Customer Reviews

George and Rue

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When I picked up this book and read the inside cover, I wasnt sure what to expect. First of all, I've never heard of George Elliot Clarke but I thought, "hmmm, (reading the inside cover to my self)..a story set in 1949(the year I was born)..about two siblings and the authors search to find out what forces would reduce men to crime and violence and ultimately murder", intrigued me to the point of sitting down and at least starting the book. In addition, the story is set in the provinces of Nova Scotia and New Brunswick, areas I know nothing about in terms of black folks and how they fared in that time. The author gives us a history lesson woven in with a complex subject matter that had me at times weeping other times cringing as these young men had a ROUGH childhood filled with pain. Mr Clarke hooked me from the introduction and took me inside the world of these people up north with words that had me feeling the pain and suffering with each page. There were times he used words I felt I needed to look up yet I knew what he meant as I continued to read. The "Blackened" English he uses is so appropriate that Im not sure why he, in his own words "accepts total guilt for it; I LOVED IT. His writing reminds me of Richard Wright as it is such a powerful piece that I will read again. Let me also state this disclaimer: it is not for the faint of heart as some of the descriptions of child abuse and other experiences the brothers faced and crimes they committed are brutal yet they give you a complete picture of who they are and I suggest why people sometimes resort to crime as a way out. Clearly we read every day about crimes that seem senseless to us but underneath the story line is a "reason". This is George and Rue's story. If your looking for that book that is just plain ole good story telling from start to finish, this is the one.

Linda

Derived from bits of truth, author George Elliott Clarke narrates the fictionalized account of the Hamilton brothers. In Nova Scotia, Ontario, Canada, the boys are born to Asa and Cynthy, a young couple living in poverty. Growing up, the boys witnessed their father abusing their mother and later turning his wicked ways toward them. The brothers are uneducated, dropping out of school in the third grade. George and Rue become thieves and social deviants at a young age especially since they received no direction from their parents. By the time they are sixteen and fifteen, respectively, they are on their own as both parents are dead. Clarke takes the reader inside George and Rue's lives as he chronicles their turbulent existence as they seek employment, join the armed forces, find love, become family men and then commit a crime so bad, they end up on death row.

The life George and Rue led was very interesting and that made this almost all narrative novel an interesting read. One of the most interesting aspects for this reader was how the author described incidents of prejudice and discrimination that happened in this rural Canadian province. History would have one to believe that Canada opened its arms to African Americans since they were major supporters of the Underground Railroad and emancipation. In fact, life in Nova Scotia, Ontario, Halifax and other regions of Canada was very hard for the African American. Also, very interesting was the pretense of a fair trial in Canadian court for the brothers.

While not really a book I would pick up on my own, I liked it enough to recommend it to those who enjoy Canadian history and fictionalized accounts of real crimes. I also recommend keeping a dictionary handy, because this author seems to have an extensive vocabulary that he is not afraid to use

Jeanette
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