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THE HARRIS FAMILY

Name: THE HARRIS FAMILY
Author: RM Johnson
ISBN: 0-7432-1600-8

by RM Johnson ‧ RELEASE DATE: Nov. 1, 2001

Well-intentioned, sometimes compelling, but far too agenda-driven.

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Sequel to The Harris Men (1999), offering emotional punch if little else as it revisits an African-American family.

Some quick exposition brings readers up to speed. Five years earlier, diagnosed with terminal cancer, Julius Harris tried to come back into the lives of the grown sons he abandoned long ago, but the oldest, Austin, in the middle of a divorce, had no time for family reunions; middle son Marcus was too angry; and Caleb, the baby in the family, had just gone to the slammer. While incarcerated, Caleb tentatively reconnected with Julius; finally released, he journeys to Los Angeles to be with his father, now cancer-free. As the two cautiously rebuild a relationship, Austin and Marcus are at loggerheads back home in Chicago. Since their divorce, Austin’s ex-wife, Trace, has been making it increasingly difficult for him to see their two children, using them as pawns in her anger. One would think that divorce attorney Austin would have some experience in resolving disputes over visitation rights; instead, he plays games to teach Trace a lesson. Marcus doesn't help by taking on big brother’s paternal responsibilities, virtually alienating Austin from his own children. Things aren't much better in Los Angeles. Caleb finally locates girlfriend Sonya and their son Jahlil, who disappeared while he was in prison. They now live with a drug dealer who proves, in an ironic twist, to be the only dedicated father in the story, doting on Jahlil as well as Sonya. To make matters worse, the cancer has returned, and sweet Julius has little time left. If Johnson's point is that fatherless sons make poor decisions, he's right-on target. Much of the drama here stems from the bad situations the brothers foolishly put themselves into. Relief and forgiveness finally come into play—and not a moment too soon.

Well-intentioned, sometimes compelling, but far too agenda-driven.

Pub Date: Nov. 1, 2001

ISBN: 0-7432-1600-8

Page Count: 352

Publisher: Simon & Schuster

Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 1, 2001

Categories:

GENERAL FICTION

- BOOK REVIEW
NO ONE IN THE WORLD
by E. Lynn Harris & RM Johnson

- BOOK REVIEW
THE MILLION DOLLAR DEMISE
by RM Johnson

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DO YOU TAKE THIS WOMAN?
by RM Johnson

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SUMMER ISLAND

by Kristin Hannah ‧ RELEASE DATE: March 1, 2001

The best-selling author of tearjerkers like Angel Falls (2000) serves up yet another mountain of mush, topped off with...

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Talk-show queen takes tumble as millions jeer.

Nora Bridges is a wildly popular radio spokesperson for family-first virtues, but her loyal listeners don't know that she walked out on her husband and teenaged daughters years ago and didn't look back. Now that a former lover has sold racy pix of naked Nora and horny himself to a national tabloid, her estranged daughter Ruby, an unsuccessful stand-up comic in Los Angeles, has been approached to pen a tell-all. Greedy for the fat fee she's been promised, Ruby agrees and heads for the San Juan Islands, eager to get reacquainted with the mom she plans to betray. Once in the family homestead, nasty Ruby alternately sulks and glares at her mother, who is temporarily wheelchair-bound as a result of a post-scandal car crash. Uncaring, Ruby begins writing her side of the story when she's not strolling on the beach with former sweetheart Dean Sloan, the son of wealthy socialites who basically ignored him and his gay brother Eric. Eric, now dying of cancer and also in a wheelchair, has returned to the island. This dismal threesome catch up on old times, recalling their childhood idylls on the island. After Ruby's perfect big sister Caroline shows up, there's another round of heartfelt talk. Nora gradually reveals the truth about her unloving husband and her late father's alcoholism, which led her to seek the approval of others at the cost of her own peace of mind. And so on. Ruby is aghast to discover that she doesn't know everything after all, but Dean offers her subdued comfort. Happy endings await almost everyone—except for readers of this nobly preachy snifflefest.

The best-selling author of tearjerkers like Angel Falls (2000) serves up yet another mountain of mush, topped off with syrupy platitudes about life and love.

Pub Date: March 1, 2001

ISBN: 0-609-60737-5

Page Count: 336

Publisher: Crown

Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 15, 2001

Categories:

GENERAL FICTION

- BOOK REVIEW
THE WOMEN
by Kristin Hannah

- BOOK REVIEW
THE FOUR WINDS
by Kristin Hannah

- BOOK REVIEW
THE GREAT ALONE
by Kristin Hannah

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TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD

by Harper Lee ‧ RELEASE DATE: July 11, 1960

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A first novel, this is also a first person account of Scout's (Jean Louise) recall of the years that led to the ending of a mystery, the breaking of her brother Jem's elbow, the death of her father's enemy — and the close of childhood years. A widower, Atticus raises his children with legal dispassion and paternal intelligence, and is ably abetted by Calpurnia, the colored cook, while the Alabama town of Maycomb, in the 1930's, remains aloof to their divergence from its tribal patterns. Scout and Jem, with their summer-time companion, Dill, find their paths free from interference — but not from dangers; their curiosity about the imprisoned Boo, whose miserable past is incorporated in their play, results in a tentative friendliness; their fears of Atticus' lack of distinction is dissipated when he shoots a mad dog; his defense of a Negro accused of raping a white girl, Mayella Ewell, is followed with avid interest and turns the rabble whites against him. Scout is the means of averting an attack on Atticus but when he loses the case it is Boo who saves Jem and Scout by killing Mayella's father when he attempts to murder them. The shadows of a beginning for black-white understanding, the persistent fight that Scout carries on against school, Jem's emergence into adulthood, Calpurnia's quiet power, and all the incidents touching on the children's "growing outward" have an attractive starchiness that keeps this southern picture pert and provocative. There is much advance interest in this book; it has been selected by the Literary Guild and Reader's Digest; it should win many friends.