I wasn't really expecting anything from this book.I didn't think it would leave a imprint in my memory or it would make me think of the problems that black men endure in their lives.In both of these cases, I was wrong.Not only did this book make me think of black men in an entirely different way, but also, it made me see that some things are timeless in life and some problems never go away. Through the course of the book, the reader is introduced to various characters and are also invited to listen to what brought them to their current states.While some men battle alcohol, others deal with homosexuality as well as death.What impresses me most about the book is the method in which the author, Gloria Naylor, handles these men.Never once do you hear them blame others for their situations or try to shift responsibility to someone else.Instead, these men are forced to deal with problems head on and they do so with dignity. Also, the other thing which amazes me is the fact that the narrator is actually a ghost which I guess in some ways adds a supernatural feel to it.However even he can't escape from the life he has led and so before he even speaks of the other men, he lets the reader know about his life and why he has his addictions.This to me signifies that he wants the reader to see that he's not perfect and that he realizes that.Furthermore, he wants the reader to know that he's not judging the lives and actions of these men and that we as readers shouldn't judge them either. Overall, I really enjoyed this book.Not only did it show me that the problems of the past are still alive and present today but also, it showed me how events in a live can mold a person sometimes good, sometimes bad. ( )

I wasn't really expecting anything from this book.I didn't think it would leave a imprint in my memory or it would make me think of the problems that black men endure in their lives.In both of these cases, I was wrong.Not only did this book make me think of black men in an entirely different way, but also, it made me see that some things are timeless in life and some problems never go away. Through the course of the book, the reader is introduced to various characters and are also invited to listen to what brought them to their current states.While some men battle alcohol, others deal with homosexuality as well as death.What impresses me most about the book is the method in which the author, Gloria Naylor, handles these men.Never once do you hear them blame others for their situations or try to shift responsibility to someone else.Instead, these men are forced to deal with problems head on and they do so with dignity. Also, the other thing which amazes me is the fact that the narrator is actually a ghost which I guess in some ways adds a supernatural feel to it.However even he can't escape from the life he has led and so before he even speaks of the other men, he lets the reader know about his life and why he has his addictions.This to me signifies that he wants the reader to see that he's not perfect and that he realizes that.Furthermore, he wants the reader to know that he's not judging the lives and actions of these men and that we as readers shouldn't judge them either. Overall, I really enjoyed this book.Not only did it show me that the problems of the past are still alive and present today but also, it showed me how events in a live can mold a person sometimes good, sometimes bad. ( )

I wasn't really expecting anything from this book.I didn't think it would leave a imprint in my memory or it would make me think of the problems that black men endure in their lives.In both of these cases, I was wrong.Not only did this book make me think of black men in an entirely different way, but also, it made me see that some things are timeless in life and some problems never go away. Through the course of the book, the reader is introduced to various characters and are also invited to listen to what brought them to their current states.While some men battle alcohol, others deal with homosexuality as well as death.What impresses me most about the book is the method in which the author, Gloria Naylor, handles these men.Never once do you hear them blame others for their situations or try to shift responsibility to someone else.Instead, these men are forced to deal with problems head on and they do so with dignity. Also, the other thing which amazes me is the fact that the narrator is actually a ghost which I guess in some ways adds a supernatural feel to it.However even he can't escape from the life he has led and so before he even speaks of the other men, he lets the reader know about his life and why he has his addictions.This to me signifies that he wants the reader to see that he's not perfect and that he realizes that.Furthermore, he wants the reader to know that he's not judging the lives and actions of these men and that we as readers shouldn't judge them either. Overall, I really enjoyed this book.Not only did it show me that the problems of the past are still alive and present today but also, it showed me how events in a live can mold a person sometimes good, sometimes bad. ( )

This is a wonderful collection that paints a clear picture of a community by taking on stories about various men in the same neighborhood, Brewster Place. The variety of personalities and voices makes this a pleasure to read that flies by and shows you everything that short stories should be. What's more, if you're more of a novel reader, the way these characters fit together into a single framework makes you feel as if you're simply reading one extended story that is only broken into parts as a show of style. In the end, regardless of what genre you take this as, whether you read it all at once or spread the stories out, the book is beautifully written and engaging. Highly recommended. And if you like this one, there's another called The Women of Brewster Place (though I'd say this is the stronger of the two). ( )