What Looks Like Crazy on an Ordinary Day

I read the reviews and thought I might enjoy a heart filled story of a lady with AIDS. Not at all what I thought! I struggled to make it through the half way point. Author, Pearl Cleage created a rich setting, interesting history of her area, some colorful characters, and others were bland and flat. Unfortunately, Ms. Cleage was unable to take all of her creations and wind something out of it that would tell a story. Try Again!

This is somewhat hard to describe. I have read some of the author's work but I don't this is her best work. The author reminds me of the magnificent wisdom of the late Maya Angelou and the wittiness of Terry Mc Millan. The author has her own style but somewhat thinks she missed the mark with this one. This is a story of a woman who recently find outs that she is HIV positive and moves back home for comfort and learn to deal with what she did not expect. The beginning of the novel moves a bit too slow for me but it picks up near the end. The minister and his wife was a tad over the top. I don't think the author did a good job in describing the drug activity but in the end it is a love story of those who waited for someone to really love.

I like this one the best. I know the blurb doesn't sound like much ... An African-American woman diagnosed with HIV goes home to visit big sister. Boy, do I have to tell you ... ignore the blurb and just dive into the book. This is one of the best reads I've read this year. It's not depressing at all ... it's the fighting spirit book that just keeps you upbeat. I remember telling my husband about this book and now, he's interested in reading it someday (after my mom reads it!). Ava Johnson comes home to Michigan after living in Atlanta for 10 years or so ~~ this was just going to be a short stop on the way to San Francisco where she is determined to find a new life. Only, that plan falls to the wayside. Ava's older sister, Joyce is a warm-hearted woman struggling to find ways to educate young African-American girls about birth control, fight against her church's narrow-minded pastor and his wife who are out to stop anything that is not "Christian-like". And along the way, they rescue a crack baby, Imani and Ava falls in love with Eddie, an old friend of Joyce and her husband. This is such a rivetting read. One that I highly recommend to everyone. It is written with brutal truth and humor ... and you find yourself rooting for Ava and her family as they set out to conquer the small corner of their world. It's wonderfully written to keep your interest snared ... and I am looking forward to read more of this author's work. This is not your typical depressing Oprah pick ... it's one of the best, uplifting book I've read in a long time!!2-11-02

I loved this book from the moment I started reading it. The story is about Ava, an African American woman who moves from Atlanta back to her hometown of Idlewild, Michigan after finding out that she is HIV positive. Her visit to Idlewild is supposed to be just a stopover on her trip to San Francisco, where she expects to find a female lover (for the first time) and acceptance of her HIV status. Instead, she finds comfort in the warm, snuggly love of her big sister Joyce. She finds hope and purpose in the work that Joyce is doing to save the youth in Idlewild from the spiraling existence of drugs, pregnancy, welfare, and violence. But best of all, she finds true love.Pearl Cleage writes in a very efficient, yet effective style, conveying in a few words what lesser writers struggle to convey in whole paragraphs. Her ability to create an atmosphere of comfort, lush sensuality, or stark horror is remarkable. She writes with wit and honesty, even when describing the pain so often found in life. She perfectly captures the essence of her characters and the roller-coaster of emotion that they experience in the story. I truly cared about these people, so that in the end I cried tears of sadness, outrage, and happiness, all in the space of an hour! I can't wait to tell my friends about this gift of a book.

As a 24-year old upper-middle class white girl, I wasn't sure I would enjoy and/or relate to this story of a 30-something black woman with HIV returning home to her increasingly troubled mostly-black hometown.Boy, was I wrong.This story was funny, touching, uplifting and downright inspiring. The author's main character, Ava Johnson, is a lot like me - she's discovering real love, struggling to find answers about her purpose, searching for spirituality, reconnecting with her family and hometown, and forging a new path in life. Right up there with "The Girls' Guide to Hunting and Fishing" this book is a must-read for a woman, regardless of where she is on her path to self-discovery.

This is probably the only book I can remember ever reading that impressed me so much. This book paces itself so well, you almost seem to find a steady rhythm to it.The story itself is truly reviting, but the author's ability take the reader by the hand and just lead them one step at a time through the story is absolutely incredible. I've never had any author do that to me before. Usually, you're so wrapped up in the plot and charaters and who did what, you speed through the book and finish it before you can catch your breath. Not with this book.You follow the life of the main character, Ava Johnson, and all those whose lives touch hers and you feel yourself wanting the best for all of them. Yet you never feel the need to peek into the next chapter or "accidentally" glance at the last page of the book.Pearl Cleage has moved to the top of my favorite author list and will be praised to anyone who will listen. I can't recomment this book enough!

I absolutely loved this book. Started it last night and finished this evening. Ava Johnson, HIV positive, comes home on a pit stop and becomes involved in her sister's life of helping young black women -- most teenage mothers. Uplifting, hopeful. Anyone who suggests this book is a waste of time or predictable is wrong! Yes, there are hints here and there of what is to come but the author's style and perspective makes you want to continue until the very end. Fortunately, the HIV positive diagnosis does not overwhelm the story. Rather, it makes you feel more alive and aware that we cannot waste our time on this earth. The characters, Ava and Eddie, give testimony to the fact that people can grow, learn and change through difficult situations -- HIV, Viet Nam. Joyce's character shows that there can be life after losing a wonderful partner. Absolutely worth every minute of my time.