In another attempt to cash in on the Terry McMillan phenomenon, this first novel is long on uplift (i.e., ``cultural pride'' and ``positive black images'') and short on style. Its elementary narrative relies on career clichÇs, along with an excess of casual vulgarity and p.c. chitchat (Afrocentrism, stripping, transsexuality, and pubic hair). The plot couldn't be simpler: An ``aggressive and savvy'' young businesswoman rises in her job as an asset manager even as she bungles her private life. Armistice (``Misty'') Fine, for all her robust self-esteem, can't find a good man, nor can her best friend, Teresa ``Reesy'' Snowden, a rich girl who's something of a slacker, and definitely out to shock her proper lawyer parents. Rebounding from a bad relationship with a mamma's boy who wet the bed, Misty moves from her company's regional office in Florida up the corporate ladder to Atlanta, ``the Chocolate City for the nineties.'' And Reesy soon follows, surprising Misty with her night job as a stripper, which Reesy defends with lots of jive about ``empowerment.'' Another bad relationship—this one with a two- timer—makes Misty anxious to move on, but her attempted resignation turns out to be a smart career move: She's promoted to the head office in New York City. Reesy soon follows again, resuming her side career, this time with damaging consequences. The real problem, however, is at the office, where Misty has hired Reesy as her assistant, a job that takes its toll on their ``sisterhood.'' Everything works out peachy, though, with Misty still climbing and a prince charming looming on the horizon. Afrocentrism is more a style and consumer choice here than anything meaningful, and the vibe is definitely Cosby (without the kids). But the immature dialogue and silly digressions (an entire chapter on unwanted body hair) make it a debut novel not just awkward but trivial. (Author tour)
Pub Date: April 3, 1997
ISBN: 0-446-51200-0
Page Count: 288
Publisher: N/A
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 1, 1997
BOOK REVIEW
A forceful, necessarily provocative call to action for the preservation and protection of American Jewish freedom.
Known for her often contentious perspectives, New York Times opinion writer Weiss battles societal Jewish intolerance through lucid prose and a linear playbook of remedies.
While she was vividly aware of anti-Semitism throughout her life, the reality of the problem hit home when an active shooter stormed a Pittsburgh synagogue where her family regularly met for morning services and where she became a bat mitzvah years earlier. The massacre that ensued there further spurred her outrage and passionate activism. She writes that European Jews face a three-pronged threat in contemporary society, where physical, moral, and political fears of mounting violence are putting their general safety in jeopardy. She believes that Americans live in an era when “the lunatic fringe has gone mainstream” and Jews have been forced to become “a people apart.” With palpable frustration, she adroitly assesses the origins of anti-Semitism and how its prevalence is increasing through more discreet portals such as internet self-radicalization. Furthermore, the erosion of civility and tolerance and the demonization of minorities continue via the “casual racism” of political figures like Donald Trump. Following densely political discourses on Zionism and radical Islam, the author offers a list of bullet-point solutions focused on using behavioral and personal action items—individual accountability, active involvement, building community, loving neighbors, etc.—to help stem the tide of anti-Semitism. Weiss sounds a clarion call to Jewish readers who share her growing angst as well as non-Jewish Americans who wish to arm themselves with the knowledge and intellectual tools to combat marginalization and defuse and disavow trends of dehumanizing behavior. “Call it out,” she writes. “Especially when it’s hard.” At the core of the text is the author’s concern for the health and safety of American citizens, and she encourages anyone “who loves freedom and seeks to protect it” to join with her in vigorous activism.
A forceful, necessarily provocative call to action for the preservation and protection of American Jewish freedom.Pub Date: Sept. 10, 2019
ISBN: 978-0-593-13605-8
Page Count: 224
Publisher: Crown
Review Posted Online: Aug. 22, 2019
A heartfelt if somewhat unsurprising view of old age by the former president. Carter (Living Faith, 1996, etc.) succinctly evaluates the evolution and current status of federal policies concerning the elderly (including a balanced appraisal of the difficulties facing the Social Security system). He also meditates, while drawing heavily on autobiographical anecdotes, on the possibilities for exploration and intellectual and spiritual growth in old age. There are few lightning bolts to dazzle in his prescriptions (cultivate family ties; pursue the restorative pleasures of hobbies and socially minded activities). Yet the warmth and frankness of Carter’s remarks prove disarming. Given its brevity, the work is more of a call to senior citizens to reconsider how best to live life than it is a guide to any of the details involved.
Pub Date: Oct. 26, 1998
ISBN: 0-345-42592-8
Page Count: 96
Publisher: Ballantine
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 15, 1998
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