Sweet Summer [Mass Market Paperback]

Bebe Moore Campbell (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 1, 1996

"Potent . . . Unforgettable."
--Bharati Mukherjee
The New York Times Book Review

"A REMARKABLE ACHIEVEMENT . . . . While Sweet Summer is infused with experiences unique to African-American culture, it speaks to the universals of human experience."
--The Philadelphia Inquirer
Written with the narrative force of fiction and the lyrical motion of poetry, SWEET SUMMER is Bebe Moore Campbell's elegy to her extraordinary father. Though she lived with her devoted mother and grandmother in the North most of the year, Campbell spent the summers with her father in the South--a man of gargantuan appetites and boundless exuberance. To his daughter, he was a magical presence.
A bittersweet evocation of a divided childhood with its family secrets, surprising discoveries, loneliness, and love, SWEET SUMMER also recalls living on the cusp of the social revolution of the 1960s. Most of all, it is an achingly honest and beautiful reminder of the universal challenge of growing up and facing one's parents as an adult.
"Touching. . . With this candid account and loving tribute to a special man, Campbell breaks through all the stereotypes about black family life."
--New York Daily News

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

This insightful tribute to fathers--biological and stand-in--and mothers is told in a series of reminiscences of black writer Campbell's ( Successful Women, Angry Men ) childhood, which she spent with each of her divorced parents in turn: her mother in Philadelphia and her father, a paraplegic, in rural North Carolina. Campbell's narrative skillfully weaves childhood and adult voices together, showing a healthy respect for the cadences of black English. Her focus is on her changing view of her father as she grows from childhood to adolescence; once a loving but absentee god-like figure, he comes to seem a mortal and flawed human with whom she achieves a loving and mature relationship ("the best part of my father, the jewel stuck deep inside his core, was determination"). She writes of the transition with the poignant longing of a child and the knowledge of an adult. The book also concerns coming of age black in the civil rights era: summers spent in a South where signs for "colored" were common and winters in Philadelphia, where Campbell's mother "was absolutely savage about enunciation, pronunciation, speaking co-rrectly, so that they would approve."
Copyright 1989 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Library Journal

Describing her childhood in Philadelphia, Campbell gives lie to the stereotypes of black single-parent families. She draws upon her fond memories of a father who was absent but never abandoned her, although she only saw him in the summer. She writes lovingly of her mother and grandmother, who encouraged her every endeavor, providing her with love, support, and the desire to succeed. Most particularly she portrays the rich, multilayered black community--aunts and uncles, friends and neighbors, teachers and clergy--whose warmth, protection, and love gave her the foundation to become the exceptional adult she is. Affectionate, yet honest, this book by a recipient of a National Endowment for the Arts and Literature grant is a true celebration of an American childhood.
- Andrea Caron Kempf, Johnson Cty. Community Coll. Lib., Overland Park, Kan.
Copyright 1989 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback
• Publisher: Ballantine Books (May 1, 1996)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0449149846
• ISBN-13: 978-0449149843
• Product Dimensions: 6.8 x 4.1 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (13 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,909,188 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Moore Campbell's Masterpiece, October 7, 2002

By 

"info6176" (RI) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Sweet Summer: Growing up with and without My Dad (Mass Market Paperback)

Once in a great while - about as often as Halley's Comet - a book comes along which stirs the soul and rattles your heart; a book which can transcend race, gender, age, place and time. This is such a book. Moore-Campbell is a magnificent writer; her verses poetic, her theme universal. Her autobiogrophy tells the story of growing up black and young without a full-time father, and the affects it can have on a child. It's not just her story; she shares this life with her cousin Michael (again, young and black without a full-time father), their Mothers, Grandmothers, Aunts, and assorted 'father figures': Dads, Uncles, Reverands, Neighbors. One child (BeBe) can learn to adapt graciously, while the other (Michael) has a tougher time, as they each learn difficult 'truths' about their patriarchy. Beautifully written, the reader hangs on every word, as this wonderful story unfolds.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Well-written, touching, a must-read for divorced parents, August 21, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: Sweet Summer (Mass Market Paperback)

I read this book years ago when it first came out and I thought it was a wonderful portrayal of a daughter's love for her father. In the wake of Terry McMillan's "male-bashing" novel, "Waiting to Exhale," this book reaffirmed what Black women and men have been saying for years: "There are good Black men." Campbell's father and circle of uncles reminds me of the men in my family when I was growing up. I hope we see more "Growing up..." books in novel form instead of McMillan's "can't find a man" genre.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Sweet Summer, February 14, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: Sweet Summer: Growing Up With and Without My Dad (Paperback)

Bebe, Bebe, Bebe......Moore Campbelll, her father's wonderful greeting. This is a great book, easily read and thought provoking content. Though I'm a man and grew up with both of my parents, Ms. Campbell was able to relate to me in her writing. It's clear, real, and a joy to read. In fact, I like all Ms. Campbell's books and can't wait for the next one. Hurry up, Bebe.!!!