Tayari's Blog: Overlooked Brilliance
Posted by TayariJones on May 31, 2007 06:20 AM
Filed under
Bookshelf
In New York magazine, sixy three critics list their favorite "underrated" books. The title is "The Best Books You've Never Read."
I love the idea of it. Isn't frustrating when you read a really marvelous book and discover that it only sold about twelve copies? So, I propose that we make a list of our underrated favorites. Here are ten of mine, not in order of favoriteness or underration.
Bombingham, by Anthony Grooms.
Sweetwater, by Roxana Robertson
Luminous Mysteries, by John Holman
Dying Young, by Marti Leimbach (please ignore the cover!)
Rattlebone, by Maxine Clair
Crackpots, by Sara Pritchard
Motherkind, by Jayne Anne Phillips
City Boy, by Jean Thompson
Rima in the Weeds, by Deidre MacNamer
Meridian, by Alice Walker
(thx ed for the original link.)
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There are 4 comments on "Overlooked Brilliance". If you'd like to leave a comment, click here to jump down to the comments entry form.
Comment #1, by minaj ![[TypeKey Profile Page]](http://www.tayarijones.com/blog/nav-commenters.gif)
I wholeheartedly agree with you about Bombingham and Rattlebone, Tayari - both were superb, as was the novel Maxine Claire developed from Rattlebone, October Suite. Tony Grooms' short stories in Trouble No More were what hooked me on his writing initially - I love a good short story! I don't think that enough Black folks read Edward P. Jones' short story collections, Lost in the City and All Aunt Hagar's Children. I would love them even if I hadn't grown up in DC. One of my favorite books in recent years was Shifting Through Neutral by by Bridgett M. Davis - a heartrending, breathtaking work. I loved Breathing Room by Patricia Elam. I hadn't expected to like Upstate by Kalisha Buckhanon, but she did a wonderful job from a young viewpoint. My winner for Best Book with the Worst Title was Miss Black America by Veronica Chambers - nothing like the title at all! I am horrified, Tayari, that Meridian is no longer widely read. When I was young (back when dinosaurs roamed the earth), it was a must-read and it is still my favorite Alice Walker novel. And, of course, EVERYONE should read The Untelling!
May 31, 2007 11:10 AM
Comment #2, by minaj
Eeek! I left out Freshwater Road by Denise Nicholas - please don't hesitate to read this because the author is better known as an actress. She's a real writer. Obviously, I could keep this up for a while....
May 31, 2007 11:20 AM
Comment #3, by Michael Fischer
I'll second Ed Jones's "Lost in The City." That book knocks my socks off, and the characters will live with me forever. I might be wrong here, but I'm pretty sure it was out-of-print until "The Known World" was released.
Another underrated book, one that seems to have a cult following, is Kevin Canty's "Into The Great Wide Open."
May 31, 2007 12:05 PM
Comment #4, by persistence
Two of my favorites are "Just Above My Head" by James Baldwin, and "Farming of Bones" by Edwidge Danticant...Oh, and "Giovanni's Room" also by James Baldwin... I guess that's three.
May 31, 2007 04:36 PM