Betsey Brown A Novel [Paperback]

Praised as exuberantly engaging by theLos Angeles Timesand a beautiful, beautiful piece of writing by theHouston Post, acclaimed artist Ntozake Shange brings to life the story of a young girl's awakening amidst her country's seismic growing pains. Set in St. Louis in 1957, the year of the Little Rock Nine, Shange's story reveals the prismatic effect of racism on an American child and her family. Seamlessly woven into this masterful portrait of an extended family is the story of Betsey's adolescence, the rush of first romance, and the sobering responsibilities of approaching adulthood.

Ntozake Shange(1948-2018) was a renowned playwright, poet, and novelist. Her works include the Tony Award-nominated and Obie Award-winningfor colored girls who have considered suicide/when the rainbow is enuf, as well asSome Sing, Some Cry(written with her sister Ifa Bayeza),Sassafrass,Cypress & IndigoandLiliane.

Among her honors and awards are fellowships from the Guggenheim Foundation and the Lila Wallace-Reader's Digest Fund and a Pushcart Prize. She was a graduate of Barnard and recipient of a Masters in American Studies from University of Southern California.

A lyrical coming-of-age novel. The New York Times

The pages go whoosh! Kirkus Reviews on Sin City

Shange is a superb storyteller who keeps her eye on what brings her characters together rather than what separates them&. After you've read Betsey Brown to yourself, you can read it aloud to a friend. The New York Times Book Review

It's the truth Betsey Brown is a beautiful, beautiful piece of writing. Houston Post

Shange has re-created a humorous, charming, and heartbreaking vision of St. Louis and the Brown family that will delight young and old. She can conjure, as if by magic....Betsey Brownis like an enchanting melody. St. Louis Post-Dispatch

Ntozake Shange il3