6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Discovering Family and Self-Identity, July 25, 2010
This review is from: Unbeweaveable (Indigo) (Paperback)
In her new novel, Unbeweaveable, author Katrina Spencer draws a believable character in Mariah Stevens, the workaholic who is forced to revisit old wounds after losing her job at an upscale magazine. With the loss of her salary, Mariah can't afford the expensive hairweave she prizes. Stripped of the identity she groomed for herself in the long flowing tresses, designer togs and pricey New York apartment, Mariah reluctantly limps back to her Houston hometown. There she moves in with her younger sister Renee, whose wealthy husband has died and left her well-off. Mariah has never felt close to her sister or her mother Beverly, also widowed and sharing the townhouse.
Forced from behind her carefully cultivated image, Mariah faces a painful past, bonds with a sister she has spent most of her life envying and discovers new family ties. When her sister offers to pay for a new weave, Mariah opts for a sassy, short haircut instead, aware that her beauty is not in strands of hair cascading down her back. I really enjoyed Unbeweaveable and read it in an afternoon. Although the title is fun and the banter witty, Katrina Spencer successfully tackles sensitive issues about self-identity and family in this entertaining story.
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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Nothing Without Hair, August 3, 2010
This review is from: Unbeweaveable (Indigo) (Paperback)
Mariah Stevens has spent most of her career as a book reviewer for Spirit Magazine. The magazine is on a serious decline in sponsorships and advertisements, and the executives are threatening to close it down unless things change quickly. The problem is Mariah doesn't believe anything will happen with the magazine as she plans to move up to editor-at-large, taking over the coveted position from the soon to retire Jasmine.
In UNBEWEAVEABLE, Mariah is so career driven she can't see the handwriting on the wall about the closing of the magazine. She walks around swinging her weaved hair while continuing to belittle her staff and her maid because in her mind she is better, smarter and stronger than everyone becasue of her weave. Mariah will never give up her long hair weave, which makes her feel exceptionally beautiful and gives her incredible strength. Even after suffering the lost of her job, she continues to do all she can to keep her weave, which gives her power and gets ger attention with the constant admiration she receives. This kind of attention is something Mariah never got at home from her light-skinned mother, Beverly, who preferred her beautiful bi-racial sister. Beverly teaches Mariah to focus on her books since her looks will not get her anywhere.
Author Katrina Spencer shows how something as simple as putting your child down for her hair causes self-esteem issues. She demonstrates how harmful it is to make one child feel inept while focusing all your attention on another. UNBEWEAVEABLE shows how important something like hair can become your strength and power when you have nothing else like love and family.
Although the book started off slow, it soon picked up and I found myself enjoying it and rooting for this family to get themselves together. Spencer did a good job in bridging together how the length of hair can damage a person`s relationships, self-esteem and attitude about others when it makes you feel inept. I enjoyed reading this book and recommend it to all, but especially those who rely on the length of their hair to make them feel fulfilled.
Reviewed by RM Jackson
of The RAWSISTAZ (tm) Reviewers
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