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A review by aoki_reads
The Reformatory by Tananarive Due
5.0
"Cuz, see, colored folks fighting for what's theirs is like a virus to white folks— and they kill a virus so it don't spread. That killing is the work of man, not the devil. And if there's any such thing as evil on this earth, Gloria, it's here in Gracetown."
Wow, just wow.
The Reformatory is a novel you will carry deep in your soul long after you've turned the last page. This book needs to be labeled as a must read, a modern classic, and should easily become a celebrated literary work.
I'm still processing and still reeling over this semi-biographical tale of grief, heartache, and ultimately—perseverance.
I chuckled at times, I sobbed countless times, and I've grown in my knowledge on Black history. The Reformatory took me to church. A deep, Southern Black baptist church steeped in pain, understanding, hope, and triumph. My fellow black bodies understand this. This one was for us.
It took Tananarive Due nearly ten years to write this novel, and I believe it's because you will truly feel every page. It's haunting. I can only imagine how Mrs. Due felt as she sat night after night telling the tale of her great-uncle, Robert Stephens. I'm sure there was plenty of pain and tension, but I'm also sure that there was release— because that's exactly what I felt wrapping up my reading of the book.
So, if you have yet to pick up this incredible piece of grief horror and ghost busting (and not the good type), I highly recommend that you do. This is a somber-toned love letter to the black community— to black men and boys, to strong black girls and women, and to a better tomorrow. Tananarive Due lets us into a little piece of her world through her incredible literary talents, and for that I feel in awe and heavily inspired.
I wish I had more to say, but this is just one of those novels that does not need commentary. Just let it sit with you, sit with it. Touching. Melancholic. Rich. Deep. Haunting. Challenging. Heartbreaking. True. Black history is important history, relevant history.
Thank you so much Tananarive Due for sharing your family’s testimony with us all.
Wow, just wow.
The Reformatory is a novel you will carry deep in your soul long after you've turned the last page. This book needs to be labeled as a must read, a modern classic, and should easily become a celebrated literary work.
I'm still processing and still reeling over this semi-biographical tale of grief, heartache, and ultimately—perseverance.
I chuckled at times, I sobbed countless times, and I've grown in my knowledge on Black history. The Reformatory took me to church. A deep, Southern Black baptist church steeped in pain, understanding, hope, and triumph. My fellow black bodies understand this. This one was for us.
It took Tananarive Due nearly ten years to write this novel, and I believe it's because you will truly feel every page. It's haunting. I can only imagine how Mrs. Due felt as she sat night after night telling the tale of her great-uncle, Robert Stephens. I'm sure there was plenty of pain and tension, but I'm also sure that there was release— because that's exactly what I felt wrapping up my reading of the book.
So, if you have yet to pick up this incredible piece of grief horror and ghost busting (and not the good type), I highly recommend that you do. This is a somber-toned love letter to the black community— to black men and boys, to strong black girls and women, and to a better tomorrow. Tananarive Due lets us into a little piece of her world through her incredible literary talents, and for that I feel in awe and heavily inspired.
I wish I had more to say, but this is just one of those novels that does not need commentary. Just let it sit with you, sit with it. Touching. Melancholic. Rich. Deep. Haunting. Challenging. Heartbreaking. True. Black history is important history, relevant history.
Thank you so much Tananarive Due for sharing your family’s testimony with us all.