Quantity:

Express Checkout with PayPhrase

What's this? | Create PayPhrase

More Buying Choices

196 used & new from $0.01

Have one to sell? Sell yours here

Share with Friends

Share your own customer images

Look inside this book

Tell the Publisher! I�d like to read this book on Kindle Don�t have a Kindle? Get your Kindle here.

I Been in Sorrow's Kitchen and Licked Out All the Pots (Paperback)

~ (Author)

4.5 out of 5 stars See all reviews (15 customer reviews)

List Price:	$13.00
Price:	$10.40 & eligible for FREE Super Saver Shipping on orders over $25. Details
You Save:	$2.60 (20%)
	o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o

In Stock.
Ships from and sold by Amazon.com. Gift-wrap available.

29 new from $1.99 160 used from $0.01 7 collectible from $9.99

Formats		Amazon Price	New from	Used from
Library Binding $22.00 Temporarily out of stock. Your account will only be charged when we ship the item. Published November 12, 2008 Library Binding: A very durable hardcover binding (rarely comes with a dust jacket).	Library Binding, November 12, 2008	$22.00	$22.00	--
	See # more hardcovers
	Show fewer hardcovers
Paperback $10.40 In Stock. Published July 14, 1993	Paperback, July 14, 1993	$10.40	$1.99	$0.01
	See # more paperbacks
	Show fewer paperbacks

Frequently Bought Together

Price For All Three: $35.56

Show availability and shipping details

This item: I Been in Sorrow's Kitchen and Licked Out All the Pots by Susan Straight
In Stock.
Ships from and sold by Amazon.com.
Eligible for FREE Super Saver Shipping on orders over $25. Details
The Gettin Place by Susan Straight
In Stock.
Ships from and sold by Amazon.com.
Eligible for FREE Super Saver Shipping on orders over $25. Details
Highwire Moon by Susan Straight
In Stock.
Ships from and sold by Amazon.com.
Eligible for FREE Super Saver Shipping on orders over $25. Details

Customers Who Bought This Item Also Bought

The Gettin Place

by Susan Straight

5.0 out of 5 stars (4) $13.95

Highwire Moon

by Susan Straight

4.4 out of 5 stars (13) $11.21

A Million Nightingales

by Susan Straight

4.1 out of 5 stars (11) $11.16

Blacker Than a Thousand Midnights

by Susan Straight

4.7 out of 5 stars (3) $17.00

The Friskative Dog

by Susan Straight

4.8 out of 5 stars (4) $5.99

› Explore similar items

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Set primarily in a tiny Gullah-speaking village in South Carolina, Straight's elegant coming-of-age novel--a BOMC selection in cloth--is as monumental as the tall, taciturn woman whose life it traces. Selected as one of PW 's best books of 1992.
Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From School Library Journal

YA-- Large, silent, 14-year-old, blue - black Marietta Cook leaves tiny Gullah-speaking Pine Gardens, South Carolina to seek her uncle and her fortune in Charleston when her mother dies. Learning the rhythms of the city, working for Frank in the fish market, going home to bear twins, working on a rice plantation, returning to Charleston and raising her boys--her life unfolds. Students can experience vicariously the community, family, and friendships that form the pulse of this woman's life from 1959 to her settling into her role as grandmother, California home owner, and perhaps, future bride in 1983. Time, place, and character are all well developed. A solid recommendation for students seeking a good story and a strong female protagonist as well as for those who need a book on black history.
- Barbara Hawkins, Oakton High School, Fairfax, VA
Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

Paperback: 368 pages
Publisher: Anchor (July 15, 1993)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0385470126
ISBN-13: 978-0385470124
Product Dimensions: 8 x 5.1 x 0.8 inches
Shipping Weight: 11.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)

Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars See all reviews (15 customer reviews)

Amazon.com Sales Rank: #659,102 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)
Popular in this category: (What's this?)
#6 in Books > Literature & Fiction > United States > African American > Straight, Susan

Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images?

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

› Visit Amazon's Susan Straight Page

Look Inside This Book

Browse Sample Pages:
Front Cover | First Pages | Back Cover

Citations (learn more)

5 books cite this book:

The Readers' Choice: 200 Book Club Favorites by Victoria Golden Mcmains on page 222, and Index
The Death of Bernadette Lefthand by Ron Querry in Back Cover
The Literature Teacher's Book Of Lists (J-B Ed: Book of Lists) by Judie L. H. Strouf on page 328
Magic City: A Novel by Jewell Parker Rhodes in Front Matter
Book Lust: Recommended Reading for Every Mood, Moment, and Reason by Nancy Pearl on page 161

What Do Customers Ultimately Buy After Viewing This Item?

	78% buy the item featured on this page: I Been in Sorrow's Kitchen and Licked Out All the Pots 4.5 out of 5 stars (15) $10.40
	10% buy A Million Nightingales 4.1 out of 5 stars (11) $11.16
	9% buy Highwire Moon 4.4 out of 5 stars (13) $11.21
	4% buy The Gettin Place 5.0 out of 5 stars (4) $13.95

Explore similar items

Suggested Tags from Similar Products

(What's this?)

Be the first one to add a relevant tag (keyword that's strongly related to this product).

interracial(2)

susan straight(1)

et by nevada barr reader s guide(1)

historical(1)

historical slavery(1)

louisiana(1)

multi-cultural(1)

slavery(1)

slaves(1)

slves(1)

Sell a Digital Version of This Book in the Kindle Store

If you are a publisher or author and hold the digital rights to a book, you can sell a digital version of it in our Kindle Store. Learn more

Customer Reviews

15 Reviews

5 star:		(11)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

Average Customer Review

4.5 out of 5 stars (15 customer reviews)

Share your thoughts with other customers:

Create your own review

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Stunning debut novel, and daring in its delivery, May 4, 2003

By	Peggy Vincent "author and reader" (Oakland, CA) - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER) (REAL NAME)

Incredible book. Funny, heartbreaking, brave, fearsome.
Marietta, the protagonist, is a large, "blue-black" pregnant teenager in the Gullah speaking region of South Carolina. Big Ma (her granny) delivers her of a set of surprise twin boys (a scene that I, a midwife, found particularly engaging), and the rest of the book is Marietta's struggles to do right by her two hulking sons. Not to give the end away, but football becomes their salvation.
The daring part of the book's construction is that huge sections of dialogue are rendered in accurate Gullah dialect. It takes a little getting used to, but once you get the hang of it, it flows beautifully and adds immeasurable richness to the reading.
Don't miss this one.

Comment Comment | Permalink | Was this review helpful to you? Yes No (Report this)

7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Powerful debut novel!, August 21, 2000

By	K. Melissa Galyon "melreads" (Rockwall, Texas) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This novel drew me in from the first page. Susan Straight has a gift for describing society from the 60's to the 80's that time and again rang true for me. The tumult of the 60's Civil Rights Movement and the Me-Me-Me Generation of the 80's as shown in this novel could have come straight from Time magazine. Straight not only put words onto paper, she breathed life into Marietta, Aint Sister, Sinbad and "them two." I really felt this novel, something that hasn't happened in a long, long time. Also recommended is Jewel by Brett Lott.

Comment Comment | Permalink | Was this review helpful to you? Yes No (Report this)

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Don't Miss This One!!!, June 10, 2002

By	Laurie Reeves (Cypress, California United States) - See all my reviews

I finished this extraordinary book a few days ago and just can't let go...I actually found myself speaking in the Gullah dialect for a time,I so loved Marietta("such a feminine name for such a big old girl...makes me think of Lemon Pie...")I kept thinking the whole time I was reading that this should of been an "Oprah" choice.Susan Strait is white,which is fascinating to me...I too am white...but it seems to me she writes the black experience with so much feeling.All race issues aside,this is a womans story (a "Large Woman's"story, which I have never seen done so well) and a single mothers story...From the great title to the wonderful ending...if you read nothing else this summer...take this one along to the beach....and stop for fried catfish on the way!!!

Comment Comment | Permalink | Was this review helpful to you? Yes No (Report this)

Share your thoughts with other customers: Create your own review

› See all 15 customer reviews...

Most Recent Customer Reviews

2.0 out of 5 stars Two-thirds of a great novel
This novel fails in the last 1/3. The author could have made this a tightly-woven tale about individual and collective community in low-country South Carolina. Read more

Published on September 3, 2006 by Sojourner Truth

4.0 out of 5 stars Incredible!
Initially, I was impressed by the fact that a white author could capture the Black voice so accurately. Read more

Published on August 25, 2005 by Mizukan

5.0 out of 5 stars Suble treatment of prejudice within racial lines
I began this novel for a book club assignment specifying books written about South Carolina, or by South Carolina authors. Read more

Published on October 30, 2003 by K. Brock

5.0 out of 5 stars Can't say enough
Marietta Cook, has always wondered why she wasen't the color of her light father, instead being color of her non present father. Read more

Published on August 12, 2002 by "July Lady"

5.0 out of 5 stars Her first and best
I have followed Susan Straight since I first read a galley (pre-pub) edition of this novel, and I think this is her best work. Read more

Published on June 6, 2000

4.0 out of 5 stars Great Book
This book really captivated me because it was so real. The main character Marietta, was a phenomonal character because the book talked about her struggles. Read more

Published on February 29, 2000 by Nyonu Lewis

5.0 out of 5 stars This novel is the best kept secret! Excellent!
This book hooks you right from the beginning and never lets you go. I laughed out loud and I also cried. Read more

Published on July 26, 1999

5.0 out of 5 stars Absolutely Fabulous!
An absolutely incredible book that took me on a trip to South Carolina where I met a strong woman, Marietta Cook, who never moaned over her bad decisions, but made them work. Read more

Published on July 7, 1999

3.0 out of 5 stars A Pretty Strong 1st Novel With Beautifully Colorful Imagery
I'm a lover of 1st novels and this one was pretty strong. Susan Straight has a wonderful sense of Neo-Realism and I Benn in Sorrow's Kitchen and Licked Out All the Pots displays... Read more

Published on February 16, 1999 by M. Johnson

5.0 out of 5 stars The best novel I've read in years!!!!!!!!!
Susan has caputured a woman's struggle and illustrates it in this beautiful book. I am a seventeen year old female, and I have never read a book this stimulating. Ms. Read more

Published on November 8, 1998

› See all 15 customer reviews...

.jsOffDisplayBlock { display: block; } .jsOffDisplayInline { display: inline; } .jsOffVisibility { visibility: visible; } .jsOnDisplayBlock { display: none; } .jsOnDisplayNoneBlock { display: block; } .jsOnDisplayNoneInline { display: inline; } .jsOnDisplayInline { display: none; } .jsOnVisibility { visibility: hidden; } .jqOnDisplayBlock { display: none; } .jqOnDisplayInline { display: none; } .jqOnVisibility { visibility: hidden; } .jqOnDisplayNoneBlock { display: block; } .jqOnDisplayNoneInline { display: inline; }