Welcome back, Teen Readers! School is upon us. It’s time to call our brains back from vacation and prepare for the first day of classes and a new school year. This, of course, means a lot of different things to different people.
For some it means gaining new knowledge, and for others it might mean new clothes or reuniting with old friends. Either way, it’s a time of happiness-an extremely important feeling when considering personal success.
If you’re not happy, it is difficult to feel successful, no matter what your bank account says. In fact, Tenzin Gyatso, the 14th Dalai Lama, defines the meaning of life as “to be happy and useful.” As simple as that sounds, however, happiness is something that seems to be out of reach for many of us.
“Getting to Happy,” by Terry McMillan, and “A Girl Named Mister,” by Nikki Grimes, are both stories about women searching for happiness. The characters in these two novels experience different tribulations, but the similarity in their stories can be found in the endings.
American author Barbara De Angelis once said, “No one is in control of your happiness but you; therefore, you have the power to change anything about yourself or your life that you want to change.” This is a theme that is evident in these two novels and also in daily life. It is easy to blame one’s discontent on circumstances and other people, but let’s face it, at the end of the day, it all comes down to one person: YOU!
“A GIRL NAMED MISTER”
“A Girl Named Mister” (Zondervan, 2010), by Grimes, is not just a story. In this text, the author has cleverly intertwined the story of a fictional high school female called Mister and the classic story of Mary, the mother of Jesus.
Mary Rudine, nicknamed Mister, is an average teenager whose interests include attending church, her boyfriend, Trey, and her volleyball team. Life gets turbulent for Mister when Trey begins to become more of a priority than her other two passions.
Like many high school boys, Trey was happy-go-lucky, concerned with showing up to school and smiling at cute girls. Mister was no exception, and like many 15-year-old girls, she fell for a glowing smile and extra attention. When the pressure for sex arrives, Mister makes a decision that results in spinning her world into a cloud of doubt, frustration, anger, deceit and loss. Mister feels that by breaking her promise to God to remain a virgin until marriage, she has changed into a totally new person. This affects her relationship with her mom, her best friend and Trey.
Feeling alone, confused and pregnant, Mister finds comfort in one of her mother’s books, entitled “Mary, Mary.” Since she feels that she has been disobedient to God’s word, Mister consequently finds this third-party source, rather than the Bible, is just the reading she needs.
Grimes layers her protoganist’s battle and her search for redemption with the trials of Mary, which leads Mister to realize that Mary’s experience also included some bumps in the road and was not as easy and simple as is often portrayed. Through Mary’s story, Mister begins to see her situation in a new light.
“A Girl Named Mister” is a meaningful narrative made even more distinct by the way in which the story is told by Grimes, who relays the story not in prose but through poetry. Grimes’ “A Girl Named Mister” is a uniquely written book specially designed for teenagers of this generation. (*****)
“GETTING TO HAPPY”
“Getting to Happy” (Viking Adult, 2011) is McMillan’s eagerly awaited sequel to “Waiting to Exhale” (Viking Penguin, 1992).
Though “Waiting to Exhale” was written the same year I was born, it is easily one of my favorite books. With the 1995 namesake movie, which starred Whitney Houston, Angela Bassett, Loretta Devine and Lela Rochon-after reading this fabulous title, I can hardly wait for the “Getting to Happy” film.
Here’s the secret of “Getting to Happy”: the characters. The main factor that made “Waiting to Exhale” so great is that same thing that makes “Getting to Happy” an equally good read. Who can forget those four great, well-developed, well-rounded characters, Savannah, Bernadine, Gloria and Robin? They are lovable, familiar and very human. Yes, they are women that we all know. And we love them!
This time around, the ladies are 15 years older. Savannah has been married for a number of years but is beginning to question her satisfaction with her marriage, leading her to explore other possible paths to happiness.
The end of “Waiting to Exhale” left Robin with a severed relationship and a new pregnancy. Now, in “Getting to Happy,” we see Robin’s interactions with her daughter and her struggle with the fact that she is the only one of her friends who has never experienced marriage.
Gloria, who finally found love after years of living divorced, is forced to return to a life of living without a husband by her side. However, this time it is for a much different reason. Gloria learns to find love and happiness in a different type of family composition, as well as in the memories that her successful marriage gave her.
As for Bernadine, she learns the difference between a need and an addiction. As she watches another marriage go down the drain, for even more astounding reasons than the first, Bernadine turns to pills for comfort. In this novel, Bernadine relearns the importance of letting go, forgiving and turning to friends, not drugs, for well-being.
“Getting to Happy” is sure to please you, whether you’re an old fan of McMillan’s fantastic ladies or a newcomer to the crew. And yes, yes, I know that I told you a little too much about each of the characters’ business (the plot) and the themes that flavor this very now title that you simply won’t be able to put down. The method for my madness is that you’ll hurry and get “Getting to Happy,” which has all of our names on it. Here’s my thought: The sooner we purchase it, read it and get the buzz out there, the faster we’ll get our “Getting to Happy” movie. Get it? That’s the strategy.
Now, everybody, please get with the program and go get “Getting to Happy.” (*****)
Thanks for reading and I hope you will consider these books for your “in the moment” reading! Until next time!
Shopping GoGAB
- For this week’s titles, visit www.zondervan.com and www.penguin.com.
- You can also visit our bookseller affiliates in Harlem at Hue-Man Bookstore (www.huemanbookstore.com) and in SoHo at McNally/Jackson Booksellers (www.mcnallyjackson.com).
GoGAB COMMUNITY
On Friday, Sept. 23, the second annual “Back to School with the HistoryMakers” will present 500 Black leaders and luminaries, including Massachusetts Gov. Deval Patrick and entertainer and author Common. These Black leaders will gather to share their unique school experiences and challenges in a daylong event at schools across the country in a show of solidarity with students.
The purpose of this initiative, presented by the HistoryMakers, the nation’s largest African-American video oral history archive, is to inspire young people to reach the highest levels of achievement. For more information, visit www.thehistorymakers.com or the HistoryMakers’ digital archive at www.idvl.org/thehistorymakers.
GoGAB BRAND & TEAM
All of these titles are highly recommended by Misani’s Go Get a Book in Your Hand (GoGAB) Literacy Group: Kesia’s Teens, Nas+ Tweens, GoGAB Young Readers for Mom-in-Chief and GoGAB Youth & MD Men for President Obama, and our partners, the Frederick Douglass Academy I, the ICAD-FTL Festival Inc. Literary Division, the “Switching on Literacy” 2011 Experience Group and the NY Amsterdam News.
To contact the Go Get a Book in Your Hand Literacy Group and the GoGAB Reading Team, please email us at edulovepeace@aol.com.