Review -- "Till You Hear From Me"

I just finished reading the latest novel by Pearl Cleage titled "Till you hear from me," and I really enjoyed the book. The novel takes place in the backdrop of the 2008 presidential election of Barack Obama, and weaves together fact and fiction to create an intriguing storyline which explores the tension between the established civil rights leaders and the election of the country's first black president, and how the Republicans grapple with this historic event.

The protagonist, Ida B. Dunbar, is a young woman who worked on President Obama's election campaign and is anxiously awaiting a phone call from the White House to offer her a permanent job on the President's staff.  However, this once in a lifetime job opportunity appears to be slipping away, and she mistakenly believes it's because of her father's outspoken words against the President during the Jeremiah Wright "controversy."  Dunbar's father, Reverend Doctor Horace A. Dunbar, is a civil rights icon and larger-than-life pastor in the West End neighborhood of Atlanta, which is the setting of this novel like several of Ms. Cleage's past books.

While Ida nervously waits for her dream job to materialize into reality, she receives a frantic phone call from a family friend, Miss Iona, who begs her to return to Atlanta because she fears the "Rev" as he is affectionately called has lost his mind when he gives an interview that goes viral on Youtube with him commenting the influx of Hispanics to the church will have them serving "Tacos and Sangria" for communion Sunday. Miss Iona and Ida fear that the Rev's ego is bruised because he and other black leaders feel the first black president has pushed them aside. In fact, Ida and her father have had a falling out and while she is reluctant to return to Atlanta, she does to make amends with the Rev and escape the embarassment that she is not going to get the White House job.

The plot thickens when Ida arrives in Atlanta and Miss Iona urges her to check out a plan by the Republicans to turn black civil rights icons, like the Rev, against the president, which the Republicans feel will erode President Obama's support from the black community.  However, while Ida and Miss Iona track down this scheme, the real "dirty trick" is an old fashioned political move by the Republican party to purge the Georgia voter rolls of 100,000 new voters registered during the 2008 election by the Rev and his faithful friend Mr. Eddie. The person hired by the Republicans to carry out the dirty deed is Mr. Eddie's son, Wes, who is also the Rev's godson.

The storyline is intriguing, and although it is fiction, it does have a hint of reality as we all have read the news stories following elections where there have been attempts to disenfranchise black voters and democratic voters. Not just in 2008, where I think everyone was more vigilant than usual, but we all remember the 2000 election and Florida. Not only is the story thought-provoking, but the characters are vivid and entertaining. It is also a very well, written book.

I recommend "Till You Hear From Me" by Pearl Cleage. Mark it on your "to read" list and add Pearl Cleage to your best authors list. (Other novels by Ms. Cleage include "What looks like crazy on an ordinary day," "I wish I had a red dress," "Babylon Sisters," "Some things I thought I'd never do," and "Baby Brother's Blues." 

Happy reading,

Tina