Customer Reviews

Imani All Mine

5 star:		(30)
4 star:		(12)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

''How stupid I was that night. . . . Thinking he really liked me. As fat as I am. As black as I am. As much as my body look like it ain't never supposed to be loved by no boy.'' --Tasha, IMANI ALL MINE

IMANI ALL MINE is a beautifully written story about a smart 15 year old girl that refuses to be anyone's stereotype of a young unwed mother.

All too often society is quick to disregard or deem as unimportant the suffering and yearning of poor African-American teenage mothers. People may try to paint Tasha as a victim but she trancends the lable, refusing to apply it to herself as she carves out a life for herself and her young daughter in her tough inner city neighborhood.

Tasha's life isn't one that you'll see portrayed on Dawson's Creek, she lives a seperate reality where there are no cotillions or first dates. Porter has an excellent ear for urban dialogue and infuses Imani with a compassionate spirit that speaks to the heart of the reader. IMANI ALL MINE is a touching story that I would highly recommend to anyone.

I have to agree with one of the previous reviews putting Porter alongside J.D. Salinger & Steinback. That's all I could think about reading it, that this could go alongside the Grapes of Wrath & The Catcher in the Rye. Its seductively written. Porter is a master at weaving in all the beautiful and horrid elements of inner city life. Its not pretty, but the writting is.

The ending is almost metaphoric, I still sit back and wonder about Imani, her presence in the story, if she is like one of those missing angels from Tasha's manger. As it is Imani who helps Tasha grow through her deviled past.

The book has some very tough graphic moments in it, especially when it comes to the description of Tasha's rape. Its written for a mature audience, as it also graphically explores Tasha's growing sexuality. Porter walks the fine line of realistically depicting inner city life without sentamentalizing or glorifying motherhood. Porter has written Tasha's story as it is--there's no beating around any bushes.

As a teacher or adult, I would be careful who's hand you put this book into. It would be very easy for a less mature reader to sentamentalize Tasha's plight. Its definitely a book that should have some follow up discussion. Porter's written a story that will change a reader.

Tell your teacher about Imani-- believe me, he or she will thank you. My college students loved Imani: the whites were touched, fascinated, the black students said it was real; but beyond that, not since THE CATCHER IN THE RYE has there been so moving a story about an adolescent facing a spiritual wasteland. Parallels Cornel West's comments on nihilism in The Future of the Race. You're no more expected to blindly approve of everything Tasha does than you are of Holden Caulfield, but both are unforgettable. Paired well with THE GRAPES OF WRATH, another novel of humanization that's a great read. That you have to put Porter in the same company as Salinger and Steinbeck is the highest praise.

Imani All Mine is a compelling piece of literature that you will not want to end. It is told through the eyes of a 15 year old girl trying to raise her daughter, while she is still only a child herself. Connie Porter takes into account the normal adolescent difficulties that Tasha faces while still managing a child. Tasha is also surrounding by many other characters who keep the story alive. Her harsh but loving mother, her drunk neighbor with the drug dealing son, and her first love. These people live in the same neighborhood as Tasha, a neghborhood filled with poverty, drugs, and violence. Trying to raise a child in this atmosphere is not an easy task but Tasha handles it with pride and keeps on going, even when things keep on going wrong. How she comes about having a child in the first place is a story all on its own. All of this and much more is what keeps the reader so interested and not wanting to put the book down. It is a must read for teenagers and adults alike.

"Imani All Mine" is a frank, realistic tale of 15-year old Tasha's struggle in parenthood, love, life, and death. It's not an easy story with the perfectly wrapped up plots and predictable characters--it challenges you to think deeply about what growing up with her circumstances must be like. Although a large part of this book is about being a teenage mother, it also explores the complicated relationships between mothers and their daughters, and how two people living in the same household can still be perfect strangers.

Don't let the somewhat jarring dialect stop you from immersing yourself in a beautiful piece of literature. "Imani All Mine" teaches a powerful lesson in faith, in more ways than one.

Let me start off by saying Ms. Porter did a WONDERFUL job with this book. Me and my mother both read this book and cried like a baby at the end. This book was very touching. In the beginning we are introduced to Tasha who finds herself a mother while in high school. Tasha isn't your average teenager. She wants more to life for her baby (Imani) and herself. She wants more than what the streets has to offer you (which is a bullet in your head, or crack in your mouth). Tasha is a very bright young woman that loves her baby so much. Imani actually keeps Tasha sane in a crazy world. From the time you find out Imani's daddy to Tasha dealing with her own demons you are hooked on this book. I thought Tasha's momma didn't really care to much for Imani AT FIRST. But by the end of the book you will see just how much she really cared for her. This book deals with the hard truth of loving someone more that you love yourself. It deals with the day to day struggle of raising a child on your own without being old enough to even have a job. It deals with having dreams bigger than what your eyes can see and reaching for your goals higher than the stars. I really enjoyed this book, but I was frozen at the end. I sat on my bed a cried to the very end. It was a touching and caring book about love and death and moving on. GREAT JOB!

THIS WAS THE BEST BOOK I,VE EVER READ. IT MADE ME CRY AND LAUGH. IT'S HAD TO FIND A BOOK YOU CAN TRULY FEEL AND UNDERSTAND WHERE IT'S COMING FROM, BUT THIS BOOK I HAD NO PROBLEM WITH THAT. I WOULD SUGGEST EVERYONE TO READ THIS BOOK. IT WILL OPEN YOUR EYES TO WHAT IS TRULY OUT THERE IN THE REAL WORLD.

I found this book very interesting. It did not depict the lead character as your stereotypical teenage mother. In this book, Ms. Porter portrayed the lead as a young teenager, from a pretty rough neighborhood, who wanted to make more of herself, but just unfortunately had the misfortunate of being raped. Fortunately, I have never lived in the type of neighborhood that was depicted in this book, but I have been to pretty rough neighborhoods, and young ladies like our lead character are very hard to find in those type of neighborhoods, but I do know that there are some there, and it was just nice for Ms. Porter to depict one in this very good book. I certainly give this book 5 stars, and would recommend any teenage mother or any female for that matter to read this book. Very touching.

I just finished reading Imani all Mine, this book was awesome. I laughed and cried with Tasha. I commend Ms. Porter on her outstanding novel. Tasha was such a strong person on the outside, but I loved her "little girl" side as well. This is a MUST read. Much success and blessings to Ms. Porter.

I just happened to pick this book up at the library and was glad that I did. Tasha describes feelings in the simpliest of ways that many people have felt, but couldn't put words to. Ms. Porter captured the essence of many, many young women across the nation struggling to survive with children. I laughed and cried for Tasha. I was touched by the depth of her feelings as well as her intelligence. I hope that others will pick up this book, educate themselves and ,like me, feel grateful for the blessings.