A Taste of Honey: Stories [Paperback]

Jabari Asim (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 2, 2010

Poignant and powerful, this debut collection from preeminent writer and critic Jabari Asim heralds his arrival as an exciting new voice in African American fiction.
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Through a series of fictional episodes set against the backdrop of one of the most turbulent years in modern history, Asim brings into pin-sharp focus how the tumultuous events of '68 affected real people's lives and shaped the country we live in today. 
 
The sixteen connected stories in this exciting debut are set in the fictional Midwestern town of Gateway City, where second generation off-spring of the Great Migrators have pieced together a thriving, if fragile existence.  With police brutality on the rise, the civil rights movement gaining momentum, and wars raging at home and abroad, Asim has conjured a community that stands on edge.  But it is the individual struggles with love, childrearing, adolescence, etc, lyrically chronicled here, that create a piercing portrait of humanity.
 
In I'd Rather Go Blind and Zombies, young Crispus Jones, who while sensitive to the tremors of upheaval around him is still much more concerned with his crush on neighbor Polly and if he's ever going to be as cool as his brother.   When Ray Mortimer, a white cop, kills the owner of his favorite candy store, Crispus becomes aware of malice even more scary than zombies and the ghost that he thinks may be haunting his house. 
 
In The Wheat from the Tares and A Virtuous Woman, Rose Whittier deals with her abusive husband with a desperate resignation until his past catches up with him and she's given a second chance at love.  And Gabriel, her suitor, realizes that his whole-hearted commitment to The Struggle may have to give way for his own shot at romance.
 
And in Ashes to Ashes we see how a single act of despicable violence in their childhoods cements a lasting connection between two unlikely friends.
 
From Crispus' tender innocence to Ray Mortimer's near pure evil, to Rose's quiet determination, the characters in this book and their journeys showcase a world that is brimming with grace and meaning and showcases the talents of a writer at the top of his game.  

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

In 16 related short stories, Asim (The N Word) illustrates the connections between African-American characters living in a Midwestern town in the tumultuous late '60s. The focus is on the Jones family: young precious Crispus; ladies' man Schomburg; budding radical and intellectual Ed; adoring and protective mother, Pristine, and warm, strong father, Reuben. In the opening narrative, I'd Rather Go Blind, Crispus describes his community as he sees it—grown men with colorful nicknames, his adolescent brothers changing before his eyes, and an emerging Black Nationalist fervor rising in his neighborhood. Crispus is particularly fond of Curly, a friendly, blind store owner who is killed by a corrupt white cop when Curly tries to protect Ed from a brutal beating. Moonshiner Octavius Givens and his best friend Leo Madison defend Leo's mother after she's assaulted by the white man whose family employs most of the blacks in town, and must fight to their deaths or run. Asim successfully delves into politics, domestic violence, racial identity, young love, and more in this humorous and poignant collection, although often the characters feel too rich for the format. (Mar.)
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From Booklist

In 1967 in the fictional midwestern town of Gateway City, the tight-knit black community is grappling with changes large and small against the backdrop of boiling resentment of racial injustice and police brutality. Nine-year-old Crispus Jones is fair-skinned at a time when black is beautiful, the blacker the better. And with nappy hair in a family of wavy heads, he feels like the ugly duckling. Older brother Ed is just beginning to chafe under racial restrictions, while Schomburg, handsome and athletic, is self-absorbed. Their father, Reuben, is a lover of black history and a sign painter with the soul of an artist. Their mother, Pristine, keeper of family memories, is comforted by the church in her worries about her sons. The neighborhood gangster supports the church, while a blind man who sold candy and protected children from bullies is killed in a police altercation. This collection of short stories, some first-person perspectives, interweaves the lives of various characters, skillfully rendered, in a textured portrait of life in an urban community. --Vanessa Bush

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Product Details

• Paperback: 224 pages
• Publisher: Broadway; Original edition (March 2, 2010)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0767919785
• ISBN-13: 978-0767919784
• Product Dimensions: 5.2 x 0.5 x 8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 5.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #643,707 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

JABARI ASIM is the acclaimed author of What Obama Means . . . For Our Politics, Our Culture, Our Future as well as the author of the highly praised and controversial The N Word: Who Can Say It, Who Shouldn't, And Why.

He is the editor-in-chief of Crisis magazine, a preeminent journal of politics, ideas and culture published by the NAACP and founded by W.E.B. Du Bois in 1910. He spent 11 years at the Washington Post, where he served as deputy editor of the book review section. For three years he also wrote a syndicated column on political and social issues for the Post.

In April 2009, the John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation awarded him a fellowship in nonfiction, one of 180 fellowships awarded to artists, scientists and scholars in 2009 selected from a group of almost 3,000 applicants.

He is a frequent public speaker and commentator who has appeared on "The Today Show," "The Colbert Report," "Hannity & Colmes," "The Tavis Smiley Show," "The Diane Rehm Show" and countless other programs. He has lectured at many of the nation's finest universities, including Seton Hall University, Northwestern University, Syracuse University and the University of Florida.

His first novel for adults, A Taste of Honey, will be published in April 2010. The Road To Freedom, his first novel for young readers, was published in 2000. His other children's books include Whose Toes Are Those, Whose Knees Are These, Daddy Goes to Work, and The Road to Freedom. His next children's books, Boy Of Mine and Girl Of Mine, will be published in April 2010.

Jabari Asim lives in Illinois with his wife, Liana and their five children.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Asim Delivers With A Taste Of Honey, April 27, 2010

By 

C. A. Webb "Conversations Book Club" (Jackson, MS) - See all my reviews
(TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: A Taste of Honey: Stories (Paperback)

This was my first time to read the work of Jabari Asim, but he delivers a powerful book with A TASTE OF HONEY, giving readers a seamless collection of stories that tackle the challenges of all people and the relationships that we all find ourselves in. Jabari also shows that injustice is injustice, no matter what the race or in what form it might come in. Regardless of where we come from, we have to work together in order to enjoy the goodness that life has to offer.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Taste of Honey, March 31, 2010

By 

Isis (NY USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: A Taste of Honey: Stories (Paperback)

This book is as educational as it is entertaining. It reads like poetry, that flows through a myriad of characters and events, pulling you into a neighborhood, a place, and a time. The book gives an honest and painful look at a part of history, I wish didn't exist. I fell in love with characters and wanted for their safety with each turn of the page. It was worth every minute of my time and I am anxious to read more of Jabari Asim's work. Fabulous! (High School Age and above)

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars It's Like I Lived in Gateway!, May 17, 2010

By 

Michelle Morancie "Meesh58" (Brooklyn, New York) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: A Taste of Honey: Stories (Paperback)

A Taste Of Honey is the first book that I've read by Mr. Asim and I am already looking forward to his next project. I was expecting a more "in your face" depiction of the racial turmoil of the late sixties. Instead I was pulled into this mid-westernesque town where I felt like I was sitting on my porch observing the goings-ons of my neighbors, but with the "inside scoop". Mr. Asim is a fabulous writer whose ability to develop several characters at one time is seamless. I found myself remembering snippets of my own childhoold and considering the timeless issues of racial injustice in America and how I manage it with my own children. This book should be required reading among all families of color. Well done, Mr. Asim.