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West End #3
Baby Brother's Blues
When Regina Burns married Blue Hamilton, she knew he was no ordinary man. A charismatic R&B singer who gave up his career to assume responsibility for the safety of Atlanta’s West End community, Blue had created an African American urban oasis where crime and violence were virtually nonexistent. In the beginning, Regina enjoyed a circle of engaging friends and her own work as a freelance communications consultant. Most of all, she relished the company of her husband, who never ceased to be a source of passion and delight.
Then everything changed. More and more frightened women were showing up in West End, seeking Blue’s protection from lovers who had suddenly become violent. When the worst offenders begin to disappear without a trace, the signs–all of them grim–seem to point toward Blue and his longtime associate, Joseph “General” Richardson. Now that Regina is pregnant, her fear for Blue’s safety has become an obsession that threatens the very heart of their relationship.
At the same time, Regina’s friend Aretha Hargrove is desperately trying to redefine her own marriage. Aretha’s husband, Kwame, is lobbying for them to leave West End and move to midtown. Aretha resists at first, but finally agrees in an effort to rekindle the flame that first brought them together.
Regina and Aretha have no way of knowing that what they regard as their private struggles will soon become very public. When Baby Brother, a charming con man, insinuates himself into the community, it becomes clear that there is more to his handsome façade than meets the eye. He carries the seeds of change that will affect both women in profound and startling ways.
Returning to the vividly rendered Atlanta district of her last two novels, New York Times bestselling author Pearl Cleage brilliantly weaves the threads of her characters’ intersecting lives into a story of family, friendship and, of course, love. Baby Brother’s Blues is full of wit and warmth, illumination the core of every woman’s hopes and dreams.
Then everything changed. More and more frightened women were showing up in West End, seeking Blue’s protection from lovers who had suddenly become violent. When the worst offenders begin to disappear without a trace, the signs–all of them grim–seem to point toward Blue and his longtime associate, Joseph “General” Richardson. Now that Regina is pregnant, her fear for Blue’s safety has become an obsession that threatens the very heart of their relationship.
At the same time, Regina’s friend Aretha Hargrove is desperately trying to redefine her own marriage. Aretha’s husband, Kwame, is lobbying for them to leave West End and move to midtown. Aretha resists at first, but finally agrees in an effort to rekindle the flame that first brought them together.
Regina and Aretha have no way of knowing that what they regard as their private struggles will soon become very public. When Baby Brother, a charming con man, insinuates himself into the community, it becomes clear that there is more to his handsome façade than meets the eye. He carries the seeds of change that will affect both women in profound and startling ways.
Returning to the vividly rendered Atlanta district of her last two novels, New York Times bestselling author Pearl Cleage brilliantly weaves the threads of her characters’ intersecting lives into a story of family, friendship and, of course, love. Baby Brother’s Blues is full of wit and warmth, illumination the core of every woman’s hopes and dreams.
352 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2006
About the author
Pearl Cleage
43 books594 followersPearl Cleage is an African-American playwright, essayist, novelist, poet and political activist. She is currently the Playwright in Residence at the Alliance Theatre and at the Just Us Theater Company. Cleage is a political activist. She tackles issues at the crux of racism and sexism, and is known for her feminist views, particularly regarding her identity as an African-American woman. Her works are highly anthologized and have been the subject of many scholarly analyses. Many of her works across several genres have earned both popular and critical acclaim. Her novel What Looks Like Crazy on an Ordinary Day (1997) was a 1998 Oprah's Book Club selection.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 71 reviews
September 10, 2011
Baby Bother’s Blues by Pearl Cleage is the third in the West End series. I have not read the second book in the series because when I picked up Some Things I Never Thought I Would Do, along with Baby Brother’s Blues, I did not know they were part of a series. When you love an authors’ work you tend to bypass the synopsis because you will read anything by them. Pearl Cleage is one of those authors for me.
Baby Brother’s Blues picks up two years after Some Things I Never Thought I Would Do ends. The West End series is about a neighborhood in Atlanta, Georgia, that is under the control of a modern day Robin Hood by the name of Blue Hamilton. The book opens with Blue and Regina, now married and expecting their first child. Little focus was placed on their relationship and at times their chapters seemed an afterthought. The highlight of Blue and Regina’s story was when a community activist informed Regina that he could not accept fundraising support from Blue because he was a Gangster. It was as if a light finally clicked in her head, that no matter how you sugar-coat vigilantism, these do-gooders are no better than the criminals whose evil they choose to rid from the world.
The major plot of this installment is a soldier home on leave from Iraq, and decides to desert the military. His ill-planned desertion leads him to Atlanta where his irrational behavior disrupts the West End community and tests a life-long friendship. The other sub-plots deal with corruption in the police department, young women stripping and prostituting as a way of life, unfair treatment of veterans returning to the States from Iraq and Afghanistan, brothers on the down-low, and the most perplexing, the return of Regina’s, Aunt Abbie…
Perhaps Cleage attempted to do too much with this book, which left this reader wanting her to focus on one storyline and fully develop it—even if she expected them all to culminate into one dramatic ending. It was too much and once again, everything fell into place too conveniently. At times I questioned if her approach to each topic is her personal views or if she was simply being politically correct, because she seemed pretty soft on such serious matters. Only one character actually suffered from the consequences of his actions, although he was the least likely to have received such a stiff punishment. Then again, in a society where one man is judge and jury, anything is possible.
Baby Brother’s Blues held my attention until the end, but I am done with this particular series. The first book asked me to accept a lot, but this installment pretty much confirms that you can only stretch the imagination so far. Even when controversial topics are placed in a setting where everything is accepted, one has to question if this is the perfect world we long for. Then again, one would have to remain on Blue Hamilton’s good side, to actually enjoy the experience. But the truth is, the reader shouldn’t long for the hero to meet his demise; and that’s exactly what I was hoping for by the time I turned the last page.
Much Love,
Tracy
www.TracyLDarity.com
Baby Brother’s Blues picks up two years after Some Things I Never Thought I Would Do ends. The West End series is about a neighborhood in Atlanta, Georgia, that is under the control of a modern day Robin Hood by the name of Blue Hamilton. The book opens with Blue and Regina, now married and expecting their first child. Little focus was placed on their relationship and at times their chapters seemed an afterthought. The highlight of Blue and Regina’s story was when a community activist informed Regina that he could not accept fundraising support from Blue because he was a Gangster. It was as if a light finally clicked in her head, that no matter how you sugar-coat vigilantism, these do-gooders are no better than the criminals whose evil they choose to rid from the world.
The major plot of this installment is a soldier home on leave from Iraq, and decides to desert the military. His ill-planned desertion leads him to Atlanta where his irrational behavior disrupts the West End community and tests a life-long friendship. The other sub-plots deal with corruption in the police department, young women stripping and prostituting as a way of life, unfair treatment of veterans returning to the States from Iraq and Afghanistan, brothers on the down-low, and the most perplexing, the return of Regina’s, Aunt Abbie…
Perhaps Cleage attempted to do too much with this book, which left this reader wanting her to focus on one storyline and fully develop it—even if she expected them all to culminate into one dramatic ending. It was too much and once again, everything fell into place too conveniently. At times I questioned if her approach to each topic is her personal views or if she was simply being politically correct, because she seemed pretty soft on such serious matters. Only one character actually suffered from the consequences of his actions, although he was the least likely to have received such a stiff punishment. Then again, in a society where one man is judge and jury, anything is possible.
Baby Brother’s Blues held my attention until the end, but I am done with this particular series. The first book asked me to accept a lot, but this installment pretty much confirms that you can only stretch the imagination so far. Even when controversial topics are placed in a setting where everything is accepted, one has to question if this is the perfect world we long for. Then again, one would have to remain on Blue Hamilton’s good side, to actually enjoy the experience. But the truth is, the reader shouldn’t long for the hero to meet his demise; and that’s exactly what I was hoping for by the time I turned the last page.
Much Love,
Tracy
www.TracyLDarity.com
December 16, 2008
This book tried to cover so many topics: inner-city violence, politics, single parenthood, girls-who-have-to-turn-to-stripping-to-survive, renegades, men-on-the-DL, light-skinned-blacks-who-take-advantage-of-the-race, corrupt cops. It was a lot - probably too much.
I couldn't get into the whole past lives thing, nor could I buy into the idea of vigilante justice; however, I loved the idea of West End. My dilemma is: is it okay for us to kill someone who killed or raped or stole? What about restitution? I know the book tried to imply that the people Blue went after were remorseless, but what if they would have been remorseful one year later? And if 'bad' people don't come into West End because they are scared they'll be killed, have we truly addressed the issues that were causing the problems in the first place? Is the way to fix the problems in our society today to kill all the drug dealers and users?
I did finish it and it held my attention, though at times you could guess what was going to come next. Most of the time I was just like "Ok, when is this going to end?" Not one of my favorite Pearl Cleage works.
I couldn't get into the whole past lives thing, nor could I buy into the idea of vigilante justice; however, I loved the idea of West End. My dilemma is: is it okay for us to kill someone who killed or raped or stole? What about restitution? I know the book tried to imply that the people Blue went after were remorseless, but what if they would have been remorseful one year later? And if 'bad' people don't come into West End because they are scared they'll be killed, have we truly addressed the issues that were causing the problems in the first place? Is the way to fix the problems in our society today to kill all the drug dealers and users?
I did finish it and it held my attention, though at times you could guess what was going to come next. Most of the time I was just like "Ok, when is this going to end?" Not one of my favorite Pearl Cleage works.
April 4, 2010
As a fan of Pearl Cleague this book was a resounding disappointment. It seemed to be a thinly disguised bit of propaganda for the authors viewpoint rather than an enjoyable or enlightening work of fiction.
June 12, 2009
From start to finish I struggled with this book. Honestly I read it two weeks ago and all I can remember is skipping through to pages to get to the end. Funny thing is, I did not feel as if I missed any important parts.
As I write this I still cannot remember the plot behind this novel. Very sad because I hear Cleage is a great author. This is on my do not recommend list unfortuantely.
As I write this I still cannot remember the plot behind this novel. Very sad because I hear Cleage is a great author. This is on my do not recommend list unfortuantely.
October 7, 2018
Another wonderful ready by Pearl Cleage. Engaging from beginning to end.
Baby Brother is the kind of person who cannot be redeemed. Given opportunity, a leg up, chance after chance, he's not ever going to be a productive, moral citizen. That's not to say he deserved his outcome, but you certainly don't miss him. His character reminds me of Ralph Angel in the book Queen Sugar (not the show, which I haven't seen). Cleage was able to write Baby Brother's character in a way that shows a person with this self-destructive, entitled mentality without being one-dimensional.
Just about every character in the story has compelling issues and questions to deal with, and all were written with Cleage's trademark realism. While the end was totally gripping, I was disappointed with how things began to unravel. Namely, how did General so easily deduce that Brandi was with Wes? The reasons given in his narration were somewhat thin.
Overall great read in the West End series.
Baby Brother is the kind of person who cannot be redeemed. Given opportunity, a leg up, chance after chance, he's not ever going to be a productive, moral citizen. That's not to say he deserved his outcome, but you certainly don't miss him. His character reminds me of Ralph Angel in the book Queen Sugar (not the show, which I haven't seen). Cleage was able to write Baby Brother's character in a way that shows a person with this self-destructive, entitled mentality without being one-dimensional.
Just about every character in the story has compelling issues and questions to deal with, and all were written with Cleage's trademark realism. While the end was totally gripping, I was disappointed with how things began to unravel. Namely, how did General so easily deduce that Brandi was with Wes? The reasons given in his narration were somewhat thin.
Overall great read in the West End series.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 16, 2022
Surprise Ending
I chose to read this book by Pearl Cleave because it had been a very long time since I read What Seems Like Crazy. I remembered that I liked that story, plus the title of this book intrigued me. This was an interesting read and it kept me trying to figure out how the characters connected to each other, how one action /decision of one character affected another character's actions. The last few pages were the best for me because I never saw the outcome coming! This was a great page turner!!
I chose to read this book by Pearl Cleave because it had been a very long time since I read What Seems Like Crazy. I remembered that I liked that story, plus the title of this book intrigued me. This was an interesting read and it kept me trying to figure out how the characters connected to each other, how one action /decision of one character affected another character's actions. The last few pages were the best for me because I never saw the outcome coming! This was a great page turner!!
April 26, 2008
Reginia is a sister that has hit rock bottom but in her darkest moment she finds herself and love. I absolutely loved the spiritual element of this book. I fell in love with Blue amilton who in the words of Dead Prez is "Revolutionary but Gangsta." We also meet up with one of the young ladies in the Sewing Circle form What Looks Like Crazy!
March 23, 2010
Yea. This is probably my least favorite Cleage book. It's not that she doesn't do a great job, it's that it craps on parts of the "Some Things..." and I hated that. I'm not a person that needs everything to be happy but come on.
I would have liked this better if I hadn't been coming off the high of the first one.
I would have liked this better if I hadn't been coming off the high of the first one.
October 30, 2018
Down Low Secrets
There were a lot of secrets and being on the down low in this book. I don't like people who knowingly endanger others around them. That's what several characters in this book did. They took away their safety & trust without permission. And I'm glad the author wrote in consequences to the characters actions.
There were a lot of secrets and being on the down low in this book. I don't like people who knowingly endanger others around them. That's what several characters in this book did. They took away their safety & trust without permission. And I'm glad the author wrote in consequences to the characters actions.
March 7, 2021
Baby Brother a charming con man inserts himself into a community under the protection of Blue Hamilton . Will the community continue to thrive under the reincarnated ruler? What happens to those people under the illusion that they can insert themselves where they are not wanted? This was a story of love, redemption, community and family.
April 21, 2022
I didn’t love the ending. There were so many ways it could’ve gone and the one she chose was the least interesting, though most surprising. I don’t agree that the many characters were underdeveloped, though. Other readers have said that but I think the different perspectives were a nice angle and for the most part they were all pretty well developed.
January 22, 2023
Fantastic book! I loved how the characters' lives were intertwined. I loved how Cleage explored the complexity of themes like love and lies, secrets and loyalty, and living in the fullness of your identities. There were definitely plot twists that I did not expect, so I loved that too! Three 📚 books down, Cleage has become one of my favorite authors!
June 30, 2013
This book makes me want to know more about Blue. Love that Pearl Cleage address the issues that are faced in this book. Would love to say more but let me say this, there is strength in facing the truth of who you are on the inside at the core.
December 16, 2022
Glad to be done. Wish there had been more Regina and Abbie. Didn't love the whole "DL" angle but I realize this was written a while ago. My least liked PC book so far but still very much looking forward to reading more.
January 11, 2008
I have meet Ms Pearl Cleage and have enjoyed several of her books of whom you can relate as a reader and keep you interested until the last page.
July 26, 2008
Great story that focused on my home town.
August 17, 2010
this book had a lot going on but the end was a surprise. I don't know if I liked it or not, but all in all the book was good.
September 17, 2010
Good reading! This is my second Pearl Cleage book. I really like her characters.
November 28, 2018
This book was good. Dang Kwame, Babyboy, and General.
December 26, 2019
I hated this book!
February 16, 2023
Pearl Cleage’s characters are interconnected, making appearances in the background and sometimes forefront of the plot line. This being her third book , feeling well acclimated to most characters.
February 20, 2026
I had to rewrite my review because now I finally realize why this book is off putting to me.
When I was a teen, I had attempted to read it, but I fully didn’t understand it so I never finished it. Some of the nuances went over my head. So fast forward to 2017, I bought the book on Amazon but I didn’t touch it until recently. After finally finishing this book almost 20 years later, I have to say I was very disappointed in Pearl Cleage’s Baby Brother’s Blues because this could have been so much better and I now know why there’s something off with this book. I’ll try not to drag this out and point to you things that stood out to me and yes there are spoilers.
So warning there’s spoilers…
The book had too many characters, chile. Sorry but half the time I couldn’t keep up with who was who and then there were important characters that had a part but then dropped altogether.
The General character was a lot to stomach, his obsession with Brandi being the reincarnation of his lover/mother of his best friend was incredibly bizarre, and those age differences didn’t sit right with me.
I didn’t care much about the ambiguity of Blue’s past lives and the spiritual aspects that’s hinted in the book. I had mixed feelings about the godfather role Blue played but I understood why. Regina and Blue’s relationship is barely mentioned. I felt like Regina was being a little too simplistic about her husband’s vigilante justice.
The Kwame character was easily my least favorite character in the book, and I’ll even go as far as saying he’s the most dangerous character out of everyone. How he lied and mistreated Aretha, his involvement in DL activities, and his reckless behavior was very triggering to me mainly because I’ve read too many real life stories about this.
But, of course it’s not Atlanta if someone isn’t on the DL.
When Kwame got blackmailed by Baby Brother I was glad and felt no remorse, I was rooting for his downfall. But when he got blackmailed again by this Lee character who’s some crooked cop after she finds out about Kwame’s secret and tries to pin Baby Brother’s death on him, again I felt no remorse for Kwame. And the nerve of this guy to run to his mommy when things went wrong. I have to say I was glad Precious Hargrove made her son face accountability.
And of course let’s talk about the titular character Baby Brother aka Wes Jamerson. I’ll be honest, this character didn’t fit into this universe that well. I doubt that was Cleage’s intentions, but he just felt like a throwaway character and he’s not even the main character. Wes is an army deserter/wannabe street guy/conman who came from a very privileged background that decides to drive to Atlanta in a stolen car because of some anti-war girl he met maybe once or twice.
I wish I was kidding but outside of stealing a car and going AWOL, we never really see this character doing anything inherently bad per se were told all of this at the start of the story.
Cleage just used Wes as a mouthpiece to discuss the Iraq War and continuously shows us how selfish and self destructive he was, sometimes ranging from being comical to incredibly sad. There were parts of the story that felt very propagandistic. I had no problem with Cleage’s opposition of the Iraq War but there were times it felt like she was going off on a tangent which I felt slowed the story down. But after a while the whole “army deserter” element is more or less dropped by the third act. I don’t understand why Cleage spent all that time giving all this backstory about Wes when his parts of the story are skippable.
Then Cleage brings in the DL plot line and this is where she loses me. Wes, who’s a hustler, eventually crosses paths with Kwame, who also sleeps with men, during DL night at a club. The degrees of separation in this book is so unbelievable and contrived. Let’s be real, what were the odds of Kwame and Wes ever meeting each other? I saw the plot a mile away as soon as Cleage introduced Kwame and his DL escapades, I knew she was gonna find a way to get these two together. Cleage could have easily used a minor character to blackmail Kwame because Wes has very little to do with most of the characters two thirds in until that point. It was weird how Kwame felt comfortable using his real name during DL night knowing he was Precious’s son and how his scandals could jeopardize his marriage, career and his mother’s run for mayor. Like am I missing something here? I felt like the third act was rushed and not well thought out.
Wes’s characterization was so inconsistent at times that I can’t even count how my times I rolled my eyes. He hated being a hustler but later admits he didn’t care what people thought of him despite other men peeping “the look” but he still claimed he wasn’t gay. Wes definitely wasn’t being truthful half the time so there’s some unreliable narration here. All this backstory about this Wes character but never actually explained why he, other than men approaching him and hinting at it, chose this route to make money because he definitely could have done other illegal activities (which he has done) other than that. Yes, he’s was just reckless and willing to do anything for money but I still felt like something was missing with all that. I guess prostitution was the next step.
Other parts of the story also felt so contrived. Suddenly, Wes gets a lap dance from Brandi and General gets jealous? General gets possessive over Brandi because Wes slept with her and kills Wes. That part just seemed extreme and out of character. Over a stripper? Why would General even assume Brandi was seeing Wes? When Blue finds out, he basically told General to unalive himself, which was very disturbing. As terrible of a character Wes was I found myself feeling sorry for him even though he was never gonna change no matter how many chances he got. Granted, it’s foreshadowed early on in the book he wouldn’t live long but I’m still shocked that Cleage chose to killed this character off this way. And most of all, how she handled General.
The ending was so unsatisfying, and I never gained any real insight into the other characters because they end up being dropped or never appearing again in the book. What happened to Brandi? Zora? What was Precious Hargrove’s outcome after the scandal? Everything felt too neatly wrapped up like a crime series with a 40 minute runtime. I really didn’t understand why the author couldn’t create a standalone novel for Baby Brother or make the book a two-parter, there was too much drama, too many characters, too many sociopolitical topics, and too many storylines to follow.
I just recently read another book from Pearl Cleage which I’ve done the review of which picks up where Baby Brother left off and I think it’s safe to say, I don’t think I want to read anymore of her books. I believe she’s a good writer but I’m noticing a pattern and I don’t like it. Which leads to my earlier sentiment of Cleage’s writing being off putting. Some people called this out before and I agree with them, Cleage wants you to accept a lot of things, suspend your disbelief one too many times and she spends too much time addressing sociopolitical issues and less time on the story, in fact at times, there were parts of the story that was never really explained or didn’t even add up. And when Cleage does explain things, it would have been more effective for her to show and not tell. Like she’ll over explain other things but give us little to nothing with stuff that should have been addressed. Then, important characters were being dropped altogether.
As a black woman, I want to read more books from black authors but like I said I’m done reading anything from Cleage but I gave it a try.
When I was a teen, I had attempted to read it, but I fully didn’t understand it so I never finished it. Some of the nuances went over my head. So fast forward to 2017, I bought the book on Amazon but I didn’t touch it until recently. After finally finishing this book almost 20 years later, I have to say I was very disappointed in Pearl Cleage’s Baby Brother’s Blues because this could have been so much better and I now know why there’s something off with this book. I’ll try not to drag this out and point to you things that stood out to me and yes there are spoilers.
So warning there’s spoilers…
The book had too many characters, chile. Sorry but half the time I couldn’t keep up with who was who and then there were important characters that had a part but then dropped altogether.
The General character was a lot to stomach, his obsession with Brandi being the reincarnation of his lover/mother of his best friend was incredibly bizarre, and those age differences didn’t sit right with me.
I didn’t care much about the ambiguity of Blue’s past lives and the spiritual aspects that’s hinted in the book. I had mixed feelings about the godfather role Blue played but I understood why. Regina and Blue’s relationship is barely mentioned. I felt like Regina was being a little too simplistic about her husband’s vigilante justice.
The Kwame character was easily my least favorite character in the book, and I’ll even go as far as saying he’s the most dangerous character out of everyone. How he lied and mistreated Aretha, his involvement in DL activities, and his reckless behavior was very triggering to me mainly because I’ve read too many real life stories about this.
But, of course it’s not Atlanta if someone isn’t on the DL.
When Kwame got blackmailed by Baby Brother I was glad and felt no remorse, I was rooting for his downfall. But when he got blackmailed again by this Lee character who’s some crooked cop after she finds out about Kwame’s secret and tries to pin Baby Brother’s death on him, again I felt no remorse for Kwame. And the nerve of this guy to run to his mommy when things went wrong. I have to say I was glad Precious Hargrove made her son face accountability.
And of course let’s talk about the titular character Baby Brother aka Wes Jamerson. I’ll be honest, this character didn’t fit into this universe that well. I doubt that was Cleage’s intentions, but he just felt like a throwaway character and he’s not even the main character. Wes is an army deserter/wannabe street guy/conman who came from a very privileged background that decides to drive to Atlanta in a stolen car because of some anti-war girl he met maybe once or twice.
I wish I was kidding but outside of stealing a car and going AWOL, we never really see this character doing anything inherently bad per se were told all of this at the start of the story.
Cleage just used Wes as a mouthpiece to discuss the Iraq War and continuously shows us how selfish and self destructive he was, sometimes ranging from being comical to incredibly sad. There were parts of the story that felt very propagandistic. I had no problem with Cleage’s opposition of the Iraq War but there were times it felt like she was going off on a tangent which I felt slowed the story down. But after a while the whole “army deserter” element is more or less dropped by the third act. I don’t understand why Cleage spent all that time giving all this backstory about Wes when his parts of the story are skippable.
Then Cleage brings in the DL plot line and this is where she loses me. Wes, who’s a hustler, eventually crosses paths with Kwame, who also sleeps with men, during DL night at a club. The degrees of separation in this book is so unbelievable and contrived. Let’s be real, what were the odds of Kwame and Wes ever meeting each other? I saw the plot a mile away as soon as Cleage introduced Kwame and his DL escapades, I knew she was gonna find a way to get these two together. Cleage could have easily used a minor character to blackmail Kwame because Wes has very little to do with most of the characters two thirds in until that point. It was weird how Kwame felt comfortable using his real name during DL night knowing he was Precious’s son and how his scandals could jeopardize his marriage, career and his mother’s run for mayor. Like am I missing something here? I felt like the third act was rushed and not well thought out.
Wes’s characterization was so inconsistent at times that I can’t even count how my times I rolled my eyes. He hated being a hustler but later admits he didn’t care what people thought of him despite other men peeping “the look” but he still claimed he wasn’t gay. Wes definitely wasn’t being truthful half the time so there’s some unreliable narration here. All this backstory about this Wes character but never actually explained why he, other than men approaching him and hinting at it, chose this route to make money because he definitely could have done other illegal activities (which he has done) other than that. Yes, he’s was just reckless and willing to do anything for money but I still felt like something was missing with all that. I guess prostitution was the next step.
Other parts of the story also felt so contrived. Suddenly, Wes gets a lap dance from Brandi and General gets jealous? General gets possessive over Brandi because Wes slept with her and kills Wes. That part just seemed extreme and out of character. Over a stripper? Why would General even assume Brandi was seeing Wes? When Blue finds out, he basically told General to unalive himself, which was very disturbing. As terrible of a character Wes was I found myself feeling sorry for him even though he was never gonna change no matter how many chances he got. Granted, it’s foreshadowed early on in the book he wouldn’t live long but I’m still shocked that Cleage chose to killed this character off this way. And most of all, how she handled General.
The ending was so unsatisfying, and I never gained any real insight into the other characters because they end up being dropped or never appearing again in the book. What happened to Brandi? Zora? What was Precious Hargrove’s outcome after the scandal? Everything felt too neatly wrapped up like a crime series with a 40 minute runtime. I really didn’t understand why the author couldn’t create a standalone novel for Baby Brother or make the book a two-parter, there was too much drama, too many characters, too many sociopolitical topics, and too many storylines to follow.
I just recently read another book from Pearl Cleage which I’ve done the review of which picks up where Baby Brother left off and I think it’s safe to say, I don’t think I want to read anymore of her books. I believe she’s a good writer but I’m noticing a pattern and I don’t like it. Which leads to my earlier sentiment of Cleage’s writing being off putting. Some people called this out before and I agree with them, Cleage wants you to accept a lot of things, suspend your disbelief one too many times and she spends too much time addressing sociopolitical issues and less time on the story, in fact at times, there were parts of the story that was never really explained or didn’t even add up. And when Cleage does explain things, it would have been more effective for her to show and not tell. Like she’ll over explain other things but give us little to nothing with stuff that should have been addressed. Then, important characters were being dropped altogether.
As a black woman, I want to read more books from black authors but like I said I’m done reading anything from Cleage but I gave it a try.
April 2, 2018
Page Turner!
No spoilers here. This book was well written and characters Blue & Regina; General, Juanita & Brandi; Kwami & Aretha and Officer Lee all had their issues, not to mention Baby Boy! Ms. Cleage knows how to intertwine their stories in a believable and thoughtful way! Great Read, start to finish during a week at the beach!
No spoilers here. This book was well written and characters Blue & Regina; General, Juanita & Brandi; Kwami & Aretha and Officer Lee all had their issues, not to mention Baby Boy! Ms. Cleage knows how to intertwine their stories in a believable and thoughtful way! Great Read, start to finish during a week at the beach!
November 19, 2017
Not one of my favorites. Cleage’s writing seemed very different than her first book. I wasn’t as intrigued with this storyline although her characters grew in this book.
September 24, 2018
Heavy truth from some difficult walks through life. Enlightening, not for entertainment.
March 25, 2019
Confusion
This story had too many plots going on at once. I found it difficult to keep up with the names of who was whom
This story had too many plots going on at once. I found it difficult to keep up with the names of who was whom
August 26, 2019
Wasn't my favorite of Cleage's book. It kinda felt all over the place. The ending made me dislike Blue Hamilton.
January 7, 2023
Love the Series
Lots of moving parts but still kept my interest
Lots of moving parts but still kept my interest
October 18, 2024
3.4 another chapter in the Blue Williams page turning series. DL meets cop corruption meets vigilante hero
October 12, 2009
Pearl Cleage returns to the West End of Atlanta, the crime-free utopia where ex-crooner Blue Hamilton and trusty sidekick, General Richardson, keep the peace ala "Godfather" vigilante style. Fans were first introduced to Blue, his wife, Regina, and other West End residents in Some Things I Never Thought I'd Do and Babylon Sisters.
In Baby Brother's Blues, we meet Wes Jamerson aka Baby Brother, an Army deserter who breezes into the West End in a stolen car in search of Zora, an anti-war coed he met a few days earlier. Trouble rides in his wake and it does not take long for Baby Brother to land a job with Blue Hamilton despite General's urging otherwise.
Cleage continues to dabble in the supernatural by mentioning a bit more of Blue's mysterious past lives and continues Aunt Abbie's prophetic visions. This time, she delves even deeper into the spiritual realm with the suggestion of the reincarnation of General's deceased lover in the unlikely form of an uncouth exotic dancer named Brandi (with an "i" because it sounds classier) who is nearly half his age. The plot thickens when unbeknownst to General, Baby Brother and Brandi connect at a primal level and things turn downright deadly when Baby Brother's hustle for extra income allows him to stumble across a marriage and career ending secret for a close member of Blue's family. The blues invades the Hamilton household when Blue's late night excursions to "handle business" begin to take its toll on his pregnant wife, and the blues take root when one solitary impulsive act upsets a lifelong bond between key characters.
As in her other novels, the author's ardent trademark themes of pro-family, pro-community, friendship, loyalty, and sisterhood ring with resounding clarity and instant recognition. Cleage weaves an intricate multi-layered plot that folds current events into the story (increased domestic violence among war veterans and a sprinkling of political and police corruption). Strong, familiar, and beloved characters (Blue, Aunt Abbie, Regina) return but their storylines come across merely as afterthoughts amid the crux of the story that focuses more on the antics of several new yet forgettable and underdeveloped characters (Lee, Teddy, Zora, Brandi, Bob, Kwame, Wes) and their ill effects on the West End community. The pacing was slow and deliberate from the beginning through about two-thirds of the novel but rushed and somewhat abrupt near the end. The "action" was too little and came too late in the story and the tidy summarized subplot conclusions left a lot to the imagination.
Despite my misgivings, I still consider myself a fan of the author - I love her work - her novels typically contain positive, uplifting messages and heartfelt lessons. Baby Brother's Blues is a well-written and well constructed novel that will no doubt provide much fodder for in depth discussions among reading groups and book clubs because there are some enlightening, thought-provoking elements and a few memorable quotes within the pages. However, it still basically rounds out as just a notch above an average offering for me, hence the 3.5-star rating.
In Baby Brother's Blues, we meet Wes Jamerson aka Baby Brother, an Army deserter who breezes into the West End in a stolen car in search of Zora, an anti-war coed he met a few days earlier. Trouble rides in his wake and it does not take long for Baby Brother to land a job with Blue Hamilton despite General's urging otherwise.
Cleage continues to dabble in the supernatural by mentioning a bit more of Blue's mysterious past lives and continues Aunt Abbie's prophetic visions. This time, she delves even deeper into the spiritual realm with the suggestion of the reincarnation of General's deceased lover in the unlikely form of an uncouth exotic dancer named Brandi (with an "i" because it sounds classier) who is nearly half his age. The plot thickens when unbeknownst to General, Baby Brother and Brandi connect at a primal level and things turn downright deadly when Baby Brother's hustle for extra income allows him to stumble across a marriage and career ending secret for a close member of Blue's family. The blues invades the Hamilton household when Blue's late night excursions to "handle business" begin to take its toll on his pregnant wife, and the blues take root when one solitary impulsive act upsets a lifelong bond between key characters.
As in her other novels, the author's ardent trademark themes of pro-family, pro-community, friendship, loyalty, and sisterhood ring with resounding clarity and instant recognition. Cleage weaves an intricate multi-layered plot that folds current events into the story (increased domestic violence among war veterans and a sprinkling of political and police corruption). Strong, familiar, and beloved characters (Blue, Aunt Abbie, Regina) return but their storylines come across merely as afterthoughts amid the crux of the story that focuses more on the antics of several new yet forgettable and underdeveloped characters (Lee, Teddy, Zora, Brandi, Bob, Kwame, Wes) and their ill effects on the West End community. The pacing was slow and deliberate from the beginning through about two-thirds of the novel but rushed and somewhat abrupt near the end. The "action" was too little and came too late in the story and the tidy summarized subplot conclusions left a lot to the imagination.
Despite my misgivings, I still consider myself a fan of the author - I love her work - her novels typically contain positive, uplifting messages and heartfelt lessons. Baby Brother's Blues is a well-written and well constructed novel that will no doubt provide much fodder for in depth discussions among reading groups and book clubs because there are some enlightening, thought-provoking elements and a few memorable quotes within the pages. However, it still basically rounds out as just a notch above an average offering for me, hence the 3.5-star rating.
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