I ONLY MADE UP THE ROSES

by Barbara Ann Porte ‧ RELEASE DATE: April 20, 1987

A series of 10 vignettes that together picture growing up in a highly educated, multiracial family. Narrator Cydra and her mother are the only whites in the extensive Williams family; her little brother Perley and stepfather Rob are black. As Cydra portrays various family members at the times of pivotal events and reunions--Granddad's funeral; the time her biological father stood her up, and Rob comforted her as only a true father can; the Thanksgiving that Grandmother misses while visiting Senegal--she uses shared stories, reminiscences of earlier events, and searching conversations to sketch three generations of intelligent, persistent people. The black experience is a strong, but not overwhelming, theme; several vividly stated stories of segregation are included, and Porte uses an unusual device to summarize much of black history: soon after his father's death, Rob each day produces a list of black successes, proverbs, events--his way of adjusting to his loss by trying to redefine his own place, and also a dramatically effective litany that makes the facts memorable. Though almost eschewing conventional plot, Porte sketches her characters and their warm interrelationships so vividly, and incorporates a variety of historical and folkloric sources so skillfully, that this novel rivets attention. Careful notes on sources are appended. Thoughtful readers will be rewarded and entertained.

Pub Date: April 20, 1987

ISBN: N/A

Page Count: 128

Publisher: Greenwillow

Review Posted Online: N/A

Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 15, 1987

Categories: CHILDREN'S