Literary Fiction by People of Color discussion
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Praise Song for the Butterflies
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Discussion: Praise Song for the Butterflies (scheduled read)
I just started today and already finished 100 pages. I'm hooked!
I can’t start early, but I have my copy and am excited to discuss this as a group. Every book McFadden writes hits me like a gut-punch, all the way through.
I look forward to the discussion. I read it when it came out after enjoying McFadden when I was introduced to her in this group.
Just finished it. Am pondering how to review it.
I really enjoy a book with short chapters, so I was very pleasantly surprised when I picked this up from the library this weekend. I started it this morning with my morning coffee and I was a little late for work because I was six chapters in and didn't want to put it down! 😊
I've heard from Bernice McFadden that she is delighted to join us in February for an "Ask the Author" thread. I'll put the thread up now. Feel free to post your questions at any time, and Bernice McFadden will pop in now and then to answer our questions throughout the month.
I really enjoy McFadden's work. Especially "the Book of Harlan" which was an underrated gem. I hope that my library copy of Praise.. will arrive tomorrow.
Lark wrote: "I've heard from Bernice McFadden that she is delighted to join us in February for an "Ask the Author" thread. I'll put the thread up now. Feel free to post your questions at any time, and Bernice..."
This is exciting!
Lark wrote: "I've heard from Bernice McFadden that she is delighted to join us in February for an "Ask the Author" thread. I'll put the thread up now. Feel free to post your questions at any time, and Bernice..."
You just made my day, young lady. Or, more precisely, Ms. McFadden made my day. This is amazing.
That's great! I will be looking forward to it. Also, the book was named a fiction honor book by the Black Caucus of the American Library Association at the conference over the weekend! Congratulations to Bernice McFadden!The fiction winner is An American Marriage by Tayari Jones
The 1st Novelist winner is They Come in All Colors by Malcolm Hansen.
The nonfiction winner is The New Negro: The Life of Alain Locke by Jeffrey C. Stewart
Here's a link to the caucus webpage for a list of the rest of the honor books, but it was not updated for 2019 yet as of this writing:
https://www.bcala.org/book-award/
I started reading this yesterday & was so captivated I didn't stop, so I've already finished! I look forward to the discussion. :-)
Hi everyone! In the next few posts I'm going to post some resources for learning more about the author, and learning more about this novel. Here are links to Bernice McFadden's website and video promo for the novel:
Bernice McFadden’s Home Page:
http://www.bernicemcfadden.com/pages/
Brief promo video for PRAISE SONG FOR THE BUTTERFLIES:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PedyN...
Here are some author interviews--I'm especially enamored of the Aspen radio interview but they're all terrific and will give you a sense of where the author is coming from for this novel:“Bernice McFadden is Here to Provoke You”
The New Orleans Advocate, August 31, 2018:
https://www.theadvocate.com/new_orlea...
“Bernice McFadden Gets to the Heart of a Good Story”
NBC News, Sept 17 2017
https://www.nbcnews.com/news/nbcblk/a...
First Draft Interview with Aspen Public Radio (audio):
https://www.aspenpublicradio.org/post...
“Meet Bernice L. McFadden”
— Huffpost 2017:
https://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/...
Two more resources--the first is a fascinating deep literary criticism of Praise Song for the Butterflies. The second is an op/ed Bernice McFadden wrote in 2010 on the topic of Black authors in the white dominated US publishing marketplace.“A Trokosi Mirror of the US-Mexican Border: On Bernice L. McFadden’s “Praise Song for the Butterflies”
LARB, October 2018
https://lareviewofbooks.org/article/a...
“Black writers in a ghetto of the publishing industry's making”— op-ed written by Bernice McFadden for Washington Post, 2010:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/...
I also want to invite people to post questions at any time for author Bernice McFadden, who will be dropping in to answer these throughout the month, here:https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...
Here is our discussion schedule for Praise Song for the Butterflies:"A Brief History of Ukemby," "After," and "Before" (to p. 88):
week of February 4 - 10
"Wife of the Gods" (to p. 161)
week of February 11 - 17
"Eden Rehabilitation Center," "New York City," and "After" (to page 244) :
week of February 18 - 24
Entire book open for discussion February 24
I know a lot of us have read the book to the end already, and so let's consider the ask-the-author thread to be 'spoilers ok' and feel free to post questions from any part of the book at any time, or questions about any other novels by Bernice McFadden, here:https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...
thanks, Lark, and all. Also, just inhaled the book today. grateful for these other resources and looking forward to hearing everyone's thoughts.
That's the way it was for me too, Janet--almost a one-sitting read.It's a shorter than usual book compared with other group reads so if anyone would like me to put up a "spoilers ok" thread from the beginning I'm happy to make one.
Just started the book this evening and it's already good!
Mod
We could go either way but I think I'll keep it to one thread, actually, now that I've thought about it--progressing together through the book will be valuable even if we've read ahead.
I'm not sure that this is where I put this, but now that I am done, I want to read more of her books. Anyone have suggestions of where to start or faves? Thanks! ☺️
Would others consider this historical fiction? (A personal goal of mine this year was to read more of this genre.) I decided it was, but was considering it a lot while I read this book. It revealed to me that I have an unfortunately colonial view of the genre, that is very White-centric. Bonus side effect of the book that I am happy to examine.
tinaathena wrote: "I'm not sure that this is where I put this, but now that I am done, I want to read more of her books. Anyone have suggestions of where to start or faves? Thanks! ☺️"I loved The Book of Harlan. You may also want to ask Bernice McFadden what her favorite book is that she's written, over on the ask the author thread!
tinaathena wrote: "Would others consider this historical fiction?..."One question I have about calling this historical fiction is that it's set in a fictional country. It was an interesting choice to me--a way to focus maybe on the fact of trokosi without distracting readers/critics about whether the exact events of the novel are factual.
tinaathena wrote: "Would others consider this historical fiction? (A personal goal of mine this year was to read more of this genre.) I decided it was, but was considering it a lot while I read this book. It revealed..."I don't think of it as historical fiction because it follows Abeo up to the present day and deals with an existing human rights problem. But it's a subjective thing - there's a scholarly history journal called "Current History", so historians see the present as history....
Thanks for your input and I see your points. I shall strike it from my list. Not a bad thing to have to sell out more books though!
tinaathena wrote: "I'm not sure that this is where I put this, but now that I am done, I want to read more of her books. Anyone have suggestions of where to start or faves? Thanks! ☺️"I recommend Nowhere Is a Place. Her most popular/ famous novel, however, is Sugar.
Some background on trokosi:Thomas Reuters, October 2013: Virgin Wives of the Fetish Gods: Ghana's Trokosi Tradition
BBC Documentary, 2018 (25 minutes): My Stolen Childhood
Question: Did anyone else look up "Ukemby" when you read the extremely true-to-life-sounding "A Brief History of Ukemby" that begins this novel, to see if there was indeed ever a historic region with that name, if not an actual country, that matched the history written here?
Lark wrote: "Question: Did anyone else look up "Ukemby" when you read the extremely true-to-life-sounding "A Brief History of Ukemby" that begins this novel, to see if there was indeed ever a historic region wi..."Tee hee...Naaaa. But I was tempted!
Carol wrote: "tinaathena wrote: "I'm not sure that this is where I put this, but now that I am done, I want to read more of her books. Anyone have suggestions of where to start or faves? Thanks! ☺️"I recommend..."
Nowhere is a Place was what got me hooked on the author.
Lark wrote: "Some background on trokosi:Thomas Reuters, October 2013: Virgin Wives of the Fetish Gods: Ghana's Trokosi Tradition
BBC Documentary, 2018 (25 minutes): My Stolen Childhood"
It is difficult to accept that this kind of thing still goes on.
I was very interested in the way religious faith comes into play in this novel. McFadden points out the way religion gets perverted by misogyny, whether it's the traditional faith of Ghana, or Ismae's family's Catholicism...she even has traditional-faith Grandmother and Catholic Ismae using identical words to justify giving Abeo to the shrine.Grandmother p. 79 of my edition: “You are the man of this house, the husband, the head of this family, the decision maker. Don’t worry about her. She is the wife, the mother of your children. It is her place to walk behind you, not ahead of you and not beside you.”
Ismae p. 105: ...Colossians 3:18 stated that wives were to submit themselves to their husbands. Not only that, but on her wedding day her own mother had reminded her—for the hundredth time—that Ismae’s place was not ahead of her husband, not beside him, but behind him.
Black Caucus has announced its 2019 Literary Awards and Praise Song for the Butterflies is an Honor Books for Fiction winner.
Beverly wrote: "Black Caucus has announced its 2019 Literary Awards and Praise Song for the Butterflies is an Honor Books for Fiction winner."Well-deserved news.
I read the novel for the second time this weekend and the impression I come away with is how deceptively simple it is. It's a harrowing story but told in such a straightforward way.
I am new to the group and I wrote this long entry of what I thought of the book, but I deleted it because there could be some spoilers. Do I post them here or will there be a separate thread for it?This book got my head spinning and my heart hurting and expanding at the same time.
Alfie wrote: "I am new to the group and I wrote this long entry of what I thought of the book, but I deleted it because there could be some spoilers. Do I post them here or will there be a separate thread for it..."hey, Alfie--I'll start a thread now for "whole book discussion." I was waffling on it but if it's preventing you from saying what you want about the book entire that's reason enough to start the thread!
In this before-picture of Abeo's life, one thing I truly love is the way Abeo's one family is divided between city life and rural life, in just one generation...and how, in a rapidly evolving economy, the breadwinner can fall so quickly from wealth/city life to ruin/back to the village. There are no safety nets.
Alfie wrote: "Lark wrote: "I've heard from Bernice McFadden that she is delighted to join us in February for an "Ask the Author" thread. I'll put the thread up now. Feel free to post your questions at any time..."
I am curious about the grandmother. I would have been interested in knowing what came of her after her son moved on and remarried. I swear Ihave come across so many women who are just like her in my life. Hateful, bitter and vicious. I am interested in knowing what inspired that character?
Lark wrote: "Question: Did anyone else look up "Ukemby" when you read the extremely true-to-life-sounding "A Brief History of Ukemby" that begins this novel, to see if there was indeed ever a historic region wi..."Honestly it reminded me of a few East African or Ki Swahili words, I was like what a strange name for a West African country! I love that she did this.. I am writing an Afofuturistic screen play that takes place in an actual City and in the past I wrote a creative piece that was more of a fictional Historic novel that goes from past to current but through articles, hypnotism, and dreams. I love how creative she was with the name of the country while also acknowledging real countries and cities that surrounded it. Ukumby was the opposite of what Wakanda was but written from a very real but fictional place!
Lark wrote: "In this before-picture of Abeo's life, one thing I truly love is the way Abeo's one family is divided between city life and rural life, in just one generation...and how, in a rapidly evolving econo..."It plays with the issue of imaginary class structure, where the truth is that everyone is one pay check away from poverty! Look what three weeks did to government workers affected by the Government shut down. I was shocked at how Abeo's father panicked as if he has had a life of wealth. His Mom came straight out the bush kicking and screaming, but in stead of teaching her son to survive through a rough time, she demands that he sacrifice an innocent child, what an interesting contradiction. This is why I am interested in the author's inspiration for the character of the Grandmother.
Lark wrote: "Beverly wrote: "Black Caucus has announced its 2019 Literary Awards and Praise Song for the Butterflies is an Honor Books for Fiction winner."Well-deserved news.
I read the nove..."
You are absolutely right I thought the pages of the book would fall apart from all the tears I shed on it. I was so proud that the traditions of the Ukemby people were still in place and accepted by the masses as opposed to the belief systems of their colonizers. At the same I was hopeful that old traditions would be improved to be more humane and practical, as opposed to another form of fear and intimidation. Being that Ukemby was right next to a country that has such a strong history, being that Ghana was at one time part of the Mali Empire, History of the Ashanti a proud people and the Ejisu, and the first African Socialist President after colonialism Kwame Nkrumah. But at the same time self destructive! I would love to see this book as a film, it reminds me of Sankofa in reverse!
Lark wrote: "Beverly wrote: "Black Caucus has announced its 2019 Literary Awards and Praise Song for the Butterflies is an Honor Books for Fiction winner."Well-deserved news.
I read the nove..."
Yes, I like to say that this book is "plain-spoken" just says it and allows the reader to take it in.
Desera wrote: "I am curious about the grandmother. I would have been interested in knowing what came of her after her son moved on and remarried. I swear Ihave come across so many women who are just like her in my life. Hateful, bitter and vicious. I am interested in knowing what inspired that character? .."Me too. I'd like to read a book that looks at how strong women are manipulated or deformed by rigid patriarchal societies - how they react to it, what opportunities they see for themselves.
It's also making me think about Stay with Me, and how in that book, Yejide and Akin live with one foot in two cultures - on the one hand, they are relatively wealthy and both have careers, and yet they still have to contend with polygamy and the belief that women have no worth if they can't/don't/won't bear children.
Desera wrote: "I was shocked at how Abeo's father panicked as if he has had a life of wealth. His Mom came straight out the bush kicking and screaming, but in stead of teaching her son to survive through a rough time, she demands that he sacrifice an innocent child, what an interesting contradiction"I was shocked too - but(view spoiler)
note: sorry guys, I didn't realize this was the 'non-spoiler' thread, so I just went back and hid my spoilery comment. I hope I didn't mess anybody up!
The scene at the Cape Coast slave prison makes me want to reread the scenes set there in Homegoing - the ones in the 18th century and the 21st century....
Literary Fiction by People of Color
Books mentioned in this topic
Sugar (other topics)Loving Day (other topics)
Sugar (other topics)
Preparation for the Next Life (other topics)
An Untamed State (other topics)
More...
Authors mentioned in this topic
Mat Johnson (other topics)Tayari Jones (other topics)
Malcolm Hansen (other topics)
Jeffrey C. Stewart (other topics)
Bernice L. McFadden (other topics)
I'm opening the discussion thread a bit early to make sure everyone has time to find a copy.