Long Distance Life: The Moving Saga of an African-American Family, from the Great Migration North to the Urban Nightmare of Today [Paperback]

Marita Golden (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 21, 1992

"A novel of impressive artistry and power." The Washington Post
Caught in the web of history, generations of an African-American family play out their parts on a world stage that constantly changes, protected always by the love of one another, which never will.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

The struggle for civil rights during the 20th century is seen through the eyes of a determined black family in this intense, luminous saga.
Copyright 1992 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From the Publisher

Marita Golden, author of MIGRATIONS OF THE HEART and A WOMAN'S PLACE, tells a gripping story of love and struggle in LONG DISTANCE LIFE. The novel chronicles seventy years in the life of one Black family's triumphs in escaping their sharecroppers' life in 1920s North Carolina, following them as they deal with the tumultuous urban world of 1980s Washington, D.C. Naomi Johnson finds a transforming life and love that nothing in Spring Hope, North Carolina could have prepared her for. A generation later, her daughter Esther discovers herself through the Civil Rights movement. Caught in the web of history, Esther and her two sons Nathaniel and Logan play out their parts on a world stage that constantly changes, protected always by the one thing that never changes--their love for each other.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 321 pages
• Publisher: Ballantine Books; 1st Ballantine Books ed edition (January 21, 1992)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0345376161
• ISBN-13: 978-0345376169
• Product Dimensions: 8 x 5.2 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.6 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,775,447 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

I think I came into the world called to write. I have been a passionate reader and writer since I was a child. Books and language have provided me with a way to live in the world with an enlarged sense of my possibilities. Writing has thrust my personal questions and inner dialogues into the public space. In the process I have inspired others and learned from them through my work.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars This is Black Fiction at its best!, January 27, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Long Distance Life: The Moving Saga of an African-American Family, from the Great Migration North to the Urban Nightmare of Today (Paperback)

This is one of those authors who makes me say, "Wow! I hope other people see MY writing this way." The story is well-paced and intersting but what's more importnat about this writer is that she get to the heart of what the characters are FEELING and shows us all of their emotions, the good, the bad and the ugly.

There are too many Black authors out there right now who are getting success based on the boom in black fiction rather than actual talent. Ms. Golden DESERVES the praise she gets and I HOPE someone is paying her what's she's worth!

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Engaging, thoughtful and provacative storytelling, January 21, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Long Distance Life: The Moving Saga of an African-American Family, from the Great Migration North to the Urban Nightmare of Today (Paperback)

I LOVE the way this lady writes. Someone passed me her most recent hardcover(I read alot, but had not even heard of this author). It affected me so deeply, that I ordered her entire backlist. Her characters are so well-drawn out (they are literally "fleshed out") and so real, her tales of ordinary life (which easily engages the reader in a world which can be related to)and her observations so stirring and poignant, that she gives the reader of each of her stories with many verbal gifts. "Affecting" is an understatement. "Long Distance Life" starts at the present and then goes backward in time, eventually ending again with the present. It is about one woman who bravely leaves her home and husband in the South, in search of herself and a life without such narrow confines. She establishes her own business, marries and gives birth to a daughter. Her daughter grows up, has a baby with a married man, and then eventually leaves her home and child to join the Civil Rights Movement and to find her own purpose. To reveal any more of this story would be unfair because the writing is simply so beautiful,it must be experienced. This author is a real gift!

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A terrific book that includes a synopsis of DC's history., October 28, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: Long Distance Life: The Moving Saga of an African-American Family, from the Great Migration North to the Urban Nightmare of Today (Paperback)

This was a great read. Ms. Golden gave us a clear view of the city through the characters eyes at a time when this, DC, was at its best in appearance. The love and struggle of this family is one that we as african americans can all relate to, not mention the voyage that carries us to and through each day of our life. Ms. Golden, as always, has done a terrific job. I could not put it down. This is much more worthy of a movie deal than some I want mention.