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11 of 13 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Conception is Immaculate!, February 5, 2008
This review is from: Conception: A Novel (Hardcover)
As the title implies, Kalisha Buckhanon's sophomoric offering, Conception, is nothing short of outstanding. Initially, I was truly concerned if she could deliver as strong and solid a follow-up to her hit debut Upstate - but with this second novel, she removes all doubt. She is truly a talented writer.
Buckhanon returns to familiar territory - the trials of adolescence set in 1992 on the South Side of Chicago where the story focuses on the unpopular, unpretty, undereducated, unmotivated 15-year-old Shivana Montgomery. A product of a single-parent home with a verbally and physically abusive mother, she naively becomes a victim of molestation which results in an unplanned pregnancy by the unemployed, drug-dealing husband of the family she baby-sits for weekly. She is a typical troubled teen hiding behind "ghetto-girl" attitude and street-wise bravado who grapples with school bullies, a despondent, distrusting mother, and humiliating, clandestine trips to the free clinic as she considers her family planning options. Complicating matters further is her budding love affair with a new guy in the building, Rasul.
Blended between Shivana's daily drama is the voice of the unborn spirit child who has been searching for the perfect womb to allow its birth to come to fruition. The child tells of its previous conceptions in 1842 to Yoshi, a young slave girl, impregnated by the plantation stud; 1892 to the homely and newly emancipated Darlene who is smitten with Tuck; and lastly in 1942 to recently widowed Southerner, Tawana, disillusioned by the promises and hopes that the North (Harlem) offered. To reveal more would spoil the plot for the reader; however, I will say, I found these passages equally as engaging as the present-day plotline. The wisdom and dreamlike sequences of the child are beautifully written segments of lyrical prose. The breath and depth of the story is not lost with the rich and heart-breaking stories behind the supporting characters. And the ending - well, I will simply say...Brilliant!
The book is masterful in that it combines age-old themes of abandonment and its embittering effects on those left behind, particularly the women and the children. The author seemingly has her pulse on the mindset of the youth and delivers to the reader a realistic glimpse of the obstacles, the sense of hopelessness and despair that runs rampant in their world. More evidence of her genius is the clever use of metaphors and symbolism sprinkled throughout the story. The use of color (i.e. the recurring white head scarf) and aquatic references (e.g. drowning and the use of water as a medium for purification, escape, and rebirth) yields nothing short of a page-turner that will appeal to fans of the urban, contemporary ficton, and literary genres. I reviewed an advanced reading copy in 2007 and this novel has solidly earned a place on my Top Reads List for 2008. Well Done and Bravo!
Reviewed by Phyllis
December 28, 2007
APOOO BookClub
Nubian Circle Book Club
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5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Kalisha Has Conceived Something Great!, March 8, 2008
This review is from: Conception: A Novel (Hardcover)
The author, Kalisha Buckhanon, touched upon so many important life-themes within 277 pages: teen pregnancy, love, fear, cyclical complacency, risk-taking and faith.
These themes were brought to life through the poignant story of Shivana. We see her wade through the turbulent waters of each day as a teenager dealing with school bullies, being an outcast--not part of the popular crowd, feeling neglected and unloved by her mother and not knowing (or caring) about her future. As I read Shivana's day-to-day struggles, I had to reminiscence about my childhood and how blessed I was. My concerns as a teen were to go to school, get good grades, do my homework, do my household chores and eventually get a job when I became of working age. More importantly, I was able to be the child that I was and dream--even if my dreams weren't realistic but simply to dream is a luxury that kids like Shivana couldn't revel in. She wasn't encouraged to do so neither at home or at school. She was just simply living each day without any sign leading her towards any type of future. The moment that she began to really contemplate her future and began to dream a good dream was at a moment when we all think that a teen's dreams are deferred (indefinitely). Shivana became pregnant under the worst circumstances and had to confront this hard reality head-first in a local clinic. She was in denial and in the utmost disbelief--not because she took every precaution for this to not happen but because she didn't think that it could happen (or wouldn't happen) to her. I felt her fear, loneliness and sorrow. How could she provide for her child when her mom is struggling to sustain a livelihood for the two of them? The author takes us on a journey throughout Shivana's life decision. What she ends up deciding didn't come easy!
Simultaneously as she is thinking about what to do with this baby that is on its way, she began to really sit down and think about what on earth she would want to do with the rest of her life, especially if she decided to continue this pregnancy. Living in the projects, for her wasn't something she envisioned herself continuing as she got older. She wanted to live in a place that speaks opportunity and in her eyes her dwelling was far from voicing that sentiment. Her eyes were opened because of this situation and widened as her life story progressed.
I wholeheartedly enjoyed Kalisha's depiction of this character--Shivana was a flawed, loving and wondrous teen just like many whom I have crossed paths with. This novel, although fiction, is the eyes of the real life of some adolescents of today who are struggling to be teens, dealing with pressures that are beyond our understanding and, more specifically, trying to figure this world out to make a place for themselves within it.
I urge you to run out and get this work by Kalisha--it has made me (even more so) to want to read her debut book release, Upstate!
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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
2.0 out of 5 stars
A bit disappointed...., February 5, 2010
This review is from: Conception: A Novel (Hardcover)
I am usually all for reading books by lesser known authors and when I picked up this book I honestly felt like it would be a keeper. Unfortunately, I feel that the plot of this story may have had a lot of potential but fell short and was a bit underdeveloped. It became uneasy to believe Shivana, the protagonist and the motives behind her actions. I dont think she fully realized the gravity of her pregnancy. Shivana's relationship with her mother and friend were also never fully explained. I ultimately fell in love with the spirit of her unborn child though. Buckhanon used some very brilliant language (very Toni Morrison) to describe the fetus stride however when it came to exposing Shivana to the reader I felt like the protoganists' ideas were trumped with choppy and unsophisticated language (very Zane like). Moreover, there is no real resolution to the story....or maybe it was there but without any real sense of closure or reasoning. Shivana's relationship with her mother, her baby daddy's wife....all remained unresolved. The ending seemed a bit overdramatic and forged. OMG, I was so loving the first half of this book but then it flopped, and I just hate that. If youre like me and like a good read please pass on this book.
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