The Twelve Tribes of Hattie in Ultimate Popsugar Reading Challenge

Jul 09, 2020 Kristin rated it liked it

Shelves: popsugar2020

I found this book in a Little Free Library a few months ago, and with the recent increase in awareness about diversifying reading lists, I figured it was an appropriate time to read 'The Twelve Tribes of Hattie'. The book begins with the title character, a teenager in the 1920s, welcoming her first two children during the height of the Depression. She has left her home and family in Georgia to come to Philadelphia with her husband, August, and times are particularly hard, such that she cannot ke I found this book in a Little Free Library a few months ago, and with the recent increase in awareness about diversifying reading lists, I figured it was an appropriate time to read 'The Twelve Tribes of Hattie'. The book begins with the title character, a teenager in the 1920s, welcoming her first two children during the height of the Depression. She has left her home and family in Georgia to come to Philadelphia with her husband, August, and times are particularly hard, such that she cannot keep her babies alive in the cold winter. Subsequent chapters provide glimpses into the lives of Hattie's next 9 children plus 1 granddaughter, as time marches on. There is not a lot of happiness to go around, as each child battles his or her own struggles despite the best of intentions of the family matriarch.
The book was very interesting, and a reminder that despite differences in race and culture, the human struggle is real for everyone. I'll admit, I haven't read many books by African American authors, and fewer that feature black characters almost exclusively, so my knowledge is limited. Mathis creates a diverse group that comprises Hattie's family which provides an education into what life was like in certain decades of the 20th century, and while readers were frequently reminded that the skin color, and perception thereof by others, of the characters contributes to the specific events they experience, a lot of times I felt like the stories Mathis was telling could be universal. I was surprised that none of the chapters featured one of Hattie's children during the civil rights era, but in retrospect, it may be cliched to think that a book about an African American family would always have something to say about that specific period of time. Hattie's family members always seemed just barely above the poverty line, so it's reasonable to think that none of them could likely afford to travel to see Dr. King speak or participate in protests at risk of losing what little they have.
What I didn't like about the book was that I felt that limiting the characters to one chapter each minimized the impact each could have and that most of their stories finished unresolved. Even among chapters, other than Hattie, who ties the book together, there are few recurring characters, as if the siblings rarely interacted with each other once they grew up and left the family home. Never did I truly feel like I was reading about a nuclear family, more like spokes on a bicycle wheel or a long, stringy spiderweb where there are minimal connections between strands of silk. I also had trouble aligning them chronologically. After the twins, the next chapter deals with who I assume is Hattie's next oldest, already grown and trying to make a living as a travelling musician, but then in the middle are a couple chapters involving babies before jumping back to grown children again. If I hadn't caught on early that there was no point in doing so because we'd never hear from the character again, I might have found it worthwhile to write down the year each chapter was set and the approximate age of the child in order to figure out the order.
Overall, an OK book and enjoyable to read, just didn't entirely live up to the expectations I had when I chose it from the library. ...more

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Oct 19, 2013 Larissa rated it it was ok

Hmm yeah not sure what to say about this book. The writing was decent. It was a collection of stories of each of Hattie's children in a snapshot during their lives, but only one or two of them had any semblance of closure which is very frustrating for me as a reader. Maybe I just did not get her literary style or goal of the book, but there was no message from the book and no morals in the stories. It was depressing as well and I kept waiting for the happy story/closure/something to tie the stor ...more

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Jan 07, 2013 Sara rated it it was ok

Shelves: 2013-reads

I began loving it. Then the next few chapters just felt detached. Near the end it gained speed for me and I got a little more invested. Overall, just fair - nothing that I'll remember in a few months. ...more

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