Customer Reviews

The House on Childress Street: A Memoir

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

I really tried to like this book, because I think the author is a good writer. I've read work of his in the past but it seems like the more work I read by him, the more scattered it is. This book was supposed to be about his grandfather but it is written so disorganized that I really can't tell what's going on. He goes to different family members to find out how they feel about his grandfather and ends up launching off into stories about the family members. Under normal circumstances, this would've been cool, had it only been about five or six people, but he's introducing so many people into the story to the point where it's like being a stranger at someone's family reunion. "There's __________________, he's a ___________________, and then there's ___________________, she's a ______________________, and these are her brothers and sisters ___________________, _____________________, ___________________, and _____________________."
Around page 128, the story started to have a focus. The author thought he'd gotten a woman pregnant and was going through the thinking cycle of a man with not enough money to support a family. Right when he finally got me interested in the book, he goes into this crazy launch about slavery. Then here comes another set of folks in his family that he's introducing us to, where there's a lecture on divorce.
This may have been a great book to pass out at the family reunion, but not for outsiders to read. I got to page 148, lost all patience with this book, and put it up for sale.

Better question is: Will you buy his next book? Sure, like I said...I think he's a good writer. I just wish this story was more organized.

As an instructor at Duke's Center for Documentary Studies, I have had the opportunity to view and read quite a few pieces of creative non-fiction. Jasper's The House on Childress Street has quickly become a new favorite! It is refreshing, to say the least, to hear the distinct voices of urban late 20th/early 21st century Black experiences. I have used this text in my past two seminar classes to highlight a number of issues: 1) The highly personal nature of our work as documentarians, folklorists, historians, anthropologists, etc. 2) The concept of the hidden journey of digging into our family and personal histories--a journey that takes a life of its own, and 3)The complications of interviewing and representing those closest to us--our communities, our families. Even outside of the academy, I find this to be Jasper's best work. The House on Childress Street is an elegant representation of the true lives and ancestral voices lingering around this clarion voice of the Hip Hop generation.

I loved Childress Street. I loved it because I saw my own family in that book on so many levels. It was a story that I would have never had the talent to tell, but certainly have lived inside of. Kenji Jasper is a writers writer. While it can be a little challenging to follow the family tree, it is worth while because it initiates self reflection. Kenji Japser's story telling is amazing...but his comentary is even better. That is what makes Childress Street different from any of his other books. And the fasinating thing that happens at the end is wonderful.

Keep it up Kenji Jasper.

The House on Childress Street (Childress Street) commences with the death of the author's (Kenji Jasper) maternal Grandfather and Jasper's then startling revelation that he didn't really know much about his Grandfather. Jasper perceives his maternal Grandfather as a dutiful provider yet loner within his family setting. Jasper lovingly refers to his maternal Grandfather as the "Lone Ranger". The memoir involves the author's quest to learn more about his maternal Grandfather's life and relationships with his wife, his children, his siblings and his friends. Initially, Jasper begins the journey with the working premise that his Grandfather was a man without emotions, a virtual recluse within his own family. However, through various interviews with family and friends who knew the Lone Ranger, Jasper discovers an array of factors that shaped the Lone Ranger's personality over time. Childress Street is written as a memoir, but reads more like a journal. Although Childress Street is somewhat unorganized in style, Jasper still manages to convey to the reader his staunch determination to discover who the Lone Ranger actually was. Along Jasper's quest to discover more about the Lone Ranger, Jasper manages to make strides in his own self-discovery as a young African American male trying to make his own way in present day American society. Jasper discovers that those past events that shaped the Lone Ranger, have created the man that Jasper himself has evolved to. With Childress Street Jasper allows the reader to reminisce with him about familiar themes that many African Americans may share, i.e. the Great Migration from the southern farms to northern factories by many African Americans during the 1930s' through the 1950's in order obtain advancement and opportunity; the deep spiritual connection of many African Americans to their churches and pastors; and past beliefs of the proper roles of African American women and men within the confines of matrimony.

Recommended as light, easy reading.

Kenji Jasper presents his nonfiction debut in The House on Childress Street, a memoir about his family, most specifically his late maternal grandfather, Jesse Langley Sr. This book is a departure from the literary urban fiction Jasper is known for which includes Dark and Dakota Grand. In this sometimes slow moving tale, he is trying to come to grips with the remote, distant man who was the patriarch of the Langley clan. Jasper's quest was to understand how this man's influence drove the rest of the family and to understand the legacy he left.

Jesse Langley was considered a real man, albeit a complex man, to his family and his community. He went to work every day, provided a home and a paternal presence.
Childress Street was where Jesse Langley reigned supreme. It was where family and friends gathered and where no one ever questioned his remoteness, his acid tongue or his words and deeds. As is so often the case in African American families, his family was left with unanswered questions.

Jasper felt a need to find his grandfather's roots as if he was in a race to escape the madness that threatened to infiltrate his life. He and Jesse had planned a trip to Greenville, North Carolina, the old homestead but Jesse died a few weeks before their departure. Jasper made the trip by himself in 2004, met some of Jesse's brothers and asked them questions about him. Most they could not answer. For example, the mystery of who Jesse's mother was and what happened to her remains a mystery. Jasper came home with lots of stories but realized the answers he was looking for in the old cotton fields of Greenville were not to be found.

The story meandered around trying to find a frame of reference jumping from Jesse's life, the dissection of Jasper's parents' marriage, to observations on to the construction of the Black family and to his childhood and coming-of-age. He attempted to juxtapose his own life and that of his grandfather's but it never quite fit. The continuous scrutinizing of his parent's lives plagues this discourse even as Jasper yearns for a family of his own that so far has eluded his thirty years on this earth.

This book was as much a commentary on the Black family; a dissection of the history of a particular family as well as a delving into the psyche of the man who loved him and who he loved but did not know. Jesse Langley Sr. led a hard scrabble life in the South, came to Washington, D.C., married, raised a family and died like so many black men of his era. Part memoir, part sociological study, this book was a much needed catharsis for Jasper. I would recommend to those who are interested in studying the Black family.

Dera R. Williams
APOOO BookClub
www.apooo.org

There is a saying that when a person dies, an entire library is lost for good. Loss and grief often lead people to wonder about what stories and lessons they missed out on, and after reflection, they may even wonder how well they really knew the loved one who has passed on. After the death of his grandfather, Kenji Jasper found himself wondering these very things, and in THE HOUSE ON CHILDRESS STREET we follow his search for answers about the life of his grandfather, a man affectionately known as "The Lone Ranger." Through the course of the book, he shares his memories, interviews family members about the life of his grandfather and along the way learns more about his family, and himself. In the end, he probably has as many questions as he does answers, but in spite of this, the process is one of healing and growth.

This book is probably more about Kenji Jasper's self-discovery than it is about his learning more about his grandfather. I loved the concept of the book and could relate to the author's need to take this particular journey, as I have found myself asking similar questions about my own loved ones after they passed away. There were times when his vivid imagery of times past, candid analysis, and probing questions about the meaning behind it all, held me captive as a reader. However, there were other times when the book got bogged down by details that I felt took away from the overall theme. For example, the book includes biographical sketches of many of the author's uncles and other extended family. While they contributed to what he learned about his grandfather, the often lengthy exploration of their respective lives distracted me and took away from the book's focus. Still, THE HOUSE ON CHILDRESS STREET is a book about the extraordinary impact of ordinary people on the lives of those around them, and will serve as a lasting legacy.

Reviewed by Stacey Seay
of The RAWSISTAZ Reviewers

I think with this one, I've read all of Jasper's novels and I have to say this one was the best. Jasper starts off with the intention of writing about his grandfather, Jesse. Unfortunately, Jesse dies before Jasper can start the interview process so, he has to obtain insight about Jesse, the Lone Ranger, through the eyes of Jesse's children, brothers and other family members. It's sad that Jesse didn't live long enough for his real life story to be told. This results in the book being a mix of memories of Jesse and Jasper's memoirs. We don't really know what Jesse thought, felt, or actually experienced. We don't really know why he was such a hard-nosed husband and father. We do know that his family loved and respected him so, I guess that's all that matters.

This book was more than just a story about Jasper's family but also an opportunity to discuss psychological trends that are linked spiritually and scientifically to patterned behavior. I enjoyed Jasper's interjections about how discovering new things about his family helped him to better understand his identity.

The high points of course were the journey Jasper takes the reader on throughout the novel. The low points are Jasper's writing style, which is disconnected, conversational and at a lower level of intellect than what he could potentially write.

I guess in an attempt to capture more readers who typically read urban fiction, Jasper uses basic vocabulary. However, for a Morehouse grad, I am certain he could bridge the heady Colson Whitehead with the ghetto-drama Omar Tyree to create a truly captivating story and in depth read.