Singing in the Comeback Choir

Bebe Moore Campbell does it again. This time portraying today's African American woman Maxine who's juggling a demanding career as a TV Talk Show producer, Lindy her depressed grandmother who was once a vibrant singer, and a husband who has made a mistake and is yearning for her forgiveness. You have to read this novel, it will take you on a path of memories and definitely show how people comeback.

This is the second book I have heard on tape by Bebe Campbell Moore and I thought it was wonderful. She showed a true devotion to her career and her family. This book is a definite portrayal of how women struggle to balance their career as well as their personal life. I truly admire and respect how Maxine managed to juggle her career with the Ted Graham Show, overlook and stay with her once cheating husband, and take care of her long distant aging grandmother Lindy, all while being pregnant. I really loved how Lindy, as stubborn as she was, finally realized it is never too late to Come Back and be loved. Let's not forget how the once beautiful neighborhood, turn drug infested, managed to come together and clean up its act. Singing in the Come Back Choir is rich in character and in content. I just bought the book, Your Blues Ain't Like Mine, by this author and can't wait to read it!

This was my first taste of Ms. Campbell's work and I was refreshingly surprised. She wove a tale of growing up in the "sandwich" generation that was written from an African American perspective but transcends race. I especially liked how she dealt quite eloquently with marital, maternal, and corporate attitudes and expectations. This book was so relevant in my life that I can not commend Ms. Campbell enough. This is a must read for anyone that seeks to make themself a better woman in the 21st century.

Maxine Lott McCoy, at thirtysomething, is not only successful in her chosen career as the executive producer of a television talk show, but has a husband, Satchel, and a baby on the way. But, there's trouble in the promised land. Devoted to her grandmother, Lindy Walker, whom Maxine believes sacrificed her career as a blues singer to raise Maxine after her mother died, Maxine is called away from Hollywood to help her grandmother at a critical time in the television show's production schedule. Lindy, at 76, already has had a near-stroke and appears to be ready to succumb to the brutal forces of aging, drinking, and smoking. Lindy's life, the future of the show, and Maxine's career in television hang in the balance. As the story unfolds, it is revealed that Maxine also is struggling with the complex emotions resulting from her discovery of a brief affair that Satchel had already ended. Satchel is determined to regain her trust and the "hardcore" love they had before his affair. Maxine must decide whether it is possible for the two of them to rebuild a life for themselves and for their unborn child which will make her want to take the emotional risks that forgiving Satchel requires of her. While trying to help Lindy, Maxine can no longer ignore the deteriorated state of her old neighborhood in Philadelphia - the one from which she thought that she had escaped - and the destructive conditions and social forces - such as illiteracy, the absence of a variety of desirable role models and mentors for the youth, and drugs - which make it unlikely that the new generation of children growing up on her old block will achieve the kinds of successes that she and Satchel have had. A former public school teacher, Maxine begins to feel deeply within herself a conflict between her lingering desire to utilize her talents to help Lindy, the children and others in her community and the powerful attraction of the money, prestige, and blinding glamour of television, where even a slight drop in Nielsen ratings can result in the withdrawal of the welcome mat. Even if she were to return to teaching, she is not certain that she can make a difference in their lives, given all of their other problems. This book is about having the vision to see beyond the flaws in our loved ones and in our communities and then finding the courage to commit ourselves to fostering their growth until they flourish, instead of abandoning them for what appears to be a better life for ourselves. In the course of dealing with these issues, Maxine decides who and what is really essential to her life, and shapes a more personal definition of success for herself. Campbell's very readable prose is interspersed with imagery that reveals a clever wit; many readers will recognize the "Universal All-Purpose Negro Two-Step" and the grandmothers who are "fluent in English and Leather Belt" from their own lives. I enjoyed this book and think that most thoughtful readers will, too

Campbell effectively addresses many issues in Singin' in the Comeback Choir. She delves into the insecurities of Maxine, who is a high powered executive by day and one of the walking wounded by night. The reader is given a guided tour of Maxine's life, her losses and her victories. Orphaned at an early age and left in the care of her maternal grandmother, who is not the average "milk-n-cookies" Granny Smith, Maxine's quest for her own identity takes many unusual turns. Personally, I think many people will come to identify with the challenges that go along with caring for an aging loved one. The route that Maxine takes to empowering her grandmother was indeed a creative solution. My hat is off to Ms. Campbell.