Improvise in the Amen Corner by Larnell Custis Butler – Review & Giveaway

23. May 2008 · 49 comments · Categories: African American Literature, Book Review and Giveaway · Tags: ,


I strive to share unique books with you and this time there’s no doubt I’m about to succeed. Improvise in the Amen Corner is a book of poetry and art unlike any you’ve ever seen. Larnell Custis Butler writes her prose about the African American community in her church, her town, her family. Each poem tells about one fascinating character coupled with a portrait drawn by the author. The portraits are unique in that they have been drawn using sticks and twigs which the author collects from the park across the street from her Virginia home. She sharpens each stick and dips them in India ink, creating shadows with wet paper towel. Don’t let the process fool you–these are works with plenty of artistic merit, and the media she uses lends just the right effect to her poetry. I’d happily hang one on my wall. Even the font is creative, based on Larnell Custis Butler’s own handwriting, giving you the sense you’re reading her own personal notebooks.

The people in Larnell’s life are not wealthy; they struggle to make ends meet, and some of them do that with grace while others take the wrong path, only adding pain to their already difficult lives. This is not to say the poetry is depressing, not by any means. Throughout the book, readers will gain a feeling of hope and community. One gets an intimate and unique glimpse into Larnell Custis Butler’s world. As for me, I’d love to sit myself down in The Amen Corner and get to know the people better.

I have one copy of Improvise in the Amen Corner to give away. Enter by midnight EST, May 27th, 2008. 

Take a peek here at Improvise in the Amen Corner and its artwork. 

1.) Leave a comment telling me what interests you about the book. (Something more than “sounds good” is kindly suggested.) Or tell me something inspiring or interesting about your community.

2.) Subscribers are automatically entered into this and all future giveaways. Just enter your email address in the little white box on the upper part of the right hand column. (Please make sure to verify your Feedburner subscription by responding to the email they send you. If you don’t receive it, check your junk mail.)

3.) Blog about this giveaway on your blog with a link back.

Do all three, and you’ve got three entries to win!

Sandrine’s Letter to Tomorrow by Dedra Johnson – Review & Giveaway

21. April 2008 · 92 comments · Categories: African American Literature, Book Review and Giveaway, Goldfish Award Books · Tags: , , ,


Ever read a book that haunted you? One that would not, no matter how you tried, allow you to put it down until the last page was read? If it’s been awhile since you’ve had that type of a reading experience, then it’s time to read Sandrine’s Letter to Tomorrow by Dedra Johnson.

Sandrine, a girl of nine living in New Orleans in the mid-1970′s, has had to grow up much faster than any little girl should have to do. Her mother makes it painfully clear she was never wanted and has interfered in her mother’s life in every way possible. Her father loves her, but only from a distance. She seems to be tossed aside carelessly by everyone who is supposed to love and care for her; no one protects her.

Written in first person, Sandrine is a very real character from page one. Despite the fact that it is told through the eyes of a child, the voice is intelligent and mature for her years. But Sandrine is still only a child. The reader will understand much more of what is happening in Sandrine’s life than she does. Sandrine is taken through difficulties no child should experience, including racism (even among her own family due to her light skin) sexual assault, and child abuse.

Dedra Johnson has a unique voice, and with her skills at writing page-turning narrative, I’m certain it’s only a matter of time before we hear more from her. Her work has an appeal that can easily hook you; with the right promotion, hers will become more than just another book on the shelf. I’m not the only one who feels this way – she’s been compared to Toni Morrison, and I have to agree it has that beautiful yet heartbreaking quality Morrison is known for.

Dedra Johnson is a New Orleans native. Dedra was a finalist for the Zora Neale Hurston/Richard Wright Award for College Writers and Sandrine’s Letter to Tomorrow was a finalist for the 2006 William Faulkner-William Wisdom Creative Writing Award. Check back tomorrow to read my interview with Dedra where she’ll give us some insight on her book.

I have a copy of Sandrine’s Letter to Tomorrow to give away to one reader. As always, subscribers are automatically entered in this and all future book giveaways. (If you’re not subscribed, please type your email address in the box in the right-hand column. Make sure you add Feedburner to your address book so you can verify your subscription.) You can also enter by leaving a comment telling me what interests you about the book, or link to this giveaway from your own blog. Do all three, and you have three entries. I’ll draw a winner on April 24, 2008, 12 midnight. (***Note: Contest is now extended to April 25, 2008 midnight. This drawing is now listed on Bloggy Giveaways, which is having a huge giveaway carnival. If you like giveaways, this is the place to be this week!)

A carp(e) libris reviews goldfish award book.