Brothers and Sisters [Hardcover]

Bebe Moore Campbell (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 6, 1994

Struggling with her own personal issues after the Los Angeles riots, Esther Jackson, a black employee at a downtown bank, is heartened when a black man is hired as senior vice-president, until he sexually harasses her white friend and coworker. 100,000 first printing.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Further demonstrating the authoritative grasp of racial issues and the candid picture of African American life she brought to her first novel, Your Blues Ain't Like Mine , Campbell sets this story in Los Angeles during the aftermath of the Rodney King beating, the acquittal of the charged policemen and the subsequent riots. Her heroine, Esther Jackson--seemingly self-confident but quiveringly intense--has a good position as regional operations manager of a bank. Raised on Chicago's South Side, Esther has glass-ceilinged her way to a two-bedroom house in an L.A. suburb. But along with her success, Esther carries the contradictory burdens of compromise, determination and humiliation required of women of color who move up the corporate ladder. Campbell develops Esther's character by depicting her relationship with Tyrone, a man educationally, socially and economically "beneath" her; her growing friendship with white loan officer Mallory Post; the accusations surrounding her African American boss Humphrey's attempted rape of Mallory; the suspicions that her hiree, La Keesha, is stealing from inactive accounts at the bank. Esther learns about watching her own back while responding to the needs and realities of her friends' lives. Campbell's intriguing (if not always three-dimensional) cast of characters reveal the fears and hopes of people caught in a web of shrinking opportunities and institutionalized stereotypes of race, class and gender. Adroitly using the great racial divide of Los Angeles, this absorbing novel explores the intricacies of experience, knowledge and bias which perpetuate inequalities and segregated lives. 100,000 first printing; $150,000 ad/promo; first serial to Essence; audio rights to Audio Renaissance; BOMC and QPB main selections; author tour.
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From School Library Journal

YA?Brothers and sisters mostly refer to those of African American heritage, although this book will appeal to a wide audience. Focused around corporate banking in L.A., the story is about company relationships and people of color wanting to advance to positions they believe they have earned. Attractive, well-educated Esther Jackson, a manager, has a great deal of resentment toward privileged white men and women who she feels have an easier climb up the ladder of success. Still, she becomes close to her coworker, Mallory, who is white. Esther is also looking for Mr. Right, who must possess plenty of cash and credit cards, thus eliminating mail deliverer Tyrone, who adores her. Things get complicated when a new black employee appears to be Mr. Right?until he is more attracted to Mallory. False accusations of sexual harassment and theft are a large part of the story. Readers won't want to put this book down until the injustices are resolved. This novel is contemporary, with allusions to the atmosphere following the Rodney King incident and the L.A. riots.?Ginny Ryder, Lee High School, Springfield, VA
Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 18 and up
  
• Hardcover: 476 pages
• Publisher: G. P. Putnam's Sons; 1st edition (September 6, 1994)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 039913929X
• ISBN-13: 978-0399139291
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 5.9 x 1.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.9 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (49 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,082,919 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Racial differences, March 30, 2006

By 

Beverley Strong (Australia) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Brothers and Sisters (Mass Market Paperback)

Esther Jackson is a strikingly beautiful black woman, well educated who, by sheer hard work and determination, has forged herself a place in the upper eschelon of the banking world. She is striving to become a loans officer, knowing that she has the ability to go all the way to the top of her profession but being held back by the glass ceiling which stalls women and black women in particular. Her unlikely friend is a blonde, beautiful Valley girl who has had all the advantages of a wealthy background but lacks the one thing she craves, the love of her father. She has been trying to compensate for this lack with a series of affairs with older, successful married men, only to be rejected time and time again. Their story and the story of their friendship which struggles almost daily to overcome the differences in their cultures, is a most interesting one, with prejudices of both races coming to the fore...I dound it to be most illuminating.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars BROTHERS AND SISTERS, March 30, 2001

By 

Mary Allen "Mary B Allen" (HARRISBURG, PA United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Brothers and Sisters (Mass Market Paperback)

BROTHERS AND SISTERS is an excellent book with a beautiful, thought-provoking cover. The main character, Esther, walks a fine line to maintain respect and professionism as an African American bank manager, working in a predominantly white bank. She must must make several choices between colorless friendship and Black loyalty and between haves and have nots. In her personal life, she must make the choice between white-collar and blue-collar love. BROTHERS AND SISTERS shows the deceitful routes some people will take to reach their goal, not caring who is run over. This book also looks at how little things have changed between the races and the sexes, but in contrast, it shows rarely-seen truiumph over injustice. The well-rounded cast of characters make this book realistic and believable. Bebe Moore Campbell is a very good writer.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Modern Day Morality Play, August 22, 2000

By 

NappyGirl (United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Brothers and Sisters (Mass Market Paperback)

If this novel is any indication of Bebe Moore Campbell's talent, I think she's bound for an exciting and prolific career. Set in L.A. in the aftermath of the infamous Rodney King verdict, BROTHERS AND SISTERS introduces the reader to a banking world filled with interesting and complex characters both Black and White. Campbell has an excellent ability to traverse modern day racial complexities in a manner which is neither unrealistic nor condescending. Any Black female professional is bound to identify with the struggles and situations that Ester faces in the book: trust issues with White co-workers, dating a blue-collar man, walking the colorline, and maintaining personal dignity in a workspace where nobody looks like you. I found the novel to be enjoyable and insightful. It's perfect reading for a long plane ride.