Flyy Girl [Mass Market Paperback]

Omar Tyree (Author)

Book Description

Release date: August 7, 2001

The bestselling urban classic novel about a young woman coming of age in the late 1980s.

Tracy Ellison, a young knockout with tall hair and attitude, is living life as fast as she can. Motivated by the material world, she and her friends love and leave the young men who will do anything to get next to them. It's only when the world of gratuitous sex threatens heartbreak that Tracy begins to examine her life, her goals, and her sexuality.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

This unremarkable African American coming-of-age story, originally published by a small press in 1993 (as was Tyree's first novel, Capital City), tracks Tracy Ellison from her sixth birthday party in 1977 to her 17th birthday. Tracy grows up in the middle-class Philadelphia suburb of Germantown. The daughter of a pharmacist and a dietitian, she is pretty and intelligent, armed with solid self-esteem and a sassy mouth. Like most of her friends, she's also boy crazy, and readers watch as her physical maturation leads to increasing sexual activity. While experiencing the indulgent, hip-hop 1980s and the insidious effects of the cocaine economy that flourishes in black communities, Tracy must also come to terms with her parents' separation. Tyree captures black language as it is spoken among peers; like Terry Macmillan he uses scatological references without restraint. The conversation of youngsters caught in a highly pressured sexual atmosphere, test-driving their sexuality long before they're old enough for a license, is profane and vivid. The narrative flow is often disrupted by too many italics and slang-defining asides, and by a rocky imbalance between neutral narration and vernacular. The real problem here is a crucial lack of depth; even when Tracy's teenage chatter gives way to some soul-searching questions, the queries themselves and the answers to them are trite and superficial. Author tour.
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Library Journal

The dialog in this coming-of-age African American story by Tyree, who self-published two books before getting his big break, is some of the best this reviewer has read in a long time. Tyree has a way making each phrase of every conversation true to life, whether spoken by a child or an adult. The story begins at Tracy Ellison's sixth birthday party. We follow her through her parent's shaky marriage to grade school and high school. Although the story does not venture much beyond Tracey's boy-chasing escapades and an occasional side plot about her next-door-neighbor, Raheema, the book is an entertaining diversion. Tyree writes so well that readers will put up with Tracey, who is selfish and often unkind. The author captures growing up in the Eighties with a subtle and finely rendered backdrop of songs and mischief reminiscent of the era. This should be enough to keep folks reading to the mildly rushed ending while hoping that the nasty little "flyy girl," Tracy, learns a few lessons along the way. Recommended for large collections.?Shirley Gibson Coleman, Ann Arbor Dist. Lib., Mich.
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 505 pages
• Publisher: Simon & Schuster (August 7, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0743218574
• ISBN-13: 978-0743218573
• Product Dimensions: 5.1 x 1.1 x 7.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (389 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #112,381 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Omar Tyree is a New York Times bestselling author, entrepreneur, journalist, screenwriter, and public speaker. A renowned business figure, he has published seventeen books, and his articles have been published in the Washington Post, Essence, Upscale, and the Washington Times.

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

22 of 23 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars Back down memory lane..... August 1, 2000

By "misslove"

Format:Paperback

Flyy Girl engulfed me. Omar's account of the eighties was so thorough and in depth...the loose language, the flashy clothes, the `I'm better than you' attitude, was vivid and consistent. Tracy Ellison, the main character of Flyy Girl, is a year younger than me. So reading Flyy Girl took me back to my own youth, when I wore Coca Cola sweatshirts, Guess jeans, and so much gold that it would blind you. Subliminally, I went back to the `80s dances and parties. It was so refreshing to read.

What struck me most was the accuracy of the growing pains that the young female characters in Flyy Girl encountered. The profound peer pressure, the dubious dating game, and the ferocious family matters, were so in depth. Since Omar is a male writing about the internal feelings and thinking of growing girls, I was very impressed with the authenticity of Tracy and Raheema's feelings, confidence level, maturation level, and perspectives on issues. I also enjoyed Raheema's subplot....Tracy's lavish, spoiled, perfect life is one realm of female adolescence, then Raheema's overbearing, protected, and acrid environment is another aspect, yet the intermingling of such different upbringings made the story extremely real and alive to me. Plus the flagrant differences in their personalities enriched the dilemas in the novel. Lastly, I was impressed with the degree of growth that all the characters in the novel underwent. Tracy and her parents matured...Raheema and her family matured as well.

I'm just glad that I didn't have to wait for the sequel. It's out now, I've got it, and I'm reading it next. If you want a refreshing and real story, read Flyy Girl. This book is even good for some teenagers. Good job Omar.

13 of 14 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars More Like Fast Girl. June 22, 2000

By "dst4lyfe"

Format:Paperback

I read "Do Right Man" and I really did not like it, so when my bookclub chose this one I was not excited about reading it. I have to admit that it caught my attention. About 10 years ago I could relate to this book on my level, but now that I have children, I see where Tracy's mother went wrong. Omar was on the money with the music, trends and fashions for the 80's! However, from the beginning Tracy had too much attitude and freedom. Unfortunately she was a product of a single parent family and that tends to cause more problems in itself. The book kept my attention and I routed for Tracy to see some the character for what they were worth. She finally caught on when she saw the demise of her friend, Mercedes. Sometimes it takes a shock to get us on the right track. Anyway, this was a decent book and Omar Tyree did a good job writing this book from a young girls perspective. It is not easy for a man to see things through the eyes of a young adolescent female. Hats off to you Mr. Tyree.

12 of 13 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars Back In The Day! August 8, 2000

By Yasmin Coleman VINE™ VOICE

Format:Paperback

Flyy Girl, Omar Tyree's debut novel was a very entertaining, eye opening and enlightening read. Tyree provided an in-depth view about the realistic situations that young girls encounter in the streets of Urban America. Tyree did a good job of speaking from a female perspective especially that of a young female. I enjoyed reading about Tracy's escapades, RaRas vulnerability, and Jantel's dedication. I felt like I was back in the day...only it was doing the 70s. Even then, teenage girls were interested in dating, flyy clothes, and guys with money and bad rides. Although I must say that Tracy and her friends took it to a different level...a more gritty, street smart and immoral level. (As such, It leaves me to wonder what I will be store for in 2010 when my daughter comes of age and begins to date). While I didn't like the boyfriend flavor of the week theme, because it became a little redundant after the third boyfriend, I did enjoy watching Tracy mature with time and realize that there was more to life than being flyy. I saw Tracy as a spoiled youngster exploit into the teen years with much attitude, a vain personality, a materialistic girl, and sexual desires to boot. But then I also saw Tracy experience an awakening and as a result the love for self. While Flyy Girl was primarily Tracy's story there were secondary characters who were essential to the story along with their sub-plots. I enjoyed reading about Tracy's parents although I was disappointed in the actions of her father toward his family and to some extend the things that Tracy's mother allowed Tracy to get away with(ie expensive gifts from boys and no questions asked.... However, given that the parents had their own set of issues I also understood their imperfections and realized that even as a parent I too will make mistakes. Flyy Girl provides insight regarding the issues that young teens face as they try to live in the fast lane and world of easy money; provides a good explanation of how young women think and how young boys act; and has a message that's worth hearing. I believe that every mom should purchase this book to share with her daughter when she becomes of age. Read more ›

13 of 15 people found the following review helpful

2.0 out of 5 stars Not Worth the Time... August 6, 2000

By NappyGirl

Format:Paperback

I hate to say it, since Mr. Tyree seems to have so many fans, but FLYY GIRL is the worst book I've read in the last few years.

This humorless and overtly sexual "novel" basically tells the story of a young chickenhead's (Tracy) coming of age in wasteland of several hundred pages.

The novel reads like a 10th grade creative writing assignment gone haywire and in the end the reader is left with a 400+ novel that could have been told in 20 double spaced pages effortlessly. The somewhat promising premise about the journey to self-respect is lost in the long winded and often muddled dialogue of the book.

Tyree wastes pages of painfully simple dialogue on subplots and scenes that go nowhere. This book lacks the natural flow of urban language that other writers (namely Morrison, Hurston, McMillian, George) do so well.

His character development isn't much better since the characters are all one dimensional and don't seem to stray far from the one sentence notes about them that Tyree MUST have scribbled down the day he wrote this one.

Tyree lacks the finesse to build an atmosphere for his scenes and it's obvious that he has no clue as to how to give the reader a mental picture of someone without going into overdrive about their physical appearance. Almost every character is haphazardly introduced with a description of height, hair texture and skin color.

The main character is, in a word, STUPID. How someone as shallow as she was can go from chickenhead to Afrocentric queen in a few short chapters is beyond reason. The lack of consequence for the life of promiscuity Tracey leads is irresponsible and unrealistic.

The majority of the book takes place during Tracey's 14th year of life.... Those chapters drag on for so long that I felt as if I were living everyday with her (think dayplanner, not diary.) Other flat characters in the book also seem to reach their own epiphanies just in time to move the story along.

Male characters get the roughest treatment in FLYY GIRL since Tyree seems to equate black teenage masculinity with would be rapist/pariahs with no depth of emotion of feelings aside from the basest impulses.

I bought this book thinking it might be a nice beach read and had to struggle to finish it for lack of interest. I'm embarrassed to even have this on my bookshelf. Read more ›