Baby Brother Blues
Some things should just be savored
Baby Brother's Blues is the continuation of a story about Blue Hamilton, a local man of influence. He is the behind-the-scenes enforcer and real estate mogul who has created an oasis of safety and crime-free family living in the heart of urban Atlanta. The West End, an area he unobtrusively controls, is an approximate 10 square block area of African-Americans of mixed incomes living in the heart of a modern city, replete with problems and dysfunction. He has created a buffer zone, in which the elderly walk the streets all hours of the night without fear, women can find refuge from violent partners, and children can grow up to become young professionals, returning to give back to the community. He is married to a gentle but powerful woman, Regina, whom he loves fiercely, and who loves him with a completeness tinged with quiet desperation. Desperation because, in addition to Blue's social philanthropy, she understands that his benevolence requires him to demand and oversee an orderly existence that sometimes takes him beyond the boundaries of the law. Blue attributes his powerful presence to his past lives as a just but firm ruler of a great kingdom, crime boss, and ruthless businessman. He feels that he shirked his earlier responsibilities as a leader, and feels that he has been chosen by fate to provide leadership for his people, and is doing so by carving out the safe haven of West End. He is accompanied by the ever-present and faithful General, who stands as his lieutenant and enforcer. Blue's aunt, Abbie, a seer, understands and encourages Blue's compulsion, and serves as his psychic guidepost. The story describes the entwined lives of the characters that Blue touches, his fingerprint, faint but present in all their lives. The climactic ending, perhaps more than any other element of the story reinforces Blue's understanding of his purpose in [this] life.
The book is written in a simple but flowing style. The individual story lines move rapidly from once scene to the next, but never with too much dispatch. Although there are many characters who make significant appearances, they are never confusing, and never crowd each other. The book is obviously contemporary, with references to recent events, and in spite of that, there is a warm cocoon of mysticism that envelopes the story. The writing is sharp and crisp, exemplary of Ms. Cleage's books, and conveys the story with maximum impact and minimum drag. I found the book highly readable, and while the book is presented as having a somewhat mystical vector, I did not find the references jarring or disturbing. Ultimately, the main character is not a person, or even a place; I'd have to classify it as a motive, best described by Blue's description of himself as a "truly free man."
I really enjoyed this novel. I congratulate Ms. Cleage on creating a mood of mystery and suspense that lingers long after the last page. Although I began at the third book in the Blue Hamilton series, it is my understnding from the enthusiastic responses of other readers, that the other books introducing the characters are equally as engaging, and therefore, on my 'to read' list. Ms. Cleage has taken elements of the old ancestors and seamlessly tied them to modern day characters, and the gap never presents itself.
Reviewed By: Angela T. Hailey, Black Butterfly Review
Cover Art A +
Editing A +
Overall Review (stars) *****
Baby Brother’s Blues
Pearl Cleage
ISBN# 0345481100
$24.95