Getting Our Breath Back [Hardcover]

Shawne Johnson (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 6, 2002

Violet, Lilly, and Rose know how it feels to be black women trying to find their place in a changing white world. Violet, the eldest, grows up believing in the myth of the southern belle-only to discover that good manners and genteel charm aren't going to bring her acceptance from a closed-minded society...or a philandering husband. Lilly is an ex-Black Panther and writer caught up in the stormy aftermath of the sixties; she shuts out this new world of confusion and pain with the heroin that can never give her peace-or salvation. Rose is the youngest, a sculptor who has shaped herself in the image of an independent black woman grounded in the political movements of her time. But she carries a secret heartache that will resonate in the life of her daughter, Imani, who grows up searching for the daddy she longs to know.

Earthy, evocative, rich in the atmosphere and emotional turmoil of the times, Getting Our Breath Back is a story of struggle and forgiveness, of separation and reconciliation...of women who must reinvent themselves if they are to survive, to heal, and to flourish.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Three sisters both lose and find themselves in the political and social upheavals of 1960s and '70s Philadelphia in Shawne Johnson's impressionistic, earnest debut novel, Getting Our Breath Back. Oldest sister Violet has nearly made herself ill trying to be a proper wife, but it hasn't stopped her husband from chasing skirts. Middle sister Lilly was once a college student, an aspiring writer and a Black Panther, but is now majoring in heroin, while baby sister Rose is a sculptor and single mother who can't seem to settle on a husband. All three women witness the erosion of their formerly middle-class old neighborhood and participate in the other cataclysmic social changes of their day.
Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist

Johnson's first novel is a lyrical story about three Philadelphia sisters, set in the 1960s and 1970s. The oldest, Violet, struggles for perfection. Even with all of her efforts, her ideal life is less than perfect. She finally accepts the hurtful truth that she is not happy nor is her husband faithful. Lilly is the poetic, ex-Black Panther, middle child. She continually seeks an outlet for her creative voice. Lilly soothes her torment by depending on heroin. The youngest, Rose, is a sculptor. When she asks her mother and sisters to come rescue her from an abusive relationship, she is left with a child and emotional scars. Her daughter looks for her daddy in the men that Rose invites into their home. It isn't until the past catches up with each woman that the sisters are forced to address their situations. A thoughtful first novel about getting one's breath back and gaining the strength to make changes and to speak openly about hurt and pain. Lillian Lewis
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 261 pages
• Publisher: Dutton Adult (June 6, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0525946543
• ISBN-13: 978-0525946540
• Product Dimensions: 8.2 x 5.6 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 11.2 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #4,486,122 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

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Everyone Has Issues, January 17, 2004

By 

The RAWSISTAZ Reviewers (RAWSISTAZ.com and BlackBookReviews.net) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Getting Our Breath Back (Paperback)

Shawne Johnson has written a complex and compelling story of three sisters. As the stories of the lives of Violet, Lilly, and Rose emerge I found myself deeply engrossed in this engaging tale. Violet has what appears to be a perfect family life, but no matter how much energy she puts in to appearances she cannot mask the deep unhappiness that resides in her heart as a result of her less than perfect marriage. Lilly is still a little stuck in the Black Power Movement but lost in a cesspool of drug abuse. She uses drugs to help numb realities that are too difficult for her to face, but loses herself in the process. Rose is a politically conscious woman who is a successful artist and single mother. She carries the deep wounds of her past in the form of a secret that seemingly make her current political views and the manner in which she is raising her daughter hypocritical. As Johnson weaves this intricate tale, each of these women discover that they cannot hide from what is real and are forced to deal with their pasts and shed their masks.

Johnsons writing is reminiscent of authors who write with a more literary flair. In between revealing chapters about the lives of the respective characters she intersperses chapters which are referred to as Studio Time. In these passages the author juxtaposes Roses artwork with the events that have just taken place and the result at times will leave you breathless. I thoroughly enjoyed this book and found it to be a refreshing change. The strong themes of sisterhood and redemption were well executed. My only disappointment was in the ending, which I felt was a little rushed and lacked in closure.

Reviewed by Stacey Seay
of The RAWSISTAZ Reviewers

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Sometimes Reader, July 11, 2003

By A Customer

This review is from: Getting Our Breath Back (Paperback)

I liked this book. It was a very well written kind of love story, that also addressed racial issues in this country. loved the way it was written.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Lovely book, July 7, 2003

By A Customer

This review is from: Getting Our Breath Back (Paperback)

A lovely book. The style is different, lyrical. The book almost reads like poetry. The story of three sisters living and learning through through the Civil Rights period is both compelling and interesting. The story is good, but what I really liked about this book was the way it was written. Very intense.