Miss Black America: A Novel and over one million other books are available for Amazon Kindle. Learn more

Buy New

or
Sign in to turn on 1-Click ordering.
or
Amazon Prime Free Trial required. Sign up when you check out. Learn More
Buy Used
Used - Good See details
$2.60 & eligible for FREE Super Saver Shipping on orders over $25. Details

or
Sign in to turn on 1-Click ordering.
 
   
Kindle Edition
 
   
More Buying Choices
Have one to sell? Sell yours here
Miss Black America: A Novel
 
 
Start reading Miss Black America: A Novel on your Kindle in under a minute.

Don't have a Kindle? Get your Kindle here, or download a FREE Kindle Reading App.

Miss Black America: A Novel [Paperback]

Veronica Chambers (Author)
4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)

Price: $15.00 & eligible for FREE Super Saver Shipping on orders over $25. Details
o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o
In Stock.
Ships from and sold by Amazon.com. Gift-wrap available.
Want it delivered Tuesday, January 31? Choose One-Day Shipping at checkout. Details

Formats

Amazon Price New from Used from
Kindle Edition --  
Paperback $15.00  

Book Description

June 14, 2005
A dazzling fiction debut from the author of Mama’s Girl, Miss Black America is the warm and tender story of Angela, a young girl growing up in 1970s Brooklyn. Angela goes to school one ordinary day and returns home to find her glamorous and fiercely independent mother gone. Her magician father, Teddo, left to raise Angela alone, insists on keeping Melanie’s disappearance shrouded in mystery. As Angela grows to womanhood and struggles to understand her mother’s motivation for escaping the bonds of her family, she wryly observes, “My father was a magician, but my mother was the real Houdini.”

A universal story that is both finely tuned and elegant, Miss Black America captures the intricacies, pleasures, contradictions, and complexities at the heart of every family. Spare and finely told, this novel will seep beneath your skin and stay with you long after the last page has been turned.

Frequently Bought Together

Customers buy this book with Mama's Girl $13.57

Miss Black America: A Novel + Mama's Girl
  • This item: Miss Black America: A Novel

    In Stock.
    Ships from and sold by Amazon.com.
    Eligible for FREE Super Saver Shipping on orders over $25. Details

  • Mama's Girl

    In Stock.
    Ships from and sold by Amazon.com.
    Eligible for FREE Super Saver Shipping on orders over $25. Details


Customers Who Bought This Item Also Bought


Editorial Reviews

Review

“Chambers gives us a good glimpse of the inner life of a talented girl making her way in the world.” —Kirkus Reviews

“[An] exquisite first novel.” —Booklist

“You’ll be moved.” —Marie Claire

About the Author

VERONICA CHAMBERS is the author of Having It All? and Mama’s Girl. She was formerly a culture writer for Newsweek, a staff writer at Premiere magazine, and an executive editor of Savoy magazine, as well as a frequent contributor to Glamour; O, The Oprah Magazine; the New York Times; and other publications. The daughter of a magician, she lives in Philadelphia with her husband.

Product Details

  • Paperback: 224 pages
  • Publisher: Broadway (June 14, 2005)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 0767914678
  • ISBN-13: 978-0767914673
  • Product Dimensions: 5.5 x 0.5 x 8.5 inches
  • Shipping Weight: 4.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
  • Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
  • Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,279,024 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

 

Customer Reviews

8 Reviews
5 star:
 (2)
4 star:
 (6)
3 star:    (0)
2 star:    (0)
1 star:    (0)
 
 
 
 
 
Average Customer Review
4.2 out of 5 stars (8 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
Share your thoughts with other customers:
Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars A coming of age gem with universal appeal, July 7, 2005
This review is from: Miss Black America: A Novel (Paperback)
This finely written, exquisitely detailed coming of age story may be called Miss Black America, but its appeal is universal. Veronica Chambers skillfully explores the delicate, fraught, often confusing and competing ties that bind daughters to both their mothers and fathers. The mother's dominant presence -- heightened cleverly by her absence --is beautifully woven throughout the story without diminishing the strong presence and influence of Teddo on the woman Angela becomes. Frequent interwoven references to touchstones of popular cultural throughout Angela's life --from news clips to fashion trends-- help place and pace the story in a colorful way that should conjure up fun personal memories for many readers. Miss Black America is a fast paced, thoroughly enjoyable, and ultimately uplifting take on the resilience of us all, because of, and in spite of, our families. A great read.

Help other customers find the most helpful reviews 
Was this review helpful to you? Yes No


3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars Veronica Chambers Does It Again, July 5, 2005
By 
LMH (Housatonic, MA) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Miss Black America: A Novel (Paperback)
In her memoir, Mama's Girl, Veronica Chambers had me so spellbound that I finished the book in one sitting. She does it again in her first novel, Miss Black America, grabbing your attention in the first paragraph and not letting go until the last.

This moving story is full of glimpses of the 60's and 70's and glimpses into the hearts and minds of the people there. She makes you care about her characters, especially Angela Davis Brown whose sassy, irrepressible voice tells her story. From one scene to the next, the action is fast paced, making it impossible to put down. With such heroes as the magic man Teddo the Amazing Magician, Miss Black America and Mohammed Ali gracing the pages of this book, it is a terrific read that leaves you cheering the resilience of the human spirit.
Help other customers find the most helpful reviews 
Was this review helpful to you? Yes No


2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars As Always With Veronica...Perfect, July 24, 2005
This review is from: Miss Black America: A Novel (Paperback)
An endearing story from an amazing writer. Little Miss Black America is an emotional rollercoaster ride that touches its reader from every angle. You laugh, you get angry, you want to cry, but you love its main characters and ultimate message delivered throught the story. For Mama's Girl fans, it reaffirms Veronica outstanding talent as a writer. For those who have never read Veronica, you will fall in love with her writing, and run out to read Mama's Girl.
Help other customers find the most helpful reviews 
Was this review helpful to you? Yes No

Share your thoughts with other customers: Create your own review
 
 
 
Most Recent Customer Reviews






Only search this product's reviews



Inside This Book (learn more)
First Sentence:
It was 1979 and escape was heavy in the air. Read the first page
Key Phrases - Capitalized Phrases (CAPs): (learn more)
Uncle Roger, New York, Miss Black America, Muhammad Ali, Billy Dee, Long Island, Reggie Jackson, Angela Davis Brown, Emily Post, Evelyn Woods, Good Times, Diana Ross, Holyoke School, New Jersey, Amazing Magician, Atlantic City, Cleopatra Jones, Curtis Mayfield, Dinah Shore, Foxy Brown, Marvin Gaye, Reggie Bar, Terry Bradshaw, Amsterdam News, Brenda Starr
New!
Books on Related Topics | Concordance | Text Stats
Browse Sample Pages:
Front Cover | First Pages | Surprise Me!
Search Inside This Book:



Books on Related Topics (learn more)

Suggested Tags from Similar Products

 (What's this?)
Be the first one to add a relevant tag (keyword that's strongly related to this product).
 
(3)

Your tags: Add your first tag
 

Customer Discussions

This product's forum
Discussion Replies Latest Post
No discussions yet

Ask questions, Share opinions, Gain insight
Start a new discussion
Topic:
First post:
Prompts for sign-in
 


Active discussions in related forums
Search Customer Discussions
Search all Amazon discussions
   
Related forums



So You'd Like to...


Create a guide


Look for Similar Items by Category


Look for Similar Items by Subject

Search Books by subject:







i.e., each book must be in subject 1 AND subject 2 AND ...