1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
True Negro History, May 28, 2007
I enjoyed traveling through history from 1800 to 1994 with Kim Robinson's family in The Roux in the Gumbo. Each member has a back-story and Kim gives us just enough to keep the book moving. There are trials and triumphs throughout the clan, some dangerous, and some today's families are still experiencing. No doubt, the Negro community back-in-the-day survived because they stuck together, and helped each other through hard times. Still, I had difficulty keeping up with the many names and relationships, but I guess that's to be expected in this type of write. Negroes had large families then. The women in the story raised their children with mother wit and determination. The colorful individuals and the mischievous children entertained me. Melvin hiding money in the back of the China cabinet and thinking it was safe, and the children taking bits over the years, was hilarious. And great grandmother Annie was a force to be reckoned with when you messed with family. I felt Mother's spiritual walk during her funeral reminiscing. That was a wonderful touch and probably happens more often than we know. Kim wasn't afraid to expose her skeletons, and some were almost unbelievable. I think this book could easily become a saga if expanded. What a wonderful gift to family that would be. I thank Kim Robinson for sharing her family history. I give The Roux in the Gumbo four stars. Minnie E Miller, Author
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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A Black Family's Odyssey in America, May 7, 2007
Author Kim Robinson has written a remarkable account of her family's history gathered from stories she was told as she was growing up. The life stories of her great grandmother, Annie Thomas and her grandmother, Helen Simpson are the roux in this gumbo; a very rich and entertaining read. The author acknowledges that a lot of people in her family helped her to write this book by giving her their memories. More African American families should share memories such as these. Rich in culture and historical events it's a perfect course assignment for Black History classes.
The story opens in the early 1800s, near Lake Charles, Louisiana where a young slave girl has escaped from the Sunrise Plantation. She is laying under a magnolia tree in the driving rain; scared, tired, hungry and sick. Asking the Lord for mercy, she is determined not to return to the horrors of living on the plantation. As the story unfolds and the young girl remembers how life changed for her on that dark night, you are reminded of the many slave narratives written long ago. Ending in 1997; this book is a journey in Black history told in bits and pieces, sewn together like a patchwork quilt. I really enjoyed it.
Her visions of later day New Orleans are rich in the bayou land as Kim's family lives as farmers, toiling the land and as entrepreneurs running every type of business from midwives and medicine women, root workers and hoo-doo men and livery services and prohibition time night spots complete with good food, gambling and home-made liquor. Kim's ancestors were some very colorful personalities. But, they worked hard and were basically good people who stuck together and helped out a neighbor. Their dealings with the [...] and racist encounters in other parts of the South were also portrayed. They stood up for themselves and soon relocated to California for a better way of life.
I laughed and cried with this family as good money went bad and troubles touched the lives of the large and sometimes dysfunctional tribe. But; they always found a way to make ends meet and to support one another through their trials.
Great Grandmother Annie and Grandmother Helen were two very strong Black women who although did not have a formal education, used mother wit to overcome their lack of schooling.
Annie did not hesitate to pull out her trusty blade to defend herself or her family from violence and good deeds gone bad. Trouble did not last always for this family and on the whole, they lived and loved well. Always respected in the community of Compton, California; they carved a life out of their situations that left a legacy for the future generations.
The Roux in the Gumbo is a book that you will enjoy. It is both entertaining and interesting. It is also a saga of African American life told from the viewpoint of four generations in American. I found it good reading, and especially appreciated Kim's grandmother's recipe for Gumbo in the front of the book. The recipe makes a great pot of Gumbo.
Idrissa Uqdah for [...]
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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A Modern Griot, June 2, 2006
This review is from: The Roux in the Gumbo (Paperback)
The Roux in the Gumbo is a classic memoir of a family's heritage dating from the early 19th century. It is the phenomenal literary work of a modern griot that brings to remembrance the mixed heritage that many African Americans share. Throughout the book, you are able to identify with characters that bear similarities of your own family members. It's all the details that you wanted to know from History class, but were never able to find. With each chapter, the history intensifies and the characters become even more real to the reader. The book includes many climaxes that provoke a variety of emotions, drawing you in even closer to the characters. Mrs. Robinson does an excellent job of preserving the lives of her ancestors and the rich legacy they've left behind. I'm anticipating her next book as well as trying the gumbo recipe detailed at the beginning of Roux in the Gumbo!
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