Hot Johnny (and the Women Who Loved Him) [Paperback]

Sandra Jackson-Opoku (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 2, 2002

Like a ray of sun that can warm your skin for a moment but can’t be captured, John the Baptist Wright has touched the lives of many women–heart, body, and soul. Now, in this enthralling new novel by award-winning author Sandra Jackson-Opoku, we hear from the women who gave Hot Johnny his heat.

Each woman has a distinct voice and her own point of view. Among them is Destiny, the damaged young woman he married, but cannot save; Lola Belle, the white lesbian with something to prove and nothing to lose; Tree, the college soulmate, whose first taste of tenderness came from Hot Johnny’s touch; Peaches, the prostitute who gave the boy his name and sealed his reputation; and Gracita Reina “Queen of Grace,” his great-grandmother, who holds the key to Johnny’s salvation. Each woman provides a piece of the puzzle that is Hot Johnny–the result is a captivating portrait of a complex man who is both saint and sinner, hero and villain, and all the shadings in between.

A deeply felt and emotionally involving tale, Sandra Jackson-Opoku has done nothing less than illuminate the secret places of a man’s soul–and created a powerful novel of destiny and redemption. . . .

Editorial Reviews

Review

“AN INTENSE NARRATIVE . . . AS HOT AS A FIRECRACKER.”
–Chicago Sun-Times

“DAZZLING . . . [A] BRILLIANT NEW NOVEL.”
–African Sun Times

“UNFLINCHINGLY HONEST.”
–Essence

From the Inside Flap

Like a ray of sun that can warm your skin for a moment but can?t be captured, John the Baptist Wright has touched the lives of many women?heart, body, and soul. Now, in this enthralling new novel by award-winning author Sandra Jackson-Opoku, we hear from the women who gave Hot Johnny his heat.

Each woman has a distinct voice and her own point of view. Among them is Destiny, the damaged young woman he married, but cannot save; Lola Belle, the white lesbian with something to prove and nothing to lose; Tree, the college soulmate, whose first taste of tenderness came from Hot Johnny?s touch; Peaches, the prostitute who gave the boy his name and sealed his reputation; and Gracita Reina ?Queen of Grace,? his great-grandmother, who holds the key to Johnny?s salvation. Each woman provides a piece of the puzzle that is Hot Johnny?the result is a captivating portrait of a complex man who is both saint and sinner, hero and villain, and all the shadings in between.

A deeply felt and emotionally involving tale, Sandra Jackson-Opoku has done nothing less than illuminate the secret places of a man?s soul?and created a powerful novel of destiny and redemption. . . .

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 320 pages
• Publisher: One World/Ballantine (January 2, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0345435087
• ISBN-13: 978-0345435088
• Product Dimensions: 8.2 x 5.6 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 10.1 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (11 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,464,415 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars An Ambitious, Mesmerizing Tale of a Man's Loves, February 13, 2003

By 

LottaHoney "Lotta's Bookshelves" (Detroit, MI USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Hot Johnny (and the Women Who Loved Him) (Paperback)

As Sandra Jackson Opoku spins her tale about Hot Johnny and his various women - his wife, Destiny, Lesbian Lover Lola Belle, Cara, Tea, Cinammon and others. I am mesmerized and melting.

His Wife says:

Johnny, too good-looking to be good. It was hard for me to look a handsome man full in the face. It would be like trying to stare at the sun. The glare of his beauty would almost blind me.

His women say:

"Yes, we have our hungers.... We take him in, hoping to touch his magic, and we ourselves are remade."

Hot Johnny says:

"I want you to love yourself, to know how beautiful you are."

His Lesbian Lover says:

"Hot Johnny was a special man."

Another woman says:

"Hot Johnny gave me my first taste of tenderness.... he touched me and something down there fluttered, tremulous as a baby bird being coaxed from her cage."

Sandra Jackson Opokus Hot Johnny is a novel depicting the various stages of Hot Johnnys life with complex stories in the voices of the women who love him. Each woman, each voice, describes her connection with Hot Johnny.

Yes, we have our hungersWe take him in, hoping to touch his magic, and we ourselves are remade.

Destiny is Hot Johnnys meek wife who is the mother to his baby girl plagued with illness: Miz Jones, 38-year-old woman who has a sexual fling with him as a teenager, Cinnamon Brown, the sexual addict that Hot Johnny attempts to remake into something else, Tree and her experience of the first taste of tenderness, Malaika of Somalia with passionate and indelible memories of Hot Johnny. Gracita Reinu is Hot Johnnys great-grandmother and guardian spirit who infuses him with a strong spirit and the courage to survive through a family tragedy.

There was something elusive and untamable about that long cool drink of waterHe was like a ray of sun that warms your skin for a moment.

The puzzle-like stories, pieced together by the reader, of the various women in Hot Johnnys life are intriguing; however, a profound sense of disjointedness is evident. Overall, this is a wonderful, ambitious saga of the women in a mans life

Reviewed by Lotta Honey
From Lottas Bookshelves

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Well Written............., August 21, 2004

By 

Jenny J.J.I. "A New Yorker" (That Lives in Carolinas) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Hot Johnny (and the Women Who Loved Him) (Paperback)

This has been one of the first books that I have read by Sandra Jackson-Opoku and it was very intreging. I Love the way she had intertwine the stories of each person involving Johnny's life who was mostly raise and helped by woman. I tell you this much if it wasn't for them females and his looks he would of been on the streets scraping for changes just like any other homeless man. Her written is very poetic and colorful just like her cover. The book isn't for everybody as I agree with some of the readers and it's for high readers which have more of a open mind to the different eras of culture and time frames engulf around Johnny's up bringing. Yes I do believe the title can be a bit misleading for some reviewers but you have to understand as to why he was giving that name. The reason why I havn't givin it a 5 star is because it does have alot of characters which can be confusing at times but as long as you stick to it they all have thier purpose in being there. I'm happy that it's part of my collection.

4.0 out of 5 stars OK interesting to say the least, April 21, 2010

By 

K. Gordon (North Carolina) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Hot Johnny (and the Women Who Loved Him) (Paperback)

Although some opinions were good, this book did make you want to flip back a few pages to cross reference what you just read - but I enjoyed it once I got the knack of it.
I could not believe the irony in these stories, I thoroughly enjoyed the way the characters crossed one anther's paths one way or another, from Detroit to NC to Somilia, Africa to Asheville, NC.
This book shows how a family secret so dark came put two people togehter who never should never be. It's a shame but family secret in black families will always be a part of our history and our futures. We will never know exactly who all our families are, truth be told, you could actually be married to a family members - secrets have a way of being unraveled, this story shows that when Hot Johnny goes back home to find his family.
Makes you wonder if that child being sick was a direct reflection on the parents roots?
Over all I enjoyed this book, each character with it's own story bundled up at the end to form FAMILY!