Rating: 
Summary: Brilliant
Review: Absolutely the best book I have read recently. In structure, texture and story, this book is one I will reread and pass on to others.
Rating: 
Summary: An Ambitious, Mesmerizing Tale of a Man's Loves
Review: As Sandra Jackson Opoku spins her tale about Hot Johnny and his various women - his wife, Destiny, Lesbian Lover Lola Belle, Cara, Tea, Cinammon and others. I am mesmerized and melting.His Wife says: 'Johnny, too good-looking to be good. 'It was hard for me to look a handsome man full in the face. It would be like trying to stare at the sun. The glare of his beauty would almost blind me.' His women say: "Yes, we have our hungers.... We take him in, hoping to touch his magic, and we ourselves are remade." Hot Johnny says: "I want you to love yourself, to know how beautiful you are." His Lesbian Lover says: "Hot Johnny was a special man." Another woman says: "Hot Johnny gave me my first taste of tenderness.... he touched me and something down there fluttered, tremulous as a baby bird being coaxed from her cage." Sandra Jackson Opoku's Hot Johnny is a novel depicting the various stages of Hot Johnny's life with complex stories in the voices of the women who love him. Each woman, each voice, describes her connection with Hot Johnny. 'Yes, we have our hungers'We take him in, hoping to touch his magic, and we ourselves are remade.' Destiny is Hot Johnny's meek wife who is the mother to his baby girl plagued with illness: Miz Jones, 38-year-old woman who has a sexual fling with him as a teenager, Cinnamon Brown, the sexual addict that Hot Johnny attempts to remake into something else, Tree and her experience of the first taste of tenderness, Malaika of Somalia with passionate and indelible memories of Hot Johnny. Gracita Reinu is Hot Johnny's great-grandmother and guardian spirit who infuses him with a strong spirit and the courage to survive through a family tragedy. 'There was something elusive and untamable about that long cool drink of water'He was like a ray of sun that warms your skin for a moment.' The puzzle-like stories, pieced together by the reader, of the various women in Hot Johnny's life are intriguing; however, a profound sense of disjointedness is evident. Overall, this is a wonderful, ambitious saga of the women in a man's life Reviewed by 'Lotta Honey'
From Lotta's Bookshelves
Rating: 
Summary: stupidness
Review: Don't waste your hard earn money on this book, it starts out chapter one okay and from there its downhill. It does not make any sense at all. If i could get my money back I would. I read a lot and it is a very poorly written book that does not make sense at all.
Rating:
Summary: MESMERIZING
Review: First I would like to give much honor and praise to the author, Sandra Jackson-Opoku for writing this poignant tale of life, love and loss. A wonderful story full of culture, ancestry and family secrets. Told by the women who loved and lusted after Hot Johnny. This is a carefully woven story told from END to BEGINNING of a child struggling between fulfilling a prophecy and later a handsome young man juggling life's temptation's. Thrown away by parents who didn't want him, you'll meet "John the Baptiste", "Johnny the Gent", and "Hot Johnny" - one man different to many. I have never read anything quite like this book. This is not your average quick read novel, but recommended for the serious reader. Those of you who know the Word, get ready for a bible quoting, foot stompin, church goin' good time. Welcome a new character into your literary world. A tale you will not soon forget!
Rating:
Summary: GOOD BOOK REQUIRES PATIENCE
Review: GOOD BOOK BUT IT REQUIRES PATIENCE. A LOT OF PEOPLE DON'T APPRECIATE THIS BOOK BECAUSE THEY DON'T HAVE THE PATIENCE IT TAKES TO GET INTO THE FLOW OF THE STORY LINE.
Rating:
Summary: ...... And the Lives He Touched !!!
Review: Hot Johnny ( and The Women Who Loved Him ) ,I have to add and the Lives He Touched !! Yes this may be a long title for my review but this is the story that Sandra tells and she tells it so well ! There were so many great stories told by the women Hot Johnny loved and the lives he touched !! I especially enjoyed Destiny's ,Jonavis ( what a perfect name ) , Little Sister Baby Ruth , Miz Jones , and Merilee !!! Some of the women ( a few like great grand mother 's ) . I was a little confused with the story but it was only because it was a little complexed at times with of the family tree ! I will not tell the secrets but I just have to say I hope Bishop Pleasant BURN in Hell because he will not make Heaven his home according to the scriptures ! If you have read the reviews and the synposis and you're still not sure let me suggesst this one to you ! It is certainly a 4.5* read ! Yes it is true we do need the half stars when rating some of the books !!! This is a story that comes highly suggest !!!!!!
Rating:
Summary: The Beginning Starts At The End
Review: Hot Johnny and the Women Who Loved Him was well written and a refreshing change of pace. Sandra Jackson-Opoku writes from a narrative perspective but with a lyrical and metaphoric voice. While the central focus of the storyline was Hot Johnny...to know the intricacies of Johnny was to know the women who loved him, shaped and molded him during his lifetime. Women such as: Destiny-the insecure wife who lacked confidence and self-esteem and as a result was filled with much insecurity, which would threaten to destroy her marriage. Daughter -the daughter who didn't know exactly who her dad was until he showed up needing a priceless favor one day. Grandmother - the wise ole grandmother who sees all and knows all while directing Johnny as he takes uneven and unassured steps. Johnny's women were from all walks of life and came from all over the world. Interesting women that could be anyone of us. It was interesting reading Hot Johnny because although he had a multitude of women in his life I never thought that he was a dog...in fact his character was very likeable and the women helped me to explore and better understand him. Hot Johnny was a well-written, poignant and impactful storyline. It was a refreshing storyline brimming with contemporary issues which are rarely explored in fictional writing such as female genital mutilation, sickle cell anemia, incest, lesbianism, older women/younger men, American gang violence/ African tribal warfare. Sandra Jackson-Opoku's writing style is fresh, honest and lyrical. Her metaphors and heartwarming way of unveiling the characters, events and storyline attest to her talent and skills. If you seek a storyline with unexpected twists, much substance and depth then check out Hot Johnny and the Women who loved him by Sandra Jackson-Opoku.
Rating:
Summary: BEAUTIFUL COVER, GREAT TITLE
Review: HOT JOHNNY is a good read, a little confusing, with a few too many players. It's not exactly a novel, but a collection of remembrances by females (family and former friends and lovers). This story is told out of sequence to accommodate a mystery, then its solving.
While reading each woman's story about Johnny, a little more of him is revealed, until all of the parts join together like a beautiful quilt work to show the full, complicated man.
Because there was very little connection between the characters (they were all connected to Hot Johnny), it was easy to put this book down between chapters.
Ms SJ-O is definitely talented, a different and refreshing type of writer. One can only imagine the tremendous effort put into this well-written book.
Rating:
Summary: Hot Johnny: (And the Women Who loved Him)
Review: Hot Johnny is an extremely well written, very well crafted novel. I have been talking about Hot Johnny every since I read this novel and that was three weeks ago. I can not say enough about this book. To say it was good doesn't even come close to describing the feelings you are left after reading this book. I have read five books since, and even though some of them have been good books, nothing, I repeat, nothing comes close to this novel. It was so expertly woven, you had to constantly go back to see what was really going on here and how the lives of the women that loved Hot Johnny were somehow intertwined with one another. I will not even attempt to give away the ultimate surprise to this book, I will only say that fate and destiny are a real "mother". Please anybody and everybody read this book!! I look forward to reading more from this outstanding author.
Rating:
Summary: Not For The Lightweight Reader
Review: Hot Johnny is not for the lightweight reader. If you want junk food for the mind, don't look here. This is a novel written on a philosophical level, and for those readers who are accustomed to reads by EJ Dickey, E Lynn, etc., don't even attempt to understand the craft and skill it takes to write a novel of this calibur. We all read on different levels, and for those who have the intellect to delve into and appreciate great african american literary fiction, I say leave the Big Macs and Kentucky Fried on the shelves and treat yourself to a meal of filet mignon and rock lobster. Enjoy Hot Johnny!
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