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The View from Here
Set in an environment of casual prejudice and commonplace poverty, the story of a gentle, hardworking wife and mother, Anna Thomas, follows her endeavors to overcome a challenge that could destroy her family. Tour.
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First published February 1, 1997
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 33 reviews
October 22, 2009
Told largely in part by the unborn child, this is a story of self-discovery, strength, and family love. The View From Here is excellent! It goes deep into the soul and deep into the impoverished rural South into the home of Anna and J.T. where years of depression, predjudice, mental and physical abuse has taken its toll on the family. An unplanned pregnancy throws the family into crisis and the loss of employment makes a bad situation worse. J.T. "fixes" things by offering the unborn child to his older sister/surrogate mother, Clairese, the preacher's wife, and turns to corn liquor as console for his idle time. Anna eventually saves her family by (a) pulling on inspiration of her best friend, Ida Mae, who has "gone up North" in search of freedom and a better life and (b) her mother's strength to preservere and do the right thing. This book is a quick read, a real winner...I was really intrigued to see that it was written by a man! I give this body of work 5 stars and two thumbs up!
December 28, 2011
COMMENTS CONTAIN SPOILERS!!
This was a compelling read, very hard to put down. The only reason I didn't give it five stars was Anna's speech at the end, where she finally stands up to J.T. and his awful sister. I suppose Anna's outpouring of frustration could be viewed as something she'd rehearsed in her head, but it was too long. She said more than she needed to say to make her point.
If there were a movie version, at the end the audience would applaud Anna's first words to Claerice, but that would fade to an embarrassed quiet -- embarrassed for the writer, who should have given Anna fewer words. Really, all she needed to do was tell Claerice to shut the f*** up, and then tell J.T. he could remain with the family if he'd man up.
I liked that Anna didn't find her voice until she lost the voice in her head -- the voice of Ida Mae. However, it was frustrating that it took her so long to stand up for her family, considering her two strong role models -- her mother and Ida Mae.
EDIT after thinking some more about Jackson's portrayal of the women. Does he like women? The only sympathetic woman in the book is Anna's mother, Missus Anderson. Anna was a martyr, at great cost to her children. It took the torture of one of her sons and the near-loss of her baby before she found the courage to stand up to J.T., and when she did finally stand up to him, she took what little pride he had left. Ida Mae paid for her independence with her life. Claerice was a stone cold psycho bitch with no redeeming qualities.
The trouble is, all these characters ring true -- they were very compelling and believable. Maybe I'm trying to apply 21st century standards to a 1940's (?) setting. But I'm left wondering what Mr. Jackson really thinks about women.
This was a compelling read, very hard to put down. The only reason I didn't give it five stars was Anna's speech at the end, where she finally stands up to J.T. and his awful sister. I suppose Anna's outpouring of frustration could be viewed as something she'd rehearsed in her head, but it was too long. She said more than she needed to say to make her point.
If there were a movie version, at the end the audience would applaud Anna's first words to Claerice, but that would fade to an embarrassed quiet -- embarrassed for the writer, who should have given Anna fewer words. Really, all she needed to do was tell Claerice to shut the f*** up, and then tell J.T. he could remain with the family if he'd man up.
I liked that Anna didn't find her voice until she lost the voice in her head -- the voice of Ida Mae. However, it was frustrating that it took her so long to stand up for her family, considering her two strong role models -- her mother and Ida Mae.
EDIT after thinking some more about Jackson's portrayal of the women. Does he like women? The only sympathetic woman in the book is Anna's mother, Missus Anderson. Anna was a martyr, at great cost to her children. It took the torture of one of her sons and the near-loss of her baby before she found the courage to stand up to J.T., and when she did finally stand up to him, she took what little pride he had left. Ida Mae paid for her independence with her life. Claerice was a stone cold psycho bitch with no redeeming qualities.
The trouble is, all these characters ring true -- they were very compelling and believable. Maybe I'm trying to apply 21st century standards to a 1940's (?) setting. But I'm left wondering what Mr. Jackson really thinks about women.
November 23, 2008
Brian Keith Jackson uses a unique point of view to tell this story about a poor rural black family expecting yet another child--one they cannot afford. The mother fights with all her might to keep what she feels will be her only girl-child, but her husband insists other arrangements be made.
June 23, 2023
So good I read it twice. I knew I'd heard this story before.
August 11, 2026
The View From Here has been sitting in my bookcase since 2108. It got lost in my hundreds of books on my bookshelves. Eight years later, and two moves from Florida to Virginia, I finally picked it out to read, and I loved it! I read it in just over a day!
In the description at the back of the book it reads, the "novel treads the same rich literary soil as the work of Alice Walker and Toni Morrison - with equally memorable results". I have read many books by both authors and I agree! These authors write every day struggles for the working poor in the deep south in a time when life was extra hard for African American families.
The story takes place in the 1950's and is told by three, but for the vast majority is told from the view of the unborn baby from the womb when L'il Lisa begins speaking to us at five months. This was very interesting point of view as I can honestly say it's a first.
The family lives isolated among the corn fields of rural Mississippi. With five sons already, J.T., the domineering father won't allow Anna to keep the baby. He has arranged to give the child to Clariece, his barren older sister, to rear. Clariece raised T.J. but she still treats him very much as a child (of that time period). She is verbally abusive and belittles her brother. She also lies to make herself look better. Though J.T. rules in his own home, he takes the abuse from his sister as if he is still a little boy.
Anna wants to keep Lisa and is convinced once the baby is born J.T. will overcome with so much love upon seeing his new little daughter, for Anna is convinced this time she is having a daughter, she will be allowed to keep her baby.
Before Anna was married, she had a best friend, Ida Mae. Ida Mae always had big dreams of moving north to become someone. They always kept in touch, but over time, Anna no longer has her address. During Anna's lonely pregnancy, she continues to write unmailed letters to Ida Mae to keep her sanity.
Very near, at the end of the story, Anna is making cookies. I am a baker. I make cookies, cakes, loaves, muffins.....but the author got it wrong. He has Momma putting the little globs of cookie dough on "waxed paper" and "baking for thirty minutes". Waxed paper would melt in the oven, I feel the author meant parchment paper and if you baked cookies for 30 minutes, they would burn. Average is about 8 minutes.
Like Toni Morrison and Alice Walker, Brian Keith Jackson is right up there as a gifted storyteller. His word are magic.
In the description at the back of the book it reads, the "novel treads the same rich literary soil as the work of Alice Walker and Toni Morrison - with equally memorable results". I have read many books by both authors and I agree! These authors write every day struggles for the working poor in the deep south in a time when life was extra hard for African American families.
The story takes place in the 1950's and is told by three, but for the vast majority is told from the view of the unborn baby from the womb when L'il Lisa begins speaking to us at five months. This was very interesting point of view as I can honestly say it's a first.
The family lives isolated among the corn fields of rural Mississippi. With five sons already, J.T., the domineering father won't allow Anna to keep the baby. He has arranged to give the child to Clariece, his barren older sister, to rear. Clariece raised T.J. but she still treats him very much as a child (of that time period). She is verbally abusive and belittles her brother. She also lies to make herself look better. Though J.T. rules in his own home, he takes the abuse from his sister as if he is still a little boy.
Anna wants to keep Lisa and is convinced once the baby is born J.T. will overcome with so much love upon seeing his new little daughter, for Anna is convinced this time she is having a daughter, she will be allowed to keep her baby.
Before Anna was married, she had a best friend, Ida Mae. Ida Mae always had big dreams of moving north to become someone. They always kept in touch, but over time, Anna no longer has her address. During Anna's lonely pregnancy, she continues to write unmailed letters to Ida Mae to keep her sanity.
Very near, at the end of the story, Anna is making cookies. I am a baker. I make cookies, cakes, loaves, muffins.....but the author got it wrong. He has Momma putting the little globs of cookie dough on "waxed paper" and "baking for thirty minutes". Waxed paper would melt in the oven, I feel the author meant parchment paper and if you baked cookies for 30 minutes, they would burn. Average is about 8 minutes.
Like Toni Morrison and Alice Walker, Brian Keith Jackson is right up there as a gifted storyteller. His word are magic.
September 3, 2019
I found this book in my church library while killing time between services. I fell in love with the unborn baby narrating the story and her mother who is doing her best to raise her children in the Deep South to be strong, kind people. You will love the writing. Well worth searching for since it is 1997 copyright.
August 6, 2018
Some nice writing. A bit predictable, cliche, and repetitive, especially toward the end. It's a pretty short read, but I found myself wishing it were even shorter due to the repetition.
Decent read.
Decent read.
November 1, 2018
Beautifully written. I felt like someone was pressing their hand on my chest. It's a difficult read on some parts to get through. Aunt Clariece is a dick and she can go to hell for everything she did.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 19, 2025
I really enjoyed this book. It’s told from a very different perspective than I have seen before. The setting, the characters and the culture felt true to life. One gets all the emotions from this story.
October 27, 2018
A story of a family told through an infant still in the womb. a little slow in some parts, otherwise an ok read.
May 12, 2020
Beautiful story and sensitively written.
February 26, 2017
At first I found it hard to get into this book and can admit I got confused who was "talking". It is through the eyes of Anna's unborn child but is interrupted by other outside sources. Once I got further along into the book though, I got "into the rhythm " and had a hard time putting it down. I loved the fact that at the very end, Anna was able to find her own voice and stood up for herself and her boys.
August 10, 2011
I loved this book kind of makes you think of lack of womens rights and that sort of thing or of the over bearing husband who controls you but is only and asshole because his parents were sick in the head . But either way man or woman you will feel liberated when reading this book .Its from the point of view of and unborn child inside the wifes stomach who I guess the child would be the main character and you see or well hear and see what it sees and hears and its small but very big opinion on things . I would recommend this book if you want a book with bold characters a strong story line and just a well thought out book from start to finish.
March 11, 2011
This book is all about family, a momma and her kids, a momma who often lives in the past and longs for better times. I love the unique perspective of the book. It is intersting to me that a male author can capture the thoughts and feelings of a woman so well in this book. I really liked the story.
January 14, 2011
Picked this up from our Director's free book table and it's not bad. Felt a lot like it was trying to be Toni Morrison but fell short. Very slow in the middle, but the ending makes up for it. Just be willing to push through the repetitiveness.
Read
August 20, 2011This book had an interesting angle - it's the story of the events that take place in a poor family in rural Mississippi as told by the mother of the family's unborn baby who can not only see and hear what's going on but understands a lot about life already as well.
August 5, 2013
Very compelling. I read it straight through almost without stopping. (A transatlantic flight helped.) The end was kind of predictable and the characters were rather two-dimensional, but it was still an interesting read. I would recommend it as a good vacation book.
January 4, 2015
Excellent book I would recommend anyone doubting the struggles of any woman but especially black women to read this book. It gives a heart wrenching view into the struggles of a poor black family faced with tough choices.
June 1, 2015
The book is easy to read and the story kept my interest. The story is told through the voice of an unborn child; that child is telling the story as she is hearing and feeling it through her mother. The male author captured the voice perfectly.
March 20, 2008
A novel of rural Mississippi.
Read
November 3, 2017Beautiful prose.
August 20, 2010
Surprisingly good. Well-written "woman's" book written by a yoing man. Sometimes a little confusing who is "talking".
January 31, 2011
The view begins while Lisa is in the womb. The mother Anna wrote letters and talked to the unborn child and gave the letters to Lisa when Lisa was pregnant herself. The author is male.
November 1, 2011
Love, family and friendship. I enjoyed this book and the unique way it was narrated. The author did a good job of telling the story and the ending was great!
March 13, 2013
This was a good read. It was an easy read but had enough depth to suck you in. It's also the first book I've read from an unborn child's view which was very cool.
February 16, 2014
Wonderful!
June 13, 2014
Stunning! Brian Keith Jackson understands far beyond his age and his gender!
September 22, 2014
Compelling story from an unexpected perspective. I was instantly drawn into the story.
March 29, 2016
Women...the bearers of life...also the providers of strength that make life worth living. Bless you Anna!!! A great read!!!
Displaying 1 - 30 of 33 reviews