Women of Brewster Place

Gloria Naylor presents life for the African American woman living in a housing development in a seedy part of an unnamed town in her work called Women of Brewster Place.  The play is set in the 1950s when racial tensions were beginning to rise throughout the nation during the Civil Rights era.  The book is written in seven sections about the life of the woman whom the chapter is titled, yet many of the women appear in other’s stories and are intertwined by Kiswana Browne, a young woman from the suburbs who gives up her family’s wealth to assist the tenants of Brewster Place to fight against their absentee landlord for improved housing.  Kiswana tries to bring the women together raising funds to organize the movement.  Other women whom are chronicled include:  Mattie Michael, Etta Mae Johnson, Lucielia "Ciel" Turner, Cora Lee, Lorraine, and Theresa.  There is a great deal of pain and anguish in a number of stories which include: the tragic loss of one’s child; a mother with six children with no husband, though five different fathers; and the introduction of lesbian lovers who are “outed” by their neighbors with a very tragic ending.  The stories all read well and the characters give one a real insight into the quality and life of women during the time.  The ending was quite surprising and to me very unexpected.  The brutal murder of one of the women only underlies the difficultly our country has, and continues to experience, as it relates to tolerance and inclusion of all members into our society.  I really thought the stories were engaging and gave a glimpse into what it is like as a single woman and person of color during these tumultuous times.   This was a short, quick read.  This book challenges one to really think deeply about the state of racial and homosexual communities in our country.  Well written book.  Worth a read.