so badly that she passes on her pain to her 9 children in such tremendously cruel ways that she would put Mommy Dearest to shame. This book is a culmination of the towns race issues in the 1950's and the Quinn families survival at the narcissistic hands of their insanely disturbed mother.
I'd like to say this was touching and bittersweet. It wasn't. I was so mad sometimes. I just couldn't believe some of what I was reading. When you thought this nutty B**** couldn't get any worse she would. I must give it to the author for the "keeping the readers on the edge of their seat" value. You never knew what to expect. This is a wild ride. I am glad to close the book however because I have just had enough. Towards the end I remember thinking " I can't". That there just has to be relief from the pain and destruction. It's interesting that this story is being told because sometimes in the African American community and especially this generation in the story, they'd shut this type of family history up. People, burry these things, never deal with them and end up medicating, re-enacting or living as the walking dead because of past pain. My heart broke for every one of these characters.
I am giving this a 5 stars. The writing was very good. You can't stop reading. The subject matter was raw. I would recommend. I would try other books by this author. Definitely good for a reading group or a discussion piece in general.
...If that is the introduction that I give it then why did I keep reading? Because this is a book you can't put down. Like the cruel, startling evening newscast that you just keep watching. Like video of an accident you know is about to happen but you can't turn away. Because I am a hopeful person. I hoped that through all that was happening something would stop the injustice, something would stop the abuse and pain. This was an excellently told story. Don't get me wrong I'm not disappointed in the authors talents or the story itself at all but there were some hard pills to swallow. There is a "behind closed doors" element to this story of a family being told here and it's raw, it's ugly but I do know it's someone's true story. Somewhere.
1950's small town Pakersfield is a poor, degenerate racist backward little place that seems to breed the disfunction of it's residents. A stench of hate and ugliness lays over the town like a mist. I don't know if it's the town that's more evil or the cruel demented mind of Rozelle Quinn. I don't want to give the books secrets away but I'll state this. Rozelle is a woman with a painful past damaged so badly that she passes on her pain to her 9 children in such tremendously cruel ways that she would put Mommy Dearest to shame. This book is a culmination of the towns race issues in the 1950's and the Quinn families survival at the narcissistic hands of their insanely disturbed mother.
I'd like to say this was touching and bittersweet. It wasn't. I was so mad sometimes. I just couldn't believe some of what I was reading. When you thought this nutty B**** couldn't get any worse she would. I must give it to the author for the "keeping the readers on the edge of their seat" value. You never knew what to expect. This is a wild ride. I am glad to close the book however because I have just had enough. Towards the end I remember thinking " I can't". That there just has to be relief from the pain and destruction. It's interesting that this story is being told because sometimes in the African American community and especially this generation in the story, they'd shut this type of family history up. People, burry these things, never deal with them and end up medicating, re-enacting or living as the walking dead because of past pain. My heart broke for every one of these characters.
I am giving this a 5 stars. The writing was very good. You can't stop reading. The subject matter was raw. I would recommend. I would try other books by this author. Definitely good for a reading group or a discussion piece in general.
March 19, 2025
3/5
- This book was so sad and one that gave me all the feels. It’s definitely one of those books you have to be prepared and in the right headspace to read!
- Reading this book really shed so much more light on that time period. My parents were born around this time so the emotional weight of all that was happening in the town was so unsettling.
- Wish that the story focused a little more on the desegregation of the school/town vs solely on familial struggles. It was definitely a heartbreaking book!
- This book was so sad and one that gave me all the feels. It’s definitely one of those books you have to be prepared and in the right headspace to read!
- Reading this book really shed so much more light on that time period. My parents were born around this time so the emotional weight of all that was happening in the town was so unsettling.
- Wish that the story focused a little more on the desegregation of the school/town vs solely on familial struggles. It was definitely a heartbreaking book!
March 31, 2024
3.5 stars overall and absolutely not rounded up. The first half was a full 4 stars. Yet the last quarter of the book rather rambled and jumped with poor continuity between crisis to further crisis. It was so progression confused that some depth was, IMHO, completely lost. Especially considering the cruelty, homicide successive repeats.
More about this work after some thought. Violence factor in this novel overwhelms. The enjoyment factor of reading it for me was 1 star.
I've thought about this. I see the word "beautifully written" or "spellbinding" in so many different reviews. UGH! Nope, it isn't. Do not expect a review or reaction for me here that holds no inclination for spoilers.
This is not just about "that era" either. (I see this typed here and am flabbergasted. A five year old girl was stabbed to death by her mother just last weekend in Chicago.) Cultures of violence exactly like this one exist in places not 4 miles from me. And the government enables it now too for much greater degree.
Rozelle is mentally ill. Sounds like it from her youngest years. There are multiple homicides she initiates or completes. And some of the other ploys she plays are worse than homicide.
It's an authentic voice. But the writing becomes progressively worse and overwritten as the book goes on. It is too long by far and should have been made into 2 or 3 books, rather as Ferrante did for her similar and very dysfunctional Naples family/neighborhood. It resulted in an up in the air and non-ending ending. She started to continue it before she passed. My copy had the first 15 or 20 pages in the next segment she had finished.
This book is truth telling. But I just do not understand most of the reviews.
This book should be called Terror.
More about this work after some thought. Violence factor in this novel overwhelms. The enjoyment factor of reading it for me was 1 star.
I've thought about this. I see the word "beautifully written" or "spellbinding" in so many different reviews. UGH! Nope, it isn't. Do not expect a review or reaction for me here that holds no inclination for spoilers.
This is not just about "that era" either. (I see this typed here and am flabbergasted. A five year old girl was stabbed to death by her mother just last weekend in Chicago.) Cultures of violence exactly like this one exist in places not 4 miles from me. And the government enables it now too for much greater degree.
Rozelle is mentally ill. Sounds like it from her youngest years. There are multiple homicides she initiates or completes. And some of the other ploys she plays are worse than homicide.
It's an authentic voice. But the writing becomes progressively worse and overwritten as the book goes on. It is too long by far and should have been made into 2 or 3 books, rather as Ferrante did for her similar and very dysfunctional Naples family/neighborhood. It resulted in an up in the air and non-ending ending. She started to continue it before she passed. My copy had the first 15 or 20 pages in the next segment she had finished.
This book is truth telling. But I just do not understand most of the reviews.
This book should be called Terror.
February 26, 2012
I read this book with my book club Mocha Girls Read and it was our selection for Black History Month. I have to say this was a hard read for me. I had a hard time getting caught up in all the craziness of the characters especially Rozelle aka Mama.
Rozelle's character is an over dominating, bipolar woman who has ten kids by ten different men from working in the "farmhouse". I was slightly disturbed by the "we know but it ain't our business" attitude the various people took regarding her abusive behavior toward the kids. I have found that some of it really rang true in the Black community but this book slaps it in your face. Rozelle's' best and only friend Ms. Pearl knows she is abusing her kids and does nothing but buy them a pair of white socks for their birthdays.
This book is full of family drama steaming from Rozelle's crazy actions. She is the character that propels action in ever single person and sometimes lack of action.
For me personally this book has too way many characters and was missing the big climax. There were so many small climaxes in this book within various circles of people involved but nothing really happened as a result of all the drama. As Oprah would say, there was no big Aha! moment for the characters as a whole or the town.
This was a great first time novel for Delores Phillips but the story was interesting in parts and missing something for me as a whole.
Rozelle's character is an over dominating, bipolar woman who has ten kids by ten different men from working in the "farmhouse". I was slightly disturbed by the "we know but it ain't our business" attitude the various people took regarding her abusive behavior toward the kids. I have found that some of it really rang true in the Black community but this book slaps it in your face. Rozelle's' best and only friend Ms. Pearl knows she is abusing her kids and does nothing but buy them a pair of white socks for their birthdays.
This book is full of family drama steaming from Rozelle's crazy actions. She is the character that propels action in ever single person and sometimes lack of action.
For me personally this book has too way many characters and was missing the big climax. There were so many small climaxes in this book within various circles of people involved but nothing really happened as a result of all the drama. As Oprah would say, there was no big Aha! moment for the characters as a whole or the town.
This was a great first time novel for Delores Phillips but the story was interesting in parts and missing something for me as a whole.
May 7, 2012
This is an EXCELLENT book. I say that because I felt a range of emotions as I turned the pages...rage, sadness, happiness, pity...I laughed, I cried.
In reading this book I saw through its characters different ways people learn and/or choose to survive the hardships of life. A person can go through tragedies and people can try to destroy their spirit but there always is a choice. They may not be able to choose the hand they have been dealt or control the situation but they always have the option to choose whether they sink or swim.
I understand (by way of Googling) that Delores Phillips plans to have a sequel to this book. I can't wait! I was hoping she had another book available to read, but there are none at this time. :-(
In reading this book I saw through its characters different ways people learn and/or choose to survive the hardships of life. A person can go through tragedies and people can try to destroy their spirit but there always is a choice. They may not be able to choose the hand they have been dealt or control the situation but they always have the option to choose whether they sink or swim.
I understand (by way of Googling) that Delores Phillips plans to have a sequel to this book. I can't wait! I was hoping she had another book available to read, but there are none at this time. :-(
June 29, 2021
This novel tells the story of an African American family living on the fringes of a Georgia town during the late 1950s and into the early 1960s. As can be expected with this time and place the rumblings of racial discontent portending the coming civil rights changes are very much a part of the surrounding environment of this story. Thus I was prepared for read about racial violence and overt intimidation on the part of the white community against the black community. Indeed integration of the schools is noted as a pending issue, the plot contains a lynching, and racial violence is scattered throughout this story.
However, what I wasn’t prepared for was the horrendous psychological and physical violence experienced within the family. Frankly I was shocked to read first person accounts of the daughter in this family (the darkest child) being beaten by her mother. This is a mother of ten children from presumably ten different men who was pimping her daughters as they reached a certain age. The story’s narrator being dark and therefor undesirable was delayed from being forced into proposition, but it eventually happens.
The combination of mother-daughter signs of love contrasted against irrational swings in temper on the part of the mother must surely lead to complicated psychic trauma for a daughter. The young girl narrator of this story shows extraordinary patience for the impossible demands placed upon her.
The level of violence in the story keeps crescendoing to a point where the mother impulsively throws her newborn baby daughter off the front porch into a nearby ravine with fatal results. I thought surely this had to be the climatic act of violence that would bring this story to an end. But no, we’re only halfway through the book at this point. I began to wonder what sort of conclusion this book was leading to. Was this story leading to even worse violence?
The mother in this story is obviously afflicted with a mental illness of some kind. I don’t know the diagnosis, but it’s a terrible thing for any family to deal with. I’m sorry that this story has to be about an African American family because I regret the possibility of some white readers concluding this to be typical for black family life. White families can also be abusive and have mental illness.
In summary this is a painful story to read. The young narrator shows true grit, and in the end appears to be a survivor. So the story is not a total downer. Even though the story is fiction I’m haunted by the knowledge that the author was a psychiatric nurse, and she probably wrote about issues with which she was familiar. (see spoiler below) The author is African American, so I can’t fault her for choosing to write about the black community. I am so sorry the stories like this may be real for some families.
However, what I wasn’t prepared for was the horrendous psychological and physical violence experienced within the family. Frankly I was shocked to read first person accounts of the daughter in this family (the darkest child) being beaten by her mother. This is a mother of ten children from presumably ten different men who was pimping her daughters as they reached a certain age. The story’s narrator being dark and therefor undesirable was delayed from being forced into proposition, but it eventually happens.
The combination of mother-daughter signs of love contrasted against irrational swings in temper on the part of the mother must surely lead to complicated psychic trauma for a daughter. The young girl narrator of this story shows extraordinary patience for the impossible demands placed upon her.
The level of violence in the story keeps crescendoing to a point where the mother impulsively throws her newborn baby daughter off the front porch into a nearby ravine with fatal results. I thought surely this had to be the climatic act of violence that would bring this story to an end. But no, we’re only halfway through the book at this point. I began to wonder what sort of conclusion this book was leading to. Was this story leading to even worse violence?
The mother in this story is obviously afflicted with a mental illness of some kind. I don’t know the diagnosis, but it’s a terrible thing for any family to deal with. I’m sorry that this story has to be about an African American family because I regret the possibility of some white readers concluding this to be typical for black family life. White families can also be abusive and have mental illness.
In summary this is a painful story to read. The young narrator shows true grit, and in the end appears to be a survivor. So the story is not a total downer. Even though the story is fiction I’m haunted by the knowledge that the author was a psychiatric nurse, and she probably wrote about issues with which she was familiar. (see spoiler below) The author is African American, so I can’t fault her for choosing to write about the black community. I am so sorry the stories like this may be real for some families.
July 24, 2024
This book will sit in my mind for a long time!! Wow!!!
March 14, 2008
Oh, how I hated this book. It was long and well-written, but there a few things fundamentally wrong with it:
a. It was relentless in its cruelty to its characters. No one had a moment's sunshine, save the deaf-mute sister who's "rescued" from the family by the much-older-than-she mailman, who immediately marries her and knocks her up.
b. It was overwritten. The narrator's supposed to be an adolescent girl and while Phillips goes out of her way to emphasize how educated the girl is, her vocabulary and phraseology is just too off the charts.
c. It felt overwrought. I mean, we're talking a mother who pimps *all* of her daughters (except the deaf-mute, I think) and intends to kill the babies they have by johns. And I think the one dude who provides the narrator with an idea of a better life winds up lynched in the middle of the night or something. It's crazy.
... not that a book *has* to provide any redemption or salvation for its characters in order to be good. It's just a really bitter pill to swallow when there's no hope for any of these folks, as you close the book for the last time.
a. It was relentless in its cruelty to its characters. No one had a moment's sunshine, save the deaf-mute sister who's "rescued" from the family by the much-older-than-she mailman, who immediately marries her and knocks her up.
b. It was overwritten. The narrator's supposed to be an adolescent girl and while Phillips goes out of her way to emphasize how educated the girl is, her vocabulary and phraseology is just too off the charts.
c. It felt overwrought. I mean, we're talking a mother who pimps *all* of her daughters (except the deaf-mute, I think) and intends to kill the babies they have by johns. And I think the one dude who provides the narrator with an idea of a better life winds up lynched in the middle of the night or something. It's crazy.
... not that a book *has* to provide any redemption or salvation for its characters in order to be good. It's just a really bitter pill to swallow when there's no hope for any of these folks, as you close the book for the last time.
September 27, 2020
Love, Loyalty, Honor and Self-respect
I listened to this story over a period of more than three weeks while driving to various appointments. There were times I couldn't leave the car, though I had arrived at my destination because the compelling story would be at yet another junction where it was impossible to stop listening.
This story is profound because it is so real and it makes me ponder whether this was based at least in some part to someone's tale. Though the events happened more than a decade before I was a teenager, I faced some similar situations. Unlike Tangy Mae, in another era and another part of the country, and challenged by the societal limits because of her skin color, I was no less engaged than had she been my schoolmate or friend. I found I closely identified with her childhood trauma's of being used by our mothers to "entertain men" against our will. We both suffered at the hands of souless woman, who was supposed to nurture us and protect us but instead, we experienced extreme violence and wickedness that was so creative the taint of the devil was all over it.
Tangy Mae, a sweet and beautiful young girl is held up as a thing of derision. Berated for her dark complexion, her mother tells her that she is unlovable and thus unworthy of attention. Her desire for education is also maligned because her mother never completed her education and sees no real use for it. Her mother was raised by nice enough parents but ran toward a life that seemed easy and perhaps even fun. At the beginning she is a maid to a white family, but more often than not, she works as a sex worker too. Her ten children are a by-product of this lifestyle. She is a very attractive woman, who knows how to tease and manipulate men. Her light skin is part of her appeal or at least she seems to think so. Some of her children are also light while others are dark depending on who seeks her company. While Tangy Mae is her least favorite, Sam one of her older son's is her most favorite and she will go to great lengths to protect him.
When the African American men begin to consider acts of civil disobedience in their tiny town of Paykersfield, GA (I can't believe the publisher's blurb is wrong!), things get tense and Sam's close friend, Junior is found hanging from a tree. Sam is arrested and taken to jail for the murder and Tangy's mother, Rozelle does a number of things to get his release. Meanwhile, some of her siblings leave home causing her mother great anger and she takes it out on Tangy Mae for the most part.
The violence was extreme and at times, I literally cried out in horror as I listened. I even cried at one point as she recounts one act of violence, my own memories of a similar event becoming once again real. Though the community is very aware of the sufferings of Tangy Mae and her siblings, there is no intervention, just as none occurred in my childhood. Just as is for millions of others all over the world. There is no greater shame in society than its mistreatment of children.
Just as the story seems like nothing worse can happen to Tangy Mae, it does. Other acts by her mother are increasingly horrifying not just toward Tangy but the other children, too. Tangy Mae soon begins to dream of a life that is far away from the one she barely exists in. Her much older boyfriend leaves for college but soon disappears from the stage altogether. Though some of her siblings had embraced their adulthood with out being under the same roof (well most of it, the house was barely a shack) with their mother. They are still under her spell. She is such a master of manipulation that for most they are completely unable to sever their ties to her. Tangy Mae had hopes for her oldest sister, Mushy, but when she returns to help, she ends up not maintaining her independence.
Though the ending is a pleasant conclusion to a deeply troubling story, it still was a powerful read. One that will continue to prod me with its sadness. There is a pervasive sense of isolation from abuse that embraces the reader throughout. Also, we wonder at the lies to cover for the parent, who has so little compassion or self-control but only wants to be the center of attention, the martyr and the saint for raising these troublesome children, a real burden to their mother. I know I can't be the only one, who wanted five minutes alone with the Rozelle...
I was so disappointed to realize after I had started this story that the author, Ms. Phillips had died shortly after completing this saga, her debut novel. It is a loss to those, who desire to have greater insight into the southern experience.
She wrote such terrific dialogue and her insights were spot-on. Her storytelling was on par with William Kent Krueger, author of "This Tender Land" and other respected authors, who deliver such authentic voices. She truly made this story sound as though a teenager was sharing her story. I know this will remain an unforgettable experience for me. I hope it will be for you if you should decide to go on this adventure during Jim Crow era in remote Georgia.
If possible, listen to the audio version. Hearing the story was a very powerful experience and the various voices the narrator uses are very distinctive (another bonus).
I listened to this story over a period of more than three weeks while driving to various appointments. There were times I couldn't leave the car, though I had arrived at my destination because the compelling story would be at yet another junction where it was impossible to stop listening.
This story is profound because it is so real and it makes me ponder whether this was based at least in some part to someone's tale. Though the events happened more than a decade before I was a teenager, I faced some similar situations. Unlike Tangy Mae, in another era and another part of the country, and challenged by the societal limits because of her skin color, I was no less engaged than had she been my schoolmate or friend. I found I closely identified with her childhood trauma's of being used by our mothers to "entertain men" against our will. We both suffered at the hands of souless woman, who was supposed to nurture us and protect us but instead, we experienced extreme violence and wickedness that was so creative the taint of the devil was all over it.
Tangy Mae, a sweet and beautiful young girl is held up as a thing of derision. Berated for her dark complexion, her mother tells her that she is unlovable and thus unworthy of attention. Her desire for education is also maligned because her mother never completed her education and sees no real use for it. Her mother was raised by nice enough parents but ran toward a life that seemed easy and perhaps even fun. At the beginning she is a maid to a white family, but more often than not, she works as a sex worker too. Her ten children are a by-product of this lifestyle. She is a very attractive woman, who knows how to tease and manipulate men. Her light skin is part of her appeal or at least she seems to think so. Some of her children are also light while others are dark depending on who seeks her company. While Tangy Mae is her least favorite, Sam one of her older son's is her most favorite and she will go to great lengths to protect him.
When the African American men begin to consider acts of civil disobedience in their tiny town of Paykersfield, GA (I can't believe the publisher's blurb is wrong!), things get tense and Sam's close friend, Junior is found hanging from a tree. Sam is arrested and taken to jail for the murder and Tangy's mother, Rozelle does a number of things to get his release. Meanwhile, some of her siblings leave home causing her mother great anger and she takes it out on Tangy Mae for the most part.
The violence was extreme and at times, I literally cried out in horror as I listened. I even cried at one point as she recounts one act of violence, my own memories of a similar event becoming once again real. Though the community is very aware of the sufferings of Tangy Mae and her siblings, there is no intervention, just as none occurred in my childhood. Just as is for millions of others all over the world. There is no greater shame in society than its mistreatment of children.
Just as the story seems like nothing worse can happen to Tangy Mae, it does. Other acts by her mother are increasingly horrifying not just toward Tangy but the other children, too. Tangy Mae soon begins to dream of a life that is far away from the one she barely exists in. Her much older boyfriend leaves for college but soon disappears from the stage altogether. Though some of her siblings had embraced their adulthood with out being under the same roof (well most of it, the house was barely a shack) with their mother. They are still under her spell. She is such a master of manipulation that for most they are completely unable to sever their ties to her. Tangy Mae had hopes for her oldest sister, Mushy, but when she returns to help, she ends up not maintaining her independence.
Though the ending is a pleasant conclusion to a deeply troubling story, it still was a powerful read. One that will continue to prod me with its sadness. There is a pervasive sense of isolation from abuse that embraces the reader throughout. Also, we wonder at the lies to cover for the parent, who has so little compassion or self-control but only wants to be the center of attention, the martyr and the saint for raising these troublesome children, a real burden to their mother. I know I can't be the only one, who wanted five minutes alone with the Rozelle...
I was so disappointed to realize after I had started this story that the author, Ms. Phillips had died shortly after completing this saga, her debut novel. It is a loss to those, who desire to have greater insight into the southern experience.
She wrote such terrific dialogue and her insights were spot-on. Her storytelling was on par with William Kent Krueger, author of "This Tender Land" and other respected authors, who deliver such authentic voices. She truly made this story sound as though a teenager was sharing her story. I know this will remain an unforgettable experience for me. I hope it will be for you if you should decide to go on this adventure during Jim Crow era in remote Georgia.
If possible, listen to the audio version. Hearing the story was a very powerful experience and the various voices the narrator uses are very distinctive (another bonus).
September 13, 2018
You know how you read a book that makes you angry and ache for the characters halfway through? And then you keep reading and hope that there is a happy ending? Well in this book, there is no happy ending. There is just misery and heartache that crawls all over the pages. Tangy Mae is the main character but the whole family suffers. 10 siblings who have a mother that is so bent on seeing her children suffer so she can gain. She went as far as killing two of her own children, beating them all continuously, and pimping out 3 of her daughters just to get a dollar. All the while, she is living life and her children are suffering in their own way. They are trying to find a way to escape their mother individually but it is too late for that because she has consumed all that they know. Tangy Mae was the smart beautiful dark child who just wanted to live but had to grow up fast. She finally got to graduate high school but what she had to pay to do so did not add up to me.
This story taking place in the 1950's means that segregation and racism played a huge role in the story. Not only where the white people in the story hateful and full of shit, but black people judged each other due to their skin complexions. There was no winning in Tangy Mae's life from the day she was born. There was just survival, and she did survive but in order to do so, she had to suffer for years just to go out into a world that was unknown to her.
This story taking place in the 1950's means that segregation and racism played a huge role in the story. Not only where the white people in the story hateful and full of shit, but black people judged each other due to their skin complexions. There was no winning in Tangy Mae's life from the day she was born. There was just survival, and she did survive but in order to do so, she had to suffer for years just to go out into a world that was unknown to her.
March 18, 2015
Excellent read. The mystery behind the mom's mental illness was intriguing.
March 15, 2018
I went through a range of emotions while reading this book, rage, anger and sadness. This was a really hard read for me, mainly because of the issues covered in the book, they included, rape, colourism, child molestation, sex slavery, jim crow, racism, poverty, single parent reality, physical/emotional/verbal/mental abuse, mental health and general violence. Yes! This book covered a whole lot, it is a very heavy, hard, soul crushing read.
Told from the POV of Tangy Mae, The Darkest Child is a story of a poverty stricken family dealing with the cruelty of a mother that suffers from mental illness. The book is set in the late 1950s in a small town in Georgia where racism is still very much alive, so too is segregation.
The story is well written and heartbreaking a lot of times, it is not a book you will easily forget and the main character Tangy Mae is one that will win your heart over. If you are looking to go beyond the fluffy every day cliché read, then pick up “The Darkest Child” it’s a very hard read, but worth the heartache.
I noticed Delores Phillips didn't write any other book but this one, after reading this book, I know why.
Told from the POV of Tangy Mae, The Darkest Child is a story of a poverty stricken family dealing with the cruelty of a mother that suffers from mental illness. The book is set in the late 1950s in a small town in Georgia where racism is still very much alive, so too is segregation.
The story is well written and heartbreaking a lot of times, it is not a book you will easily forget and the main character Tangy Mae is one that will win your heart over. If you are looking to go beyond the fluffy every day cliché read, then pick up “The Darkest Child” it’s a very hard read, but worth the heartache.
I noticed Delores Phillips didn't write any other book but this one, after reading this book, I know why.
February 21, 2012
This book is quite possibly one of the most disturbing books I've read. And that's why I gave it 4 stars. Any book that grab and twist my emotions is a winner. I wanted to stop reading it ~ the abuse scenes were cringe worthy. Not just the physical aspects, but the mental aspects... a part of me just kept asking myself if there are really kids who are living under these conditions and I know there are which made this story all the more compelling.
Tangy and her siblings are sympathetically written. They have hopes and dreams, the need to be loved... All of this despite everything that their mother did to them. I like that the end of the book was open ended, instead of wrapped in a neat little package. Phillips debut novel is definitely an emotional journey not for the faint of heart.
I would recommend this novel for book discussion groups because of the varied topics: race relations, child abuse, color issues within the black community, poverty and education. Just be prepared to put the book down and walk away for a few minutes.
Tangy and her siblings are sympathetically written. They have hopes and dreams, the need to be loved... All of this despite everything that their mother did to them. I like that the end of the book was open ended, instead of wrapped in a neat little package. Phillips debut novel is definitely an emotional journey not for the faint of heart.
I would recommend this novel for book discussion groups because of the varied topics: race relations, child abuse, color issues within the black community, poverty and education. Just be prepared to put the book down and walk away for a few minutes.
September 1, 2011
The Darkest Child by Delores Phillips is soul wrenching horrendous. One would never believe that a Mother could so deeply harm a child, let alone "10" of them, emotionally, spiritually, physically and mentally. Rozelle is a woman who is Pure Evil! She cares for no one, not even herself. Unfortunately, the reader never finds out why Rozelle is the way she is. She's hateful, spiteful, souless, and completely mental. She has 10 children by 10 different men. Most are as white as she is with one being what she calls "A Dummy" and the other "Dark as her tires". This is a Mother who pimps her sons and prostitutes her daughters.
They lived in a small town in 50's and 60's back when there were signs of segregation and blacks were no longer slaves but instead paid slaves, maids. The people in the town had just grown accustomed to the way things were and weren't looking nor asking for change. And when one does he dissappears. There are many complex characters in this story. It is a page turner for sure. I just couldn't stop reading about this mass of disfunction.
I was disheartened to learn that Ms. Phillips hasn't written another novel. I wouldn't have thought from the texture and complex nature of this novel, it was her first. I'm sure I wont forget this book any time soon. It is hard for me to write this review without giving away spoilers. There's just too much to tell. Pick this book up. You wont be dissappointed.
Some Quotes;
"Took everything out, said I couldn't have no mo', and all I got was a darkie"
"We could feel recognizable anger replace incomprehensible insanity,"
"Mama stood at the edge of the porch dangling our baby sister over the side by one arm"
"I musta been 'bout 'leven or twelve when Mama tried to get Mr. Frank to screw me."
"Says she lit a match and threw it. Just walked on out the damn house and left my sister in there to burn."
They lived in a small town in 50's and 60's back when there were signs of segregation and blacks were no longer slaves but instead paid slaves, maids. The people in the town had just grown accustomed to the way things were and weren't looking nor asking for change. And when one does he dissappears. There are many complex characters in this story. It is a page turner for sure. I just couldn't stop reading about this mass of disfunction.
I was disheartened to learn that Ms. Phillips hasn't written another novel. I wouldn't have thought from the texture and complex nature of this novel, it was her first. I'm sure I wont forget this book any time soon. It is hard for me to write this review without giving away spoilers. There's just too much to tell. Pick this book up. You wont be dissappointed.
Some Quotes;
"Took everything out, said I couldn't have no mo', and all I got was a darkie"
"We could feel recognizable anger replace incomprehensible insanity,"
"Mama stood at the edge of the porch dangling our baby sister over the side by one arm"
"I musta been 'bout 'leven or twelve when Mama tried to get Mr. Frank to screw me."
"Says she lit a match and threw it. Just walked on out the damn house and left my sister in there to burn."
December 11, 2014
A woman has ten children and beats them senseless almost every week. She takes her teenage daughters to "The Farmhouse" to turn them into prostitutes--just like herself. Her children live in a town filled with racial tensions, yet they must face worse at home.
Tangy Mae, the narrator, is the daughter who loves school and wants to figure out a way out of the town. Yet what she must go through in order to do that, at the hands of her own mother, is horrific.
Here's a dialogue between mother and daughter:
"Do you love me, Mama?" I asked, did not wait for an answer, afraid to hear what she might say. "I love you. I get angry with you sometimes, but I've always loved you. I just don't like what you've made me do. When I was younger, the children would tease me because i went to school smelling like pee. They don't tease me anymore, but now I think they can smell the stench of that farmhouse all over my body. Behind our backs, people call us sluts, Mama. You, me, Tarabelle, and Mushy. Mr. Pace has changed, and Mr. Hewitt tolerates me only because he has to. At school, mostly everybody stays away from me. "
Some parts of the narration are clunky, some parts of the story reaching. Midway, Tangy Mae turns into an unreliable narrator--which is a bit frustrating. In some places, too many characters are introduced--just to be taken away; particularly in the parts where Philips tries to bring in the racial tensions of the environment. Some questions go unanswered.
But the story, now the story is compelling. The drama is what will have you turning the page.
Tangy Mae, the narrator, is the daughter who loves school and wants to figure out a way out of the town. Yet what she must go through in order to do that, at the hands of her own mother, is horrific.
Here's a dialogue between mother and daughter:
"Do you love me, Mama?" I asked, did not wait for an answer, afraid to hear what she might say. "I love you. I get angry with you sometimes, but I've always loved you. I just don't like what you've made me do. When I was younger, the children would tease me because i went to school smelling like pee. They don't tease me anymore, but now I think they can smell the stench of that farmhouse all over my body. Behind our backs, people call us sluts, Mama. You, me, Tarabelle, and Mushy. Mr. Pace has changed, and Mr. Hewitt tolerates me only because he has to. At school, mostly everybody stays away from me. "
Some parts of the narration are clunky, some parts of the story reaching. Midway, Tangy Mae turns into an unreliable narrator--which is a bit frustrating. In some places, too many characters are introduced--just to be taken away; particularly in the parts where Philips tries to bring in the racial tensions of the environment. Some questions go unanswered.
But the story, now the story is compelling. The drama is what will have you turning the page.
July 28, 2024
As Tangy Mae described her mother, Rozelle was pure evil, an unnatural demon. It is amazing how resilient the children were to all of the abuse Rozelle put them through. The book was very well-written and fast-paced. It will stick with you after you finish it.
June 18, 2024
This book. Wow! I can’t believe I’m just reading this. Beautifully written. You can clearly see the Toni Morrison, Maya Angelou vibes sneak through. Such an important and pivotal book to read. It IS tragic. There were parts I just had to stop reading only to really get my bearings. Such a brilliant book. One of those books you wish were required reading in your school age years. Will stick with me.
September 22, 2016
No matter how many times I read this story, it always moves me. It will never get old. All of the characters were rich and complex. The author wove a tale steeped in fear, pain and the awful atrocities that took place during the time period in which the story takes place (rural Georgia during the 50's). I remember some of the stories my grandmother used to tell me and I can so easily relate to the times. I HIGHLY recommend this book to anyone that would love to read an awesome thought provoking story.
1st time read Sept. 22nd, 2012
1st time read Sept. 22nd, 2012
April 14, 2015
Devastating, amazing depiction of pathology both individual and social. Chronicle of family and Southern small-town society in the '50s. Incredible piece of fiction by this author who unfortunately passed away last year, this being the only book she wrote.
February 18, 2025
5 incredible stars!! 🌟
The writing, the storytelling, the well-developed characters....everything about this book was phenomenal! The author pulled every emotion out of me. I envisioned and felt every scene as though I was there.
This book was gripping and heavy! The way Rosie treated her children was extremely disturbing! Those kids had my whole heart! No child deserves to be mistreated or subjected to that kind of lifestyle! 😢
This book is truly an unforgettable masterpiece! ✨️
The writing, the storytelling, the well-developed characters....everything about this book was phenomenal! The author pulled every emotion out of me. I envisioned and felt every scene as though I was there.
This book was gripping and heavy! The way Rosie treated her children was extremely disturbing! Those kids had my whole heart! No child deserves to be mistreated or subjected to that kind of lifestyle! 😢
This book is truly an unforgettable masterpiece! ✨️
October 10, 2010
Reading the "The Darkest Child" by Delores Phillips for the 2nd time was so much more revealing than the 1st time go-round. It was so much more detailed and graphic than the 1st. It wasn't that they weren't there, I was just more aware of the content than I was before. Ms. Phillips does a wonderful job of characterizing a mother whose not only disfunctional within herself, but possessive of her children and afraid that they will leave her. "The Darkest Child" - Tangy Mae - is so courageous and strong...she constantly struggles between succumbing to the love of her mother, and the building of self-respect and self-love for herself...and, eventually, in the end, she wins. However, not before she warns her mother of exactly what she has created: "You need to understand that you've placed yourself in the hands of the same children you taught to honor you. I'm afraid they might honor you the same way you've honored them, and we both know that's no good."
"The Darkest Child" by Delores Phillips has earned five stars. Ms. Phillips has succeeded in making me laugh, in making me cry, and in forcing myself to take a good, long look at my views to make sure I'm not just conforming or getting by, but actually believing and standing up for what I believe to be true.
I thoroughly enjoyed this novel...actually so much that I wanted to read other works by the author; however, after searching, I found none.
I gave it 5 stars.
"The Darkest Child" by Delores Phillips has earned five stars. Ms. Phillips has succeeded in making me laugh, in making me cry, and in forcing myself to take a good, long look at my views to make sure I'm not just conforming or getting by, but actually believing and standing up for what I believe to be true.
I thoroughly enjoyed this novel...actually so much that I wanted to read other works by the author; however, after searching, I found none.
I gave it 5 stars.
February 17, 2012
Can I tell you that I didn't want this book to end?! I absolutely love these sort of books! First of all, I was compelled to read it because I kept noticing it in searches for books. The title and the cover can also be credited for drawing me in. For some reason it was relatable even though my family is nowhere near as dysfunctional as this one. The book deals with topics like an unfit mother who struggles to survive by any means, lack of self-esteem, poverty, racism, etc. This book is not for the faint of heart. It's a weird twist of irony because as I'm reading it for leisure the fact is, some people actually live the way many of the characters did and struggle on a daily basis to simply live their lives as normally as possible. I don't believe that there's enough space for me to fully explain why I so thoroughly enjoyed this book and I wouldn't want to spoil the it for anyone reading my review. I would definitely read this book multiple times in the future after I've forgotten the details of the plot. Kudos to the author as well; her writing style flowed well and I will be looking out for other books written by her because she's just that good. She made me feel like I was walking along with narrator and present in each scene (good and bad); that's another thing--she evokes such emotion in her writing. I genuinely felt happy, sad, frustrated, empathy, etc. at the appropriate time with each passing chapter. In a nutshell, READ THIS BOOK as soon as you can ;)
November 28, 2023
The characters in this book are absolutely insane. First one being Rozelle Quinn !!! I had to take so many breaks reading this !!! Tangy & her siblings were literally living in hell.
The first half of the book I was wondering what was the plot. It seemed to not have a point until half way through @ that point I was wondering what was going to happen next. The way this book ended with so many unanswered questions & open ending is why I can’t give it 5 stars😒I do not like that.
& why Tangy had to be in love with her sister man? 😒
The first half of the book I was wondering what was the plot. It seemed to not have a point until half way through @ that point I was wondering what was going to happen next. The way this book ended with so many unanswered questions & open ending is why I can’t give it 5 stars😒I do not like that.
& why Tangy had to be in love with her sister man? 😒
August 11, 2012
Excellent Read
July 14, 2024
Readalong with RT Williams and friends. Great book, but very sad. 🥺 Full review to come.
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