Review of Sister B
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Review of Sister B
[Following is a volunteer review of "Sister B" by David Charles Hart.]
David Charles Hart's "Sister B" may not be only a historical account of racial injustice, but it is also a study of contrast. It brought good light into the darkness of its time and also exposed the agonizing truth about the human spirit that could not be extinguished.
Indeed, Sister B represents a survivor, but the author avoids the well-worn stereotype of a suffering victim. Yes, she experiences the terrible suffering of racism based on the color of her skin. However, her choices matter. She takes over, transforming the story into a philosophical reflection on human agency rather than a mere account of suffering. This isn't just about what happens to her; it's about her decisions in that specific situation. "Sister B" does not only tell us about the 1930s and 1940s; it makes us feel the grit of it. The descriptions are not just historical facts; they're the itch of dust on Sister B’s skin, the rattling of the train tracks, and the heavy weight of the air in a segregated bus. The book is sensual, rich in texture, and created more from what we sense than from history.
It is at this point that the book lives up to its full potential by exploring the bond between Sister B's Black American experience and the Japanese photographer's impact on the concentration camps. It can be overwhelming too, as Hart manages it with tenderness. One is not an equation of ours; life isn't as simple as people like to think, and it's neither suffering nor a neat resolution; the connection exists but is only messy and complicated. This is done in that it presents questions without defining easy answers, which is truthful given the complicated nature of the event. And by the time you finish reading "Sister B," you might be left wondering more than you did. What happened to the photographer subsequently? Can he have possibly withstood the function assigned to him? But this "what if' of the book being incomplete doesn't refer to the novel being incomplete. Instead, it requires a second look beyond the concluding section, making the story denser for it.
If you enjoy historical fiction that is emotional as much as it is intellectually challenging, then "Sister B" is that book. It reminds us that when it seems to be the darkest hour, human perseverance doesn’t let us down, and that not only the future but the past, too, is always an unlimited, incomplete story. This book truly merits a 5-star rating out of 5. It is sufficiently simple to comprehend the emendation. On the side of strengths, there are no negatives. I loved it.
******
Sister B
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
David Charles Hart's "Sister B" may not be only a historical account of racial injustice, but it is also a study of contrast. It brought good light into the darkness of its time and also exposed the agonizing truth about the human spirit that could not be extinguished.
Indeed, Sister B represents a survivor, but the author avoids the well-worn stereotype of a suffering victim. Yes, she experiences the terrible suffering of racism based on the color of her skin. However, her choices matter. She takes over, transforming the story into a philosophical reflection on human agency rather than a mere account of suffering. This isn't just about what happens to her; it's about her decisions in that specific situation. "Sister B" does not only tell us about the 1930s and 1940s; it makes us feel the grit of it. The descriptions are not just historical facts; they're the itch of dust on Sister B’s skin, the rattling of the train tracks, and the heavy weight of the air in a segregated bus. The book is sensual, rich in texture, and created more from what we sense than from history.
It is at this point that the book lives up to its full potential by exploring the bond between Sister B's Black American experience and the Japanese photographer's impact on the concentration camps. It can be overwhelming too, as Hart manages it with tenderness. One is not an equation of ours; life isn't as simple as people like to think, and it's neither suffering nor a neat resolution; the connection exists but is only messy and complicated. This is done in that it presents questions without defining easy answers, which is truthful given the complicated nature of the event. And by the time you finish reading "Sister B," you might be left wondering more than you did. What happened to the photographer subsequently? Can he have possibly withstood the function assigned to him? But this "what if' of the book being incomplete doesn't refer to the novel being incomplete. Instead, it requires a second look beyond the concluding section, making the story denser for it.
If you enjoy historical fiction that is emotional as much as it is intellectually challenging, then "Sister B" is that book. It reminds us that when it seems to be the darkest hour, human perseverance doesn’t let us down, and that not only the future but the past, too, is always an unlimited, incomplete story. This book truly merits a 5-star rating out of 5. It is sufficiently simple to comprehend the emendation. On the side of strengths, there are no negatives. I loved it.
******
Sister B
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
Latest Review: A Dream For Peace by Dr. Ghoulem Berrah
