Resurrecting Mingus

Rating:
Summary: Resurrect your mind and read this book
Review: When I first started the book, it took me some time to get into it. The writing style is different, but once I got into the character Mingus, it was hard to put down the book. The story is about Mingus. She has a great career, but her personal life is not all that good. Her relationships never seem to last, she does not get along with her sister, and she is grappling with changes in her family. She is bi-racial, but always identified herself as black. When she gets involved with a white man she has to question if she is doing the right thing, then she meets Eric who is a black man and that complicates things even further. When she thinks she has finally found the love of her life, a bombshell is dropped that rocks her to the core. When she cries, you will want to cry. You want her to find that happiness that we often times think is elusive. I'm looking forward to reading Jenoyne's next book.

Rating:
Summary: Very Much Alive
Review: Wonderful book. This book was shared with me without my ever having heard of the author and it was a pleasant surprise. The subject of growing up bi-racial is one that is often met with a lot of contrariness, stubborness, ignorance, and anger. This book covered all of that, but still managed to tell a wonderful story about a woman who just basically wanted to live a "normal" life.
She wrestled with betrayal, family problems, infidelity, and divorce. Despite the mundaneness of all that, the writer approached it in a way that either made you laugh or recall your own battles similar to Mingus'. This is a well written look into the life of a young woman who is stronger than she appears to be. And writing a character that way is no easy feat, especially when the reader is with her every step of the way. If anything, we should know how strong she is throughout the story, but we really don't until the last paragraph of the book. That's just good writing. The dialogue was easy and no matter how simple the plot was, it flowed and ebbed beautifully. I'm looking forward to watching this author grow.