House of Light: A Novel [Hardcover]

Joyce Carol Thomas (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 21, 2001

Dr. Abyssinia Jackson is a regal, nurturing woman possessed of remarkable healing powers. From her office, known as The House of Light, Abyssinia tends to the troubled women of Ponca City. House of Light is a story about a community bound by caring and love, about the pleasures of helping others and ourselves, and about the power to heal that lies deep within us all.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Best known for her poetry and young adult books (including the National Book Award winner Marked by Fire), Thomas here tries her hand at adult fiction, composing a moving novel narrated by a chorus of African-American men and women living in Ponca City, Okla. Abyssinia Jackson-Jefferson, doctor and healer, owns the central voice. In treating her patients, she attempts to deal with their general grief and stress as well as their superficial symptoms. Vennie is a "day girl," mistrusted, ill-used and condescended to by the imperious women whose houses she cleans. Pearline Spencer, estranged from her violent husband, Isaiah, lives in constant fear of his return. Copper-haired Zenobia, a blues singer tired of the demands of performing in big city clubs, comes home and takes up with a white man. Jackson and her almost too-good-to-be-true husband, the lawyer Carl Lee Jefferson, have troubles of their own: they want children but are unable to have them, and keep postponing the decision to adopt. The novel is anecdotal and episodic, with the focus rarely on Abyssinia, yet she is the source of Pearline's courage and Vennie's determination to unionize the "day girls," and even of Isaiah's recognition that he can draw on his own memories of being brutalized to encourage the town's wild young men to act responsibly. This bittersweet story some of the doctor's patients will never be healed is lyrically told and becomes ever more engrossing as the various strands are gathered up. The novel is marred only by unsubtle repetition, a rhetorical device Thomas relies on too frequently. Agent, Anna Ghosh.
Copyright 2001 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist

Thomas has written many books for young adults, including Marked by Fire, which won the National Book Award in 1983. Part lively novel, part sermon, this story of the black community in Ponca City, Oklahoma, pulls you in with the beat of the prose, the love and sorrow of the people, the changes that transform things. Some of the best chapters stand alone, like short stories, great for reading aloud. The "day women" go on strike against their white employers. The wife-beater, Isaiah, goes back to confront the father who abused him and asks those who knew why they did nothing. The teenage gang is on the edge--until Isaiah takes them on. The messages are heavy (stand up for yourself; accept responsibility, etc.), but the perfectly strong, wise, medical doctor-preacher does turn out to have a painful secret of her own. The most thrilling moments come in church, like the climactic scene when hip-hop joins gospel, and the whole community sways with the beat of rapture-powered rap. Everything turns out incredibly well, but this is sure to be popular for the lively dialogue, the sense of community, and, yes, the hopeful message. Hazel Rochman
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 273 pages
• Publisher: Hyperion; 1st edition (March 21, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0786866063
• ISBN-13: 978-0786866069
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.8 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #4,409,495 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Award-winning author of more than 30 books and several plays, including the acclaimed musical "Abyssinia", internationally-renowned and best-selling African-American writer Joyce Carol Thomas was born in Ponca City, Oklahoma and now resides in Berkeley, California. A professor and teacher for over twenty years at some of the nation's most prestigious colleges, including the University of Tennessee and Purdue University, she received her Master of Arts degree from Stanford University. Joyce is a highly sought-after motivational speaker who delivers empowering speaking presentations that engage the heart, mind, and soul. In addition to speaking at colleges and universities in the United States, she has presented lectures, seminars, and workshops on creative writing and cultural studies in Nigeria, Haiti, Ecuador, Australia, Samoa, and the Mariana Islands.

Fraternities, students, administrators, alumni, and advisors schedule appearances by this eloquent and articulate Black woman when they want to ignite their campus student body and community groups about the joys of learning. How do you honor and respect your heritage while acknowledging people of all races, cultures, and backgrounds? Want proven ways to garner your best grades? Need help choosing your campus friends wisely? Ask Joyce! She fills all of her engagements with a uniquely warm, personal, and insightful sense of learning, laughter, and love.

Joyce's numerous honors and awards include the National Book Award, the American Book Award, the New York Times Outstanding Book of the Year Award, Outstanding Woman of the 20th Century Award, three Coretta Scott King Honor Awards, the Center for Poets and Writers' Poet Laureate Award, Kirkus Reviews Editors' Choice, the American Library Association Best Book for Young Adults, Book of the Month Club Selection, and many more.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Lifted my spirits and my mind, April 28, 2001

By 

Christine (Arizona, United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: House of Light: A Novel (Hardcover)

I found Ms. Thomas' writing entirely unplifting and above all, hopeful. Her prose gives the reader examplesof how undconditional love can change the soul. Upon reading this book I immediately felt my spirits lighten. I realized the important themes she touched upon: community, healing, patience with one's self and progression, spirituality, and above all, unconditional love. The focal character, Abby, the doctor/healer/spiritual & community guide extrordinaire I found to be almost otherwordly in her talent, insight and giving attitude, and a character I enjoyed wholeheartedly. Discovering the twists and turns of her personality and how she touched the other main characters kept me enthralled to the last page. I also enjoyed the reocurring theme of music and its healing powers interwoven throughout. I would have liked to read more about Zenobia and her musical gifts. I haven't been uplifted by a book to this extent in quite some time, I felt an obligation to share this with other readers.

3 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Page Turner, April 14, 2002

By 

Lauretta (Colorado) - See all my reviews

This review is from: House of Light: A Novel (Hardcover)

Ms. Thomas is an excellent storyteller, who gives her characters strong voices and identities.

"House of Light" deals with many issues from spousal abuse, interracial relationship, African American women coming together to form an alliance against the treatment they receive from their employers and much more.

Abyssinia's heartfelt situation at the end will have you crying. I enjoyed reading "House of Lights". I highly recommend "House of Lights" to book clubs, schools reading lists and libraries.

1 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Different, Different, Different, May 31, 2002

By 

"msalley02" (Middletown, New York USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: House of Light: A Novel (Paperback)

Different, different, different. This book moved at an extraordinary fast pace. One moment you are witnessing Pearline's physical abuse then two pages later she is pregnant with twins by another man that she now proclaims to love.

If you are looking for a book with a lot of action, drama and suspense, I don't recommend this novel. I found this book to be very superficial. There really was not substance to this book. I finished the book, but I kept wanting for something to happen. Maybe that is the affect Ms. Thomas was trying to achieve. This book was definitely different.