The Children Who Sleep by the River (Emerging Voices) (Paperback)

by Debbie Taylor (Author)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly
Taylor ( Women: A World Report ) captures the tenor of modern Zimbabwe in her first novel. Girls are raped by white schoolteachers; mothers weakened by childbirth are offered birth control pills by doctors; husbands and fathers consider women prostitutes if they give in to modern medicine, witches if they abide by the superstitions passed down from the elders. Central to the tale is Miriam, a woman ``who could speak with spirits but could not write her own name; who could turn a breech baby in the womb but didn't know the date of her own birthday . . . '' The novel chronicles four generations of women, of whom one is dead and another has not yet been born. Both spirit-voices speak so naturally that their otherworldly aspects are not immediately apparent; though a belief in such voices is presumably traditional within the tribal culture in which this tale is set, American readers might well find it nothing more than a gimmick. Taylor's writing is lyrical throughout, but what begins as a strongly plotted narrative falls apart quickly; too many aspects of the living characters' lives remain unresolved. This book is finally a troubling mesh of fiction and homily.

Copyright 1992 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

Product Description
A poetic account of the lives of black women in rural Zimbabwe - birth, life, work, magic, and politics are powerfully interwoven.

Product Details

• Paperback: 256 pages
• Publisher: Interlink Books (March 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0940793962
• ISBN-13: 978-0940793965
• Product Dimensions: 8 x 5.3 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.9 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #1,199,738 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Understanding Traditional Africa, June 26, 2002

By	Howard S. Gilman Jr. "Gil" (Gaithersburg, MD USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

After spending two years in Zimbabwe I must admit I will probably never fully understand the beauty, depth, and mystery of Shona traditional beliefs ... try as I might to do so.

One of the closest keys to unlocking the mystery and getting a tiny understanding of traditional medicine and Shona beliefs came to me when I read "The Children Who Sleep by the River."

I have talked to many Zimbabweans in the past two years and found that although most were Christian, there was also a deep belief in communication with "the ancestors." They see no conflicts in this. Traditional medicine and modern scientific treatment of medical matters are equally practiced. Taylor makes this very understandable.

Although this work deals with childbirth, it is not "a woman's book." It brings across the role of women in Africa ... a role I learned to respect during my exciting time there. Zimbabwe's women give birth, feed, clothe, and raise their offspring. They grow the food to sustain the children; carry the firewood to warm the children; fetch the water to bathe the children; and make the clothes to cover the children. Women are the "beast of burden" as they lead a child by the hand, carry a second child strapped to the back, and ballance a hundred-pound load on their head.

Although Taylor doesn't dwell on the subject, I see most members of the other gender spending their time drinking the home-brew beer and keeping the women supplied with children. Zimbabwe is a great place to be a male without a conscience.

If you want to gain a picture of the life of women in the Zimbabwe bush and get a hint of the beauty and depth of Shona beliefs, put this wonderful book #1 on your reading list!