Brass Ankle Blues

by Rachel M. Harper

"When I was seven I told my father that I wanted to grow up to be invisible."

As a young woman of mixed race, Nellie Kincaid is about to encounter the strange, unsettling summer of her fifteenth year. Reeling from the recent separation of her parents, Nellie finds herself traveling to the family's lake house with only her father and her estranged cousin, leaving behind the life and the mother she is trying to forget.

As the summer progresses, Nellie will have to define herself, navigating the twists and turns of first love. At the same time, her family is becoming more and more divided by the day. Does her newfound identity require her to distance herself from those she loves, or will it draw her closer?

Genres: Fiction, Coming Of Age, Young Adult, Contemporary, African American

304 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2006

About the author

RACHEL M. HARPER is the author of three novels: THE OTHER MOTHER, upcoming from Counterpoint Press; THIS SIDE OF PROVIDENCE, shortlisted for the Ernest J. Gaines Award for Literary Excellence; and BRASS ANKLE BLUES, a Borders’ Original Voices Award finalist and Target Breakout Book. Her work has been nominated for a Pushcart Prize, and has been widely published and anthologized. Harper has received fellowships from Yaddo and MacDowell, and is on the faculty at Spalding University’s School of Writing. She lives in Los Angeles.

Reviews

[Deb (Readerbuzz) Nance · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a book that I would gravitate to at the bookstore. I'm drawn to books that deal with psychological issues, family issues, emotional issues. This is a book I would definitely pick up, buy, and read.

That said, I wished I could see Nellie's mother more clearly. At times, it felt like there were so many cousins and friends that it was tough to keep each one straight. I liked Nellie and Jess and her dad a lot. Nellie's relationship with the two boys seemed to go back and forth without much rhyme or reason. By the end, I could see that Jess had grown, but I was less sure about Nellie. The story never really reached a big climax, but that was okay with me; I liked the main characters enough to stick with them despite the lack of a strong driving plot.

Because I am a librarian in a large school system with a very diverse population, I will enjoy telling others about this book. The biracial issues Nellie faced are issues faced by many Americans; I can see that teens as well as adults might like this book a lot.

[Ciana · Rating 5 out of 5]

I enjoyed this coming of age story of a bi-racial girl and her struggle for identity. The author Rachel Harper is very descriptive in her language and does a good job of allowing the reader to be the "fly on the wall." This is a satisfying read that gives its readers a complete story.

[Ruby · Rating 4 out of 5]

It took awhile for me to connect with the main character--I think, based on the acknowledgements, that the novel grew from a short story, and I nominate the first section for short story status.

But eventually I came to love Nellie.

Brass Ankle Blues is a coming of age story that is about being pulled between separate, sometimes opposing, worlds. This may be a common story for adolescents, but Nellie has more worlds than most to navigate.

Nellie is a mixed race city kid visiting her white rural family in Minnesota for the summer, as she does every year. This, her 15th summer, is different. Her parents are separating. Her rebellious southern cousin is along for the ride to the midwest. Her mother and brothers aren't.

As she learns more about her family, her black-and-white world goes grayscale. But the most valuable aspect of this story is definitely the exploration of what it means to have a family--and a self--and to love and be loyal to both of them.

[Kristen · Rating 2 out of 5]

Meh, pretty predictable coming of age story.

[Margi · Rating 3 out of 5]

I like Nellie and Jess a lot. Those two characters most assuredly carried the novel. There were so many ancillary characters that at times it was a bit confusing. I enjoyed the idea of the families spending the summers together and the interactions between the clan. Even though I find it unrealistic, (and quite scary in this day), I did find Nellie and Jess's journey to the lake house quite interesting to read. I wasn't sure how the marijuana fit into the story and I was a bit confused about Nellie's relationship with Dallas and Luke. It was definitely a story of Nellie's first journey into our unpredictable, some times dangerous, and often confusing world. The book also focuses a lot on mixed race but I didn't get that theme in book until close to the end with Luke's friend. Otherwise, I felt that it was hard to discern who was of what race during the story. To make such a statement with the title and such I would have thought race would be a more obvious part of the story.

[Sarahann95 · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have not yet finsihed the book, but I am almost done. And so far, it has been a great novel. It shows common day struggles and life through a young girl's life. It expressed how Nellie, the main character, felt when she pretty much figured her parents were getting a divorced, her thoughts on her cousin Jess, her thoughts and feelings for Dallas and for Luke, the affect of Hettie's death on her and her mother, and how angry she was when she figured out her mom got pregnant at a young age, and then had an abortion. There is much more, but I wish not to spoil any more than I have already.

:)

[Tricia Abel · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really great coming of age novel- I enjoyed it more than I thought I would. The author is very good with setting the scene so you can just imagine being at the lake in Minnesota with Nellie, the narrator of the story. While some may only see the conflict Nellie has with being bi-racial, I saw so much more to her character. The struggle with her parents splitting up, discovering her feelings about boys and just coming to a point where she knows she's no longer a child. This book is very sweet and tender.

[Suparna Banerjee-Emanuel · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very lyrical coming of age novel about a 15 year old biracial girl named Nellie. The language is precise and elegant, with clever observations and poetic musings. Her story is riveting and it's a debut novel that marks Rachel Harper as a talented writer. I recommend it to anyone from age 15 to age whatever.... a slow building but interesting read.

[Brennan · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a wonderful coming of age novel. A story that starts off on a road trip throughout the midwest. Being originally from there made this novel even more special because all of the places were familiar and caused memories from my childhood. It was a fast-paced, entertaining, heart-felt story-the perfect summer read. :)

[Gretchen · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is an accessible story of a bi-racial extended family. It’s masterfully told, combining compelling drama with delightful humor. I loved it. There’s lots of plot tension and good characterization. Plus it is a window into the complexities of a bi-racial family dealing with each other as well as mainstream society. It’s warmly human.

[Cristina · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this because it was required for this semester. Rachel is an instructor in my MFA program. I would highly recommend this book, not just because she's a teacher in my MFA program, but because I think she created a beautifully true character in Nellie.

[Kerry · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was about a young girl of mixed race whose parents are going through a divorce, and how she deals with these issues. Much of the book takes place at her family's summer cabin on a lake. I related to her feelings on the divorce, and overall thought it was a decent summer read.

[Renee · Rating 4 out of 5]

The book is about a 15 year old girl of mixed race(s) and facing some of the unsettling relationships with her family. Author is of mixed race as well, and it made for a believable well written first book.

[Deborah · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fifteen year old Nellie, angry over her parents breakup, spends the summer at the family's lake house with Jess, the cousin she rarely knows. At the lake, they reunite with other family members. Jess' father is distant and has a family secret. Nellie finds herself confused over two older boys.

[Elise · Rating 2 out of 5]

I really disliked this book. In a sense you can see this writer has some talent. But she had the irritating quality of providing annoying, inconsequential details of every sort, and of having a 15-year-old character who talked nothing like a 15-year-old. And it was boring.

[Miranda Prather · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love the way Harper writes. It's clean, to the point, but says so very much. I hope she doesn't change to try to be in a style that is more vogue. Her work is also a very important one on the topic of race, in particular the blending of races that we are all more and more becoming.

[Genevieve · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a deep book. It's not brain twisting, rather it's intense in its peacefullness of the story. Good quality read, although can get boring to those who seek drive. This one has a focus on a person's world without deep philosophical drills. Relaxing.

[Margo · Rating 3 out of 5]

i wouldn't have bought this book if it had not been on the bargain shelf, but i'm glad i did. sweet story about a teenage girl facing the trials and tribulations of life.

[Chrystal]

I don't want to say I didn't like it. I can't even claim to have read it. I got to page 20 and I honestly can't remember anything about what I read.

[Jtw · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a clever, clever bildungsroman doing a lot of unique things with iconic themes: travel, race, identity.

[Judy · Rating 4 out of 5]

As a teenager of mixed raced parentage, Nellie spends a summer trying to define herself as she deals with first love, her parents marriage dissolving and other family issues.

[Deanna]

I think the book is well written and although high school at times, great revelations are revealed with bursts that make you think

[Riley]

Great story. I liked it a lot.

[Lisa Freeman · Rating 5 out of 5]

Rachel Harper, aka Harper, is one of the most amazing writers I've had the pleasure of working with. She is generous, kind, and above all, talented. If you haven't read this book, check it out.

[Sharon · Rating 5 out of 5]

A beautifully written book. Rachel is a brilliant writer and I can't wait to read her latest book, This Side of Providence.

[Diane · Rating 4 out of 5]

I had never heard the term brass ankle before. Good story.