Tuesday, March 30, 2010

Review & Giveaway: Glorious

Glorious
Author: Bernice McFadden
Publisher: Akashic Books
ISBN: 9781936070114
Audience: Adult
Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

Synopsis (from author's website)

Glorious is set against the backdrops of the Jim Crow South, the Harlem Renaissance, and the civil rights era. Blending the truth of American history with the fruits of Bernice L. McFadden’s rich imagination, this is the story of Easter Venetta Bartlett, a fictional Harlem Renaissance writer whose tumultuous path to success, ruin, and revival offers a candid portrait of the American experience in all its beauty and cruelty.


Glorious is ultimately an audacious exploration into the nature of self-hatred, love, possession, ego, betrayal, and, finally, redemption.

My Comment:

Easter Bartlett learns early in life that because of her skin color, she will be denied basic human freedoms and considerations. She watches the inhumane justice and the unfair treatment of both her family and others of her race, with helplessness and mortification. As it cripples and destroys her family, Easter moves on and tries to spread her wings and grow.

Glorious is powerfully written novel dealing with one of America's largest sins - segregation. It has been spoken of, but unless one has grown up with it, the word does not hold the shame and rage that it should. McFadden gave Easter a voice that takes the reader back to the time when freedom was only for those that were blessed with white skin and makes that horror a reality. After reading Glorious, one will never quite be able to rid the some of the horrific visions from memory.

McFadden wrote a novel that will capture your heart, break it, crush it, mend it, and then give it back to you forever changed.

The reason for Adult recommendation:  Many of the horrors of segregation are discussed - murders, rapes, lynchings, etc and some are graphic. There is also a detailed account of abortion and and a character that has an alternative lifestyle. Parents - I won't tell you not to give this to your teens, but I do ask you to read it first - if not for any other reason than to be able to discuss this novel with them.

If you missed it, please make sure to read yesterday's Author Spotlight. Bernice did a fascinating article called "My Mystical Life".

To learn more about the author, you can visit Bernice's webpage at: http://www.bernicemcfadden.com and her blog at: http://firstborngirl.blogspot.com/


I received this book to honestly review directly from the author. Thank you Bernice.


 Giveaway!!
Now, for the exciting news... Bernice has offered 2 autographed copies of "Glorious" to give away to the readers of this blog!! If you would like to be one of the lucky recipients of an autographed copy of "Glorious", you must:


1. leave a comment on this post
2. be a follower
3. include your email - no email, no entry
4. respond within 48 hours of being emailed - or another winner will be chosen.

Giveaway closes April 13, 2010 at 11:59 PM EST.

26 comments:

  1. Please count me in.

    teresasreadingcorner at gmail dot com

    ReplyDelete
  2. I would love to enter! Thank you!

    a.gofish@gmail.com

    ReplyDelete
  3. This sounds great!

    justplayinaround_blog at yahoo dot com

    ReplyDelete
  4. Great Picture of Bernice. Is there a way to privately leave my e-mail address for a chance to win a copy of, Glorious?

    ReplyDelete
  5. Sure, Toni! Just email me at
    tweezle at gmail dot com

    ReplyDelete
  6. I am a follower and would love to be entered.
    pbclark(at)netins(dot)net

    ReplyDelete
  7. I'm a follower!

    twilightforever.edward(at)gmail(dot)com

    ReplyDelete
  8. Wow, this sounds like an incredible read.

    I'd love to be entered too.

    I'm already a follower on my Google Reader but hadn't put it through on the blogger thing (as I moved sites :P). Done that now. :)

    My email is:
    humiliated_grapes(at)hotmail(dot)co(dot)uk

    ~~~

    Ceri

    ReplyDelete
  9. I am a follower, Thank you,

    Bill ;-)

    billsmith2003 (at) gmail (dot) com

    Hope you'll check out my book giveaway:
    http://drbillsbookbazaar.blogspot.com/2010/03/book-giveaway-back-to-homeplace.html
    http://thehomeplaceseries.blogspot.com/

    ReplyDelete
  10. Please enter me. I just became a follower

    eileen at booksrusonline.com

    ReplyDelete
  11. I would love to read this!
    carla
    cpullum(at)yahoo(dot)com

    ReplyDelete
  12. Sounds Interesting and something I might Read.

    ~Andrea
    loud.words.and.sounds@gmail.com

    ReplyDelete
  13. Glorious sounds great. would love a copy.

    Eileen
    felinmanor@ aol dot com

    ReplyDelete
  14. Bernice McFadden is one of my favorite Authors and I would love to have an autograph copy of "Glorious" to add to my collection of McFadden novels.
    I am now a (Blogger) follower of this blog.
    my email address is:
    chrystalwrites@gmail.com

    ReplyDelete
  15. I would love to have another autography book by you Bernice. It was a real treat and pleasure of meeting and discussing Sugar in February. Another autograph will just add to my collection of authors.

    raiken4family@yahoo.com

    ReplyDelete
  16. I love Bernice's books. She is a great author. Please enter me in the giveaway.

    bstilwell12 at comcast dot net

    ReplyDelete
  17. I am a follower of your blog through Google Friend Connect.

    bstilwell12 at comcast dot net

    ReplyDelete
  18. I would love to win, it would be my first book by Bernice McFadden.

    evelyn.n.alfred at gmail dot com

    ReplyDelete
  19. I would love to win and read Glorious.

    teakettle58(at)yahoo(dot)com

    ReplyDelete
  20. I am now a follower. Thank you for entering me.

    ReplyDelete
  21. I'm a follower.

    Email me at sarah[at]sarahweathersby[dot]com

    I want to read the book.

    ReplyDelete
  22. please enter me to win a copy of this book.I'm a follower


    dmscott428[at]aol[dot] com

    ReplyDelete
  23. Sounds like a great book! Please count me in. I follow. Thank you!

    nfmgirl AT gmail DOT com

    ReplyDelete
  24. I can't wait to read this! I am a follower!
    dmkayes@gmail.com

    ReplyDelete
  25. I can't believe I didn't enter this. I thought I did. I so want to read this book. I'm a follower. My e-mail address is lynettestwocents at gmail dot com

    ReplyDelete
  26. I would love to read this. I follow on gfc/blogger.

    misusedinnocence@aol.com

    ReplyDelete