Customer Reviews

The Wake of the Wind: A Novel

5 star:		(77)
4 star:		(7)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(6)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

I am so glad for the opportunity to read this book. One reader commented that it was a disappointment because of its shallowness and simplicity, but many of us African Americans raised in the North graduated ignorant of the plight of our ancestors. The true horrors of slavery can never fully be told or comprehended, but more importantly, if truthfully told, would grieve our hearts beyond repair. I perceive Ms. Cooper understood this profoundly and travailed in her soul seeking a way to tell the story of our people that would "free our spirits, but not crush our souls." The pain of our ancestors' past is "without remedy," but the joy of a freed spirit is more valuable than pure gold. This is what Ms. Cooper's story accomplishes.

I used to say that the most stirring book I had read was Zora Neale Hurston's Their Eyes Were Watching God. Well, after reading The Wake of the Wind, Zora's got good company. Very good company.

J. California Cooper does in this book what every writer should aspire to do in every piece that he or she writes: cause an emotional eruption. Many of the younger generation are tired of reading novels that are set in the slavery or post-antebellum periods. Please don't let your taste for contemporary tales cause you to miss out on this GREAT AMERICAN NOVEL.

The story of Mordecai and Lifee is a love story like no other. It is a story of truth and endurance because it has been tested by the worst of circumstances: a master's oppression; racial hatred; the stress of life. Yet through it all, they not only endure--they succeed. They thrive. They fight evil with good and prevail. They remind us why we're here and what we must never take for granted. They show us that our lives are about so much more than us, and that we really have no basis to complain. We need only live, live, and live--and thank our ancestors in the process.

Bravo to one of the greatest writers of our time. To your list of things you must do before you die, add this novel.

[review published for May Issue] Amid the hoards of boilerplate pulp fiction novelists who crank out predictable endings, there remains a gifted writer who is true to her craft. In her latest novel, The Wake of the Wind, J. California Cooper has woven a tale not bound by time or space. This generational fiction piece opens in Africa, but the reader is given a bird's eye view of the blood-history of two men, Suwaibu and Kola, stolen from the motherland that endured a gruesome Middle Passage to land on the unwelcoming shores of America only to be sold as chattel in the Deep South. Unbeknownst to them, they are men whose lives are eternally intertwined. Through a creatively threaded series of events, brutal slavery, emancipation, and post Civil war reconstruction, Cooper leads the reader down the path of several hundred years to end up with a remarkable tale of survival, triumph, and overwhelming fortitude. Though Lifee is the central figure of the story, it is clear that the story belongs to every African American acting as a piece of bitter Americana-a sort of unwanted patch on the quilt of our heritage in this country. The majority of the novel's events are played out in the post Civil War South, during an era when southern whites felt that everything good had `gone with the wind.' The tale is poignantly told and relived through the reader's own imagination. All the struggles, victories, anxieties, and familial pride that propel modern day families to press on in the face of seemingly insurmountable odds are the same driving forces that were born in the breast of ex-slaves who made their home in southern towns all over America during the reconstruction. This is not merely a tale glorifying blacks to the exclusion of all others. Much to the contrary, the reader is given a glimpse into the souls of folk of all walks of life who simply want to live out their days in peace in the company of their loved ones. This novel comes as a resounding rebuttal to the notion that nothing productive could come of the South at the close of the Civil War. Cooper's refutation hinges on the principle that even though a horrific storm blew through the south, a number of resilient African American souls endured the bitter fallout and lived to tell their tale in The Wake of the Wind.

I enjoyed this book very much from the beginning to the end. The reason why I like The Wake of the Wind is because it had a lot to do with my ancestors who fought, died, and continued to keep faith in themselves and most importantly God. I think it's very important to raise your children and discipline them and teach them how to become a better man and woman. It was very hard to read this book at a certain point when there were black people getting killed by people who hated our color for no reason. To me personally I don't think they know why they really hate. The devil is every where. Another reason why enjoyed this book was their were vocabulary words that I learn from the book and not only that I can be able to advance my skills more by reading Ms. cooper books and others. She is a very great writer and I will continue to buy her books. This is my first time reading your book and I will keep reading and learning. I, as well working on my writing as a journalist. Keep up the good work.

I know somewhere in her former life J. California Cooper had to be a former slave! How this woman finds the words to make you feel as if though you are that person she is talking about. You can feel the emotions just jumping off the page. If her characters are nervous, you are nervous if they are afraid, you feel afraid. I just don't feel that any other author can compare to this woman. All her books are not about slavery. Ms. Cooper makes a person get in touch with reality. The way she uses african dialect. It just compells me to read for hours on end. She has 7 books. And "every last one of them" are excellent. All her books rate 5 stars to me. These are the types of books that you tell your friends about. In my book club we have read all of her books and for 2-3 hours we dicuss them in length, never really finishing. The only bad thing about Ms. Cooper is she is not writing them fast enough. I wish she would write a little quicker. It was three years before she came out with The Wake of the Wind. And was just to anxious to get my hands on this book. I was not dissapointed. This book was awesome also. My hats off to Ms. Cooper. God has given her a talent and she definately uses it. Keep up the good work.

Anyone who has ever read a book by J. California Cooper knows just how talented she is. Her lyrical style is like music for the eyes.The Wake of the Wind is sonata for the imagination.
The beginning is the allegro, richly weaving a tale of slavery. It manages to cresendo into the horrors of humanity being snatched from freedom, and lead into a life of misery. Like all good allegroes it builds upon the mode of slavery to the lives of Mor and Lifee, who quickly become close to the reader.
Then, the movement slows into the story of Mor and Lifee's trials on the road of freedom, and the birth of their children. While this part is still dramatic, it carries the subtleties of everyday life, which makes it suitable to follow the allegro.
We meet new characters, yet the tale never becomes crowded. Cooper does an excellent job at making the reader care about them all.
Finally, a rondo bursts forth carrying the reader into the joy of new love, sucess, and the changes that Mor and Lifee's family face. This part of the book is like a dance. There is more joy than sorrow, yet the hardships that do come up are very real.
Still, the reader is left with a feeling of hope. The tale comes to an end and the reader is left inspired to rush towards the future. The Wake of the Wind truly is a sonata, and don't all good sonata's leave you full, but searching for more?

This is a wonderful story about my people, how strong we are and how well we once worked together. It's also about the will & determination of the human spirit! My book club read this book and we were all asking, "what have we done to help our people." And we drew so much strength from the characters, especially Lifee. It's definitely a love story and a wonderful read for any African-American. I think it should be required reading for all high school students. I'm going to make certain that my daughter and my son read it in their teen years!

The Wake of the Wind is an exceptional novel. It approaches slavery at its end. It is a great epic and a great fictional account of strong people. After reading this book, I felt proud and humbled by my great legacy.

J. California Cooper is more of a cultural historian in the tradition of Zora Neale Hurston than a novelist. Her stories reflect not only the images of their time but they resonate with the accents and sensibilities of our grandmothers and forefathers. Reading a J. California Cooper story is like sitting at your grandmother's knee.

The Wake of the Wind is no exception. Unlike some of Cooper's earlier novels this story is leaner and more linear without many of the side stories with which Cooper likes to populate her tales. There is still plenty going on in Wake. Cooper traces the merging of two families descended from enslaved Africans to the time of Emancipation. Though there are no claims of the story belonging to any one family as in Alex Haley's Roots you know that these events happened. There is a truth in the pain of these characters that is too clear to be simple fiction. The darkness of Mor, Lifee, Abby, Luzy et al's suffering casts it's shadow still on our days as we continue to deal with the ramifications of slavery and it's aftermath. These stories, with their brutality, harshness, sorrow, and simple joys belong to anyone of African American heritage, they belong to any of American heritage, they belong to us all.

This book is wonderful. Share it with your Grandmother and remember, share it with your children and teach.

J. California Cooper is one of my all-time favorite writers. I ordered this book on June 30, 1999 and did not receive it until the first week of January 2000. I must say it was well worth the wait. Not many authors are able to paint the pictures that Ms. Cooper paints. The book so engrossed me that I stayed up until six in the morning just to finish it! Her characters are of indomitable spirit and make me proud to be an African American. Her writing gives such insight into the life of a slave, making one see what powerful, intelligent, incredible people we have descended from, and what we can achieve. Especially if we keep in mind the terrible hardships and anguish that our ancestors had to endure to get us where we are today. It also helps us to bear in mind that although we may not be where we want to be, we can get there! Thank you J. California Cooper. Not only am I going to recommend this book to everyone I know, I am going to save this one for my children.