READ TO ME, BABY

By Odette Flemming

This summer try reading with your special someone. The fast pace of this world sometimes robs couples of opportunities to talk about matters of the heart. We are so busy running and flipping through headlines of bad news that we close ourselves off from the joys of reading and mental stimulation. Well here is the perfect opportunity to get back in the game together.

A Woman’s Worth, by Tracy Price-Thompson [Ballantine Books], is a true love story, and contrary to the title, it is actually a man’s story. It explores love of self, love of family and ultimately man’s ability to love unconditionally. The story unfolds in a whorehouse in Alabama where we meet the main character, Bishop “Chicken” Johnson. Son of a pimp and a madam, and raised by the whores of the house, Chicken grows up far sooner than most. But along the way he learned how to carry himself as a man, and respect and care for all the women in his life. As a teenager he loses both his parents in a robbery and does time for avenging his parent’s death. When he is released from juvenile its into the custody of an Uncle in Bull Run, Alabama that has no love for him. Angry and bitter, he fights to hold on to the legacy of his father, Slim Willie, and “man up” through the tough times ahead. Instead he is befriended by a local teen named Malcolm Armstrong. Malcolm, who also lost his parents at a young age, saw promise in his new friend and soon his grandparents assume custody of Chicken. Malcolm’s grandparents continue to be examples of true loving and a relationship that changes, but never weakens over time.

Bishop is forced to join the Peace Corps when some local whites lose their appreciation for his strong brand of manhood. Soon his life long examples of Black men loving their Black women are called into action when, in Kenya, he meets and marries Abeni. Abeni, daughter of a tribal chief, is a woman with a past. He soon finds out that she as much in need of redemption as he is. They fall into an enduring love, marry and produce a beautiful daughter. But soon Bishop is forced to save his precious daughter from the tribal tradition of female circumcision that left her mother emotionally scarred and physically mutilated.

This story is told in an extraordinary way. Price-Thompson captures the man-to-man scenario with fire. Then with equal dexterity tells the story of a woman fighting to define her sexuality and her worth. The fight scenes, intrigue, murder and love are all told with such passion that this book leaves you breathless and hungry for more. Though it is not meant to be a quick read, I dare you to put it down. The story, told first in the voice of Malcolm and then through the eyes of Abeni, moves rapidly yet is so layered and well developed that you feel as if you have a stake in the outcome.

Hats off to Tracy Price-Thompson as she has brought us one of the year’s best reads yet. What is sexier than a man with something to say? Read the book in character and have fun acting out the sexy scenes while she lazes in your arms. Cuddle up on the sofa or nuzzle under an umbrella at the beach; anywhere you read this story ----just read it! And then talk about it together! Enjoy!