Discussion: Those Bones Are Not My Child

[George]

been lagging lately. I mostly blame Yankees as the metro cars fill with tourists. I'm about 300 pages into it.

[Janet]

also woefully behind, but will scan comments and catch up eventually.
in other news, have people heard about this?

TWITTER CHAT
The Black Author Challenge

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[Alexa]

I really enjoyed the first third of this; unfortunately the second third started to lag a bit for me. The episodic nature that I quite enjoyed in the beginning just started getting more and more confusing for me. And then Part V was just ....

[Wilhelmina]

We all seem to be struggling with this middle section. Let's give it another day or so. I can't imagine the job that Toni Morrison had, editing this book down from twice this length!

[George]

twice, good Lord. anyway, I'm on 5 now as well.

[Tiffany]

Wilhelmina wrote: "Luisah wrote: "Alafia good people:
I have been listening/reading comments on this site and collecting recommended readings but have seldom had time to participate in the discussions. However I sta..."
I was in elementary/junior high school in Brooklyn at the time and we felt the angst all the way up north. I remember many of us wearing green ribbons as a show of support.
I just started the ebook and won't read the comments here until I get to that section. Already, I'm wishing the case to be reopened so real justice can be served. In light of last night's massacre in South Carolina, the despair may be too great.

[Wilhelmina]

On a day like today, this is a hard book for me to read.

[George]

This is from Salon.com today.

http://www.salon.com/2015/06/19/dylan...

Two sources familiar with the investigation have told NBC News that Dylann Roof, the 21-year-old who murdered nine members of the Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church in Charleston Wednesday night, has confessed to police.

Those sources also claim that he told authorities he “almost didn’t go through with it because everyone was so nice to him.” Roof was attending a bible study, and had even asked to sit next to Pastor Clementa Pinckney. His confession may explain why it took him nearly an hour to open fire on the parishioners.

Despite the kindness they showed him, in the end he decided that he had to follow “through with his mission.”

[Wilhelmina]

Beyond horrible. I am trying to refocus on the book, but it has taken me a minute. I would like us to talk about Part IV, especially the explosion at Bowen Homes and the reactions of the different segments of the community. For those who may not know, Bowen Homes did exist and the explosion did take place.

[Karen Michele]

With great sorrow I have refocused on the book and finished it this afternoon.

The main reaction I have to the Bowen Homes explosion is that it indicates how much control the media, politicians and law enforcement agencies have over the stories we tell and how they are remembered, or, in this case, never proved to be racially motivated by the mainstream. I read some newspaper reports from 1980 and looked at some pictures and then read a recent article, and it seems that the explosion of the faulty boiler was the accepted story of the explosion at the time and continues to be the story told.

I ended up rating the book 4 stars and I am glad to have read it. I ended up reading it more as linked short stories that formed a whole in the end and that helped me focus on what each section brought to the story. The music and "rhythm of life" brought out through jump rope rhymes and name games, etc. was masterful and placed me solidly in the time period of the events.

I welcome hearing more thoughts about the book. I am in this group to learn and to see past any misunderstandings or short sightedness that I have.

[Alexa]

I very much like your point about linked short stories - it definitely does have that feel to it.

What most struck me about the middle section was the sense of hopeless confusion I got as a reader - not knowing which facts were the important ones - not knowing which theories were relevant. At times I got so frustrated - I wanted more authorial direction as to what to focus on - but instead we just got this jumble of information - which I can only imagine was just a hint of the confusion and total lack of control the families at the time must have been feeling as they desperately searched for the truth.

[Wilhelmina]

I agree with both of your insightful points.

[Alexa]

I just finished this last night. I loved the first half and was hopelessly confused by the last half. One example, the excursion through the meadow with all the discussion about the plants - this was a beautiful little vignette, but what on earth did it have to do with the plot?

[Wilhelmina]

I have to apologize. This was a bad week for me. I hope that we can have some final thoughts in the next few days.

I am just as confused as you are, Alexa. What about the rest of us?

[Alexa]

For those who have finished the book, I have a question. (view spoiler)[Who was Gittens? Is this a character I was supposed to recognize from earlier, and if so, can anyone remind me where he appeared? (hide spoiler)]

[Wilhelmina]

I was baffled myself, Alexa. I also wonder how people felt about Sundiata's story and how it developed.

I know that today is officially the last day of the discussion, but I hope that those who are still reading will continue to add their comments. This was a challenging book for many of us, especially in this month when, once again, Black lives have been taken. Thanks to all who contributed to this discussion.

This book was far more difficult for me than I had anticipated. Living here in Atlanta, in the area where the murders took place, I felt haunted by these lost children everywhere I went. What is Ashby Street in the book is Lowery now and is 3 houses from my house. Many of the street names have been changed since then. Many of the housing projects and neighborhoods have been eliminated or completely transformed. On Saturday, I drove to a meeting for my older grandson and I passed through what used to be the Stewart-Lakewood area. I passed new schools and new developments, but I had the eerie sense that the tragic events that had taken place here had been papered over, shined up to be a part of the new Atlanta. I can imagine Bambara taking page after page of notes when she lived here and worked in these communities, determined that these lost lives be remembered. I don't know whether I would say that her book succeeded as a novel. There were many wonderful passages that gave a great sense of what life was like in these communities at this time. The disjointedness had to reflect the confusion of those days, filled with suspicion, a sense of betrayal, and endless conspiracy theories. Karen's approach of viewing the book as linked stories may be the best approach. But without a doubt, Bambara succeeded in creating a memorial to the lost children, their families and their communities. They won't be forgotten.

[Tiffany]

Wilhelmina wrote: "I was baffled myself, Alexa. I also wonder how people felt about Sundiata's story and how it developed.

I know that today is officially the last day of the discussion, but I hope that those who ar..."

Well said, Wilhelmina. I just finished this book a few days ago after many starts & stops & returns to the library. Easily one of the most challenging yet necessary books I've ever read. The saddest part is the obstructionist stance played by all the politicians and government. Their silence then was a form of terrorism. I'm furious that these children are rarely ever mentioned, like the country just skips over this time period to conveniently forget. Were the families able to sue? What happened with the attorney general? (Nothing I imagine).

I think the new Atlanta has "papered over" the area and the events. I lived in Atlanta during the 90's and I maybe had one or two remembrances of the murders. My heart goes out to you, Wilhemina. Living there now, while having read this book, knowing how the government has silenced this tragedy?…

The best part of the book was being able to picture the families using their everything to get answers. They created their own FBI/CIA units, and given the "coerced silence" around these murders, I was under the impression the families bought into it. I'm so glad that impression has been corrected.

[Karen Michele]

It’s been quite a while since we read this book, but I’m a fan of the Mindhunters series and season 2 is dealing with the Atlanta murders. Does anyone else watch the show?

[George]

I've only seen season 1, but it's pretty decent. Now I guess I'll have to watch season 2 sooner rather than later.