House of Light

Abyssinia Jackson

by Joyce Carol Thomas

Dr. Abyssinia Jackson is a regal, nurturing woman possessed of remarkable healing powers. From her office, known as The House of Light, Abyssinia tends to the troubled women of Ponca City. House of Light is a story about a community bound by caring and love, about the pleasures of helping others and ourselves, and about the power to heal that lies deep within us all.

273 pages, Hardcover

First published March 21, 2001

About the author

Joyce Carol Thomas was an internationally renowned author who received the National Book Award for her first novel, Marked By Fire, and a Coretta Scott King Honor for her first picture book, Brown Honey In Broomwheat Tea. Her other titles include I Have Heard Of A Land, a Coretta Scott King Honor Book; The Gospel Cinderella; cCrowning Glory; Gingerbread Days; and A Gathering Of Flowers. Ms. Thomas lived in Berkeley, California.

Reviews

[Julia · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5. I really enjoyed some of the story lines in this book. But I agree with other reviewers that some of the stories were left hanging. Overall it was still a very good read.

[Karen · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book takes place in a small midwestern town settled by black people. The central character is a female physician in town who is a deacon in the church and the person everyone goes to in town for both emotional and physical healing. There are a series of stories, mainly about women and their abusers. the abusers range from husbands and boyfriends to the white women in the next town that the black women clean for. In the beginning of the book I was fascinated by the depth and complexity of the characters but somewhere along the line the author seemed to loose that depth. Maybe it was poor editing, maybe it was me, but in the final 1/4 of the book I just didn't care what happened anymore. The physician also speaks in phrases....makes up songs that she mumbles while she is healing. These breaks in the prose (songs) annoyed me and seemed trite....they seemed to halt the flow of the story. Why they were included I am not sure.
In the end everyone overcomes and a huge secret from the doctor's past is revealed. I do think there were some examples and explanations of the African American culture that were interesting and that I liked learning that but beyond that this was a mediocre read for me.

[Maluz Manalo · Rating 2 out of 5]

The women who are characters of this book are undergoing different challenges -- emotionally, physiology, and psychologically. They are finding their way to lift their spirits up, to be respected, and to be treated rightly by men.

[Anita · Rating 3 out of 5]

I started out really liking the book, but then the story seemed to go off in a bunch of different directions and didn't really make sense. So my overall impression is that it was just an ok read. I feel like she really didn't tie up any of the story lines. You're left hanging.

[Natasha · Rating 2 out of 5]

Seemed a little all over the place. I couldn't stay focused...

[Erin · Rating 2 out of 5]

Hard to follow.

[Kim · Rating 3 out of 5]

pretty good book. a little hard to follow all the names of whose who