Another Brooklyn: Another Great Discussion

Mocha Girl
Nov 27, 2016
2 min read

Thanks to the ladies who ventured out amid Holiday shoppers to discuss Another Brooklyn by Jacqueline Woodson.

Our Outtakes

Tina: 2.5 - Didn't make the meeting, but chimed in via the website. Her Likes: friendship of the girls; each girl had goals; August's protection of her little brother Dislikes: August's father leaving his sick wife alone in TN; the children never seeing their mother again; the disappearance of Angela; no mention of Gigi's rape to an adult. She didn't quite get the mentioning of August sleeping with white guys in her 20's; was hoping we'd find out what the girls were doing today (in their thirties).

Davita: 3.5 - Wished she could have "seen more;" the 1970's setting, language was spot-on; thought the character development was strong and is interested in a sequel. Enjoyed the novel.

Shona: 3.5 - Chimed in via the web and commented that she did enjoy the book since she was raised in Brooklyn in 1970's, so it definitely stirred up some memories!

Adrian: 4 - Enjoyed the novel and the storytelling method used; was transported back to 1970's Brooklyn and found the story of adolescent girl's struggles to ring true/believable. It was a candid look at their challenges with "fitting in" socially, defining themselves/who they are, experiencing first loves and losses, friendship squabbles. Thought the writing was strong and appreciated the coming of age story of AA girls (just as Moonlighting featured a coming of age story of an AA male).

Tracey: 3.5 - Some parts weren't fleshed out enough (ex: Gigi's suicide) and some parts were confusing (her talking and then not talking). Thought there were elements to the story that were done very well - the sense of place (Brooklyn), imagery, and phrasing.

Phyllis (Moderator): 3.5 - I pretty much agree with everyone's assessment. Having adored her first novel, Brown Girl Dreaming, which won numerous awards; I thought for sure Another Brooklyn would be just as stellar considering it was short-listed for the National Book Award. Although I "liked" it enough, I didn't "love" it and honestly have read quite a few novels that contained the same subject-matter and similar coming of age stories. However, I'm glad the club indulged my penchant to support award-winners and nominated works by authors of color.

Juliet: Didn't read, but enjoyed the camaraderie and discussion; chimed in to offer her comments on the issues presented in the book.

Group Average: 3.4