If the Creek Don't Rise

If you're thinking you need to be (a) a history buff (b) African American (c) the product of a difficult childhood to read and love this book, think again. On the power of Williams' prose alone, the book is worth reading--but there's so much more. With all the talk of making history come alive for our kids, and ourselves, and our national debate--Williams Just Does It. I can't recommend this book highly enough. And I'm a book reviewer.

How I wish I could have read Rita Williams' book in some type of time warp when we first met in college! If the Creek Don't Rise chronicles Rita's youth up until the moment I met her. Maybe I could have been a better friend to Rita had I been able to read the entire, haunting history of her life long, long ago. But like college kids, I'd blurt out, "Rita, tell me about those scars on your wrist." And she'd answer just as frankly, and we comforted each other's vast emptiness . . . and we'd play like little girls together. We played ike sisters; I always called Rita my sister. And when my biological twin recently completed a family genealogy, Rita asked me, "Am I in it?" Rita is just like her book---walking, living, breathing poetry. When I first offered Rita a Kiwi fruit in the early 70's, Rita said, "Ummmm . . . That's how a woman should taste!" I love my friend. She's the real thing--all empathy and laughter and giving. She has put her writing talent above career and ambition, successfully following her heart and sharing her commitment with all of us--her readers. Her metaphors are clean and new and brilliant; they've always been. I recommend If the Creek Don't Rise to you with my whole heart.

From the open lines of "If the Creek Don't Rise," I knew I was in for a treat: "Out my kitchen window, the November wind off the Pacific whipped up light frothy waves on Silver Lake." It felt as if I had fallen into a Raymond Chandler detective novel, so rich was the imagery that I could almost feel the spray of the waves--I was hooked! Williams is a consummate storyteller, drawing you in with her rich descriptions of the landscape (both inner and outer), her insights into highly complex and, at times, contradictory characters, and events that sweep one along as a canoe in the rapids. There is never a false note. I read the book cover-to-cover in one sitting, so anxious was I to see how it turned out, and I felt enriched by sharing Williams' incredible journey. If I did not know this was true, I would swear it was a yarn spun by a true raconteur, but what makes her book so amazing is the inner work she has clearly done to be able to report the story with love and an undeniable quality of forgiveness. Such prose comes only from remarkable people, and Williams is that, and more. I can hardly wait for her next offering. This is great literature!

This memoir of Rita's amazing life had me eager to devour it, yet sad that it had to end. The fact that Rita survived a brutal childhood with her crazy-making Aunt Daisy is nothing short of a miracle. I marvel at the courage it took for her not only to triumph over adversity but to chronicle the naked truth with such grace. "Beautifully written, Rita. Brava!"

This book is phenomenal. I've been reading memoirs all spring (jeanette walls, ruth reichl, etc.), and this one is my favorite so far because it's not just a story about personal tragedy and triumph, but also a well-articulated look at a very complicated, conflicted time in American history. Her story is startling and heartbreaking, and I'm excited to talk to other people who have read it, because it's the kind of thing you can't not have an intense personal reaction to. This one will be AWESOME for book clubs.