Customer Reviews

The Hatwearer's Lesson

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She has written five novels as Yolanda Joe and two under a pseudonym of Ardella Garland, her wit and ability to shape characters and give them life keeps the reader turning pages. Joe's most recent being The Hatwearer's Lesson; a novel that brings old time traditions to present day life is by far one of my favorite reads for 2002

Hats have always been a part of our history, our hats represents different periods. Men wore black sharecropper's hats for protection from the sun while working in the fields. During the Wild West wide brims represented power. Hats were also worn to cover the face of cowards who took pleasure in killing African Americans. In The Hatwearer's Lesson Grandma Ollie wore her hats because of the love she had for them, a love she passed on to her granddaughter Terri.

Grandma Ollie raised Terri after her mother died in Grandma Ollie's arms while she gave birth to Terri. Water is such a significant entity for Terri and Grandma Ollie. Terri was born in water that threatened to take her life, but Grandma Ollie saved her as she continues to do throughout the story. Terri was born with the same sixth sense of her grandmother. They both had what was called back in the day "the gift of gut." Knowing when something is going to happen whether it is good or bad.

Grandma Ollie's uses old traditions and signs of the universe to teach Terri valuable lessons. The story opens with Terri deciding to marry and just as Grandma Ollie begins to write the announcement in her bible, the pen runs out of ink and Grandma Ollie knows something is wrong. Terri moved from her small town Collingswood Arkansas to live up North where she could forget her roots. Fortunately for her, Grandma Ollie will not allow that. She must use those roots and folklore to help her see what is in front of her face.

I absolutely adored the way this story was told, the book opened with Grandma Ollie writing in her bible and closed the same way. As I read this story, I felt that I was sitting in on those hair-brushing moments Terri and Grandma Ollie shared. I often wondered if Grandma Ollie was in fact the author's grandmother who raised her.

It is my hope that this review reaches everyone who likes a feel good story, because this is certainly it. I encourage you to read this book once it is published.

Missy

It takes a special kind of lady to be a hat wearer, not everybody can pull it off. I think that I'm still a little to young to wear hats yet but I most definitely love to see a lady in a hat. I tell people all the time that I love to wear hats but I'm not old enough to wear them yet. I could never really pinpoint a reason why I don't feel as if I'm ready, but this book put my sentiments into concrete words. I don't think I have the wisdom yet to accompany a beautiful brim. I really enjoyed The Hatwearer's Lesson by Yolanda Joe because the characters were so real to me. This was a quick, and witty read. This book had the most vivid use of characters that I've read in quite some time. Grandma Ollie could have just as well been my grandmother, because of all of the euphemisms used, brought back so many memories. Even sitting and holding a conversation while oiling the scalp and brushing hair with fifty strokes was so vivid to me because I would eagerly sit at my grandmothers knee and wait for her to offer words of wisdom. Reading the book, I could just picture my grandmother, with her hat wearing self, doling out advice in a no nonsense manner.

Terri Mills in Grandma Ollie's only granddaughter. She raised her from birth and taught her to that she could be anything that she wanted to be. Through her grandmother's thorough planting and rooting of Terri, she was able to pursue her dream of being a high-powered attorney in Chicago. There she met Derek, an equally successful attorney, and from there it seemed as if a fairy tale romance was abloom until Grandma Ollie couldn't right his name in the family bible. That was a bad sign. Grandma Ollie believed in the signs and learned as a child how to interpret them. Sure `nuff grandma was right. As the story progresses, the signs that grandma interprets along with her mannerisms, style and wisdom spin a tale of nostalgia and funny wit. As the plot matures, The Hatwearer's Lesson(s) warm the spirit. Terri is one lucky woman and her life has been a charmed one for the existence and wealth of information that her grandmother has imparted to her through the years.

I've not read any of Ms. Joe's previous works but I `m definitely hunting them down after this. Her writing style is so conversational and lyrical. The characters jump to life and compel you to keep reading, I simply could not put this book down. The Hatwearer's Lesson is a quick one-day read that will have you waxing nostalgic for days of yesteryear.

Yolanda Joe, author of the National Bestseller BEBE'S BY GOLLY WOW, is back on the literary scene with a fast-paced, compassionate novel that brings us powerful and vivid characters and a storyline to treasure.

Terri Mills is a graduate of Duke and now a high-powered attorney working for the city of Chicago on multimillion-dollar contracts. She made law review at Harvard, worked abroad in France and is a networking diva. Next to her at most of the big boy events and also in the bedroom is her new fiancé; smooth-talking, suave dressing, sexually stimulating and politically correct Derek Houser, also a prominent lawyer. They appear to be the perfect couple, one of power and prestige, going places and making things happen. They also know all the right people and even contribute to the black community, attending scholarship dinners and fraternity picnics.

Near and dear to Terri's heart is Grandma Ollie who raised her in the small country town of Collingswood, Arkansas. She has taught Terri to follow her dreams and is an avid supporter and inspiration to her grand-daughter. Grandma Ollie has a sixth sense of sorts and is known for reading signs and for the colorful stylish hats that she wears religiously whenever leaving the house. She's quick-witted, charming, and shares lessons on life with those around her. As Grandma Ollie begins to update her Bible with Terri's recent engagement, she suddenly runs out of ink and is unable to inscribe Derek's name next to Terri's. Seeing this as a sign (and she's hardly ever wrong about her signs), she worries that something isn't quite right with Derek. This is just the beginning of this wonderful story. Are things going as well as Terri thinks they are? Or is Derek holding out on her? How will Terri handle things and does the saying "there's no place like home" really ring true for her?

THE HATWEARER'S LESSON is heart-warming, the characters leave an impression on you and the overall lesson is one that has been passed down in families across the globe. Ms. Joe has given us a delightful novel that demonstrates the importance of family, traditions, and having the courage to follow our instincts and our hearts.

Reviewed by Tee C. Royal
The RAWSISTAZ Reviewers

THE HATWEARER'S LESSON is a powerful story, punctuated with laughter and cemented with tears. My tears, that is. What a sweet, deep truth there is in the character of Grandma Ollie, who has the gift of reading "signs" to predict the future. She tries to warn her very modern granddaughter before she marries the wrong man. This is a modern fairy tale, full of heart, old-timey wisdom, basic lust and the ever-redeeming path to True Love, which never does run smooth (if it did, nobody could write a good story about it). Yolanda Joe has done that. Her voice is funny and personal, and made this reader want to search out all her other books.

WOW! this book is phenomenal! i received an early copy and i was foolish enough to let it sit for a few days before opening it. i have read all of the author's other work and i was only lukewarm to the idea of another 'yolanda joe novel'.
though the other books were good reads, they do not compare to the eloquence and descriptive creativity of 'Hatwearer's Lesson'. i read it in one sitting and this novel made me laugh, cry, and cheer all at the same time.
Terri, like myself grew up without a mother so i could relate to her anguish. i also had a grandmother who tried on many occasions to 'steer' me in the right direction, but being headstrong, i, like Terri also veered off course.
Terri learns the lesson(like i did)that all that glitters is not golden, and that coming home sometimes means letting go when holding on seems more secure!
Grandma Ollie personifies all that Black women have endured over the years and yet her quiet strength makes you feel at home. Grandma Ollie's courage against the odds signifies what we are and will become in the future.
Ms. Joe's story shows that happiness is contentment with what you have and an understanding that true joy comes from within.
i'm trying to not give away the storline, therefore all i can say is READ IT!!!!
This is destined to become a bestseller!

"She's got the gift and she's got to use it" - that could be Grandma Ollie's motto. She has been reading signs all her life and she has never been wrong. So when the pen's ink runs dry while attempting to write the name of her granddaughter's fiancé in the family bible, she knows something is wrong...and the drama begins. Yolanda Joe's The Hatwearer's Lesson focuses on the relationships of and between a countrified, sassy, hat-wearing grandmother (Grandma Ollie) and her ambitious, citified, attorney granddaughter, Terri Mills.

Terri and her fiancé, Derek, are a hard working, high profile, no nonsense attorney power couple. Their relationship is what fairytales are made of: they look good together, have great careers, and have the political and social connections to match. But Grandma Ollie's prediction comes true and trouble invades paradise on both the romantic and professional fronts. Terri soon finds herself back in the small rural town of Collingswood, Arkansas under the counsel of Grandma Ollie. In a strange turn of events (fate perhaps), Terri's life is rearranged with a surprise ending. However, it is not only the Terri-Derek storyline that baits the reader; it is the amorous adventures of a young Grandma Ollie that are equally engaging. It is there where the valuable life lessons are truly revealed and where Terri extracts the wisdom and guidance to make the right decisions regarding Derek and her life.

The Hatwearer's Lesson is a charming novel full of homespun anecdotes, humor, and wit. Some of the expressions quoted by Grandma Ollie are truly "keepers" and can be retained as priceless bits of practical advice. This is my first Yolanda Joe experience and I am willing to read her other pieces as well as her next release.

Reviewed by Phyllis
APOOO BookClub, The Nubian Circle Book Club
April 1, 2003

This book was an awesome book. Very entertaining I could not put the book down. I read it in a couple days. Yolando Joe is a superb writer. Keep up the work. You guys read her others. Great author.

This was a great story of how are ancestors and older generation can teach us if we just listen to their stories. The older population can teach the younger generation how to cook,love and live if we would just listen. Grandma Ollie was trying to teach her granddaughter how to love by using things that happened in her life. The special treat in this story was Grandma Ollie and her gift. This gift was also passed on to her granddaughter Terri who thought it was just a little feeling in her gut. This book starts off with Grandma Ollie getting a bad sign about Terri's fiance. Terri finally is able to read the sign and then all hell breaks loose. All Terri really wants is a chance at Love. She is like the hip new young generation where Terri is doing very well in her career but the clock is ticking for family life. Read this cute little story about the young and the old.

"The Hatwearee's Lesson" was a wonderful book that brings back so many wonderful memories of my youth, the book is EXCELLENT! A must read...Thank Yolanda Joe

If there ever was a story that was difficult for me to put down Hatwearer'd Lesson was it; Yolanda Joe's writing made me feel great; and unable to put the book down until I reached the end. She uses metaphors like no one I've ever read before. Her characters could step right off the pages and be people I'd love to meet. A love story with real people (maybe). Congradulations, Yolanda Joe, keep those stories coming I've got a shelf just for you. tienoah