Access Like Sisters On The Homefront Articulated By Rita Williams-Garcia Shown In Hardcover

Sisters on the Homefront
By Rita WilliamsGarcia


Coretta Scott King Award,
After a rough beginning where the main character Gayle shows that she can care less for school and just wants to have a good time with boys, men, and her friends, Gayle is sent down south to live with her relatives that she has never met.
While there she learns to listen to others and their stories and to look beyond herself,

stars. "Troubled fourteenyearold Gayle is sent down South to live with her uncle and aunt, where her life begins to change as she experiences the healing power of the family.
At, Gayle is pregnant. Again. The first time she kept the baby, This time her mother drags Gayle to have an abortion and then sends her away from the projects in Jamaica, New York, on a oneway ticket to family in Georgia.
For Gayle, it's like being "sold to slavery, " She's never met her mother's family, and they don't particularly want her in their big mansion, Only her greatgrandmother, a soul mate, loves Gayle's spirit, laughs at her irreverence, and tells Gayle the family history of slavery, protest, and faith.
"

I had to remind myself that this child wasand didn't know a thing.
Even though she thought that having sex and having a baby made her wise, Her uncle Luther was evil, Just mean for no reason, Honestly, his attitude wasn't a surprise, Bible thumpers like him, were not nice men, Great was the best.

I realize that family and friends failed the main character, He mother kept her at a distance, Her uncle, the only MAN present, made her feel unwelcome, Her friends, whom she shares men with, don't write and neither does her boyfriend Troy or her son's father José.


Great giving the genealogy, the Telling, at the end had me in tears, I LOVED IT!!! Reminded me of sitelinkHomegoing, the part about the sisters and the cowrie shells.
Gayle's fourteen and already has one baby after she gets pregnant and has an abortion, her mother sends her south to live with her aunt and uncle in Georgia.
At first she only thinks about escape, but gradually comes to be part of the family, after bonding with her fiesty greatgrandmother, called Great.
A quick read, and totally engaging it manages to be both funny and moving and also totally realistic, which is an impressive feat.
SPOILERS That was an absolutely stunning read, What masterful writing! Truly an art! I did not like Gayle at the beginning of the story, and by the end I was crying with her! How did the author DO that! The only likable thing about her, in the beginning, was her resilience to do whatever she wanted against an abusive mother.
But her choices were nowhere near wise, and I was horrified she didn't argue against the forced abortion at all.
In fact she was making fun of the women in the clinic who advocated life! Whoa, . some serious unlikability here. But the more she eased up talking about all the explicit things she had done, and the more she got to know Great, and the more she connected with her roots the more likable, and even lovable, she became! What a gorgeous transformation story! I loved every part of this story.
I had such a soft spot for Miss Brash and Sassy Gayle! I loved the rich history that was described.
I would actually love to learn more about Cookie and how Gayle and her mama are handling the south.
Ms. Great was depicted absolutely beautifully, Funny, witty, real! Joniece Abbott Pratt was amazing bringing this story and these characters to life, One of my top listens of the year for sure, Hmm.

First, why do most of the reviews for this book sound like middle school book reports

I don't even agree that this is necessarily "realistic fiction"there is a touch of magical realism, or lyrical fiction, at the least.


The writing style is beautiful, and the story premise is wonderful, I am shocked I didn't enjoy this book more, But I didn't. I wish it was longer and more descriptive, especially in terms of really painting a picture of the setting.
There were some beautiful scenes, like when Cookie's "pride" compels her to ruin a church solo, but others that dragged.
The Telling was hard not to skim through, I wonder if the author was shackled by needing ayo protagonist for the story premise but then being pigeon holed into writing a YA book.
I actually think the whole premise of "writing to readers a few years younger than the protagonist" for YA/NA books falls apart for a lot of stories, and this is easily one of them.
I think a longer book marketed to adults with the proper space to submerge the reader in the story would be spectacular.
I think I would have rated this higher if I read it another time, It was good but I believe I wasn't really in the right mood, Realistic fiction geared towards young adults, Experienced adults could read and enjoy this book also,
Many women could identify with the friendship between streetwise Gayle and purehearted Cookie, I wish Gayle had improved her spelling skills, I don't think she could read and write at a thirdgrade level, She was quickwitted but poorly educated, She had maternal affection and instinct but barely any scholastic inclinations, The ending provides hope.

I waited till adulthood to read this book, It was worth the wait, WilliamsGarcia takes reader's on a joyous coming of age story as New York born teen mother Gail as she's forced to live down to Georgia with relatives she barely knows.
While nursing baby Jose, who's only a few months old,Gail finds herself pregnant again, Not having it, her mother quickly takes her for an abortion and sends her packing down south to live with her strict and religious Uncle, Auntie and their outofdate daughter Cookie.


If I tell you, I have not wanted to slap a character in a book in quite some time,but this little girl made me want to go there.
From the way she spoke to her Mom, to the devious webs she tangled between Cookie, her suitor and family.
Gail was a force to be reckoned with, and she found that reckoning in Great her maternal greatgrandmother.


It wasn't until I finished the audio that I discovered the book was a few decades old.
The storyline was very modern with contemporary scenarios, The mother/daughter relationship was extremely believable, Rita WilliamsGarcia does a fine job of placing the reader right in the middle of the action, keeping them engaged with life of one unforgettable character.
I thought this sounded interesting, because I can't even begin to know what it would be like to be a twice pregnant, African americanyear old.
It's a great book. Hard to put down, and there's something deeply compelling about Gayle's hard shell I was fascinated at the idea that one of the things your community does for you is to fight with with you, That snapping at each other is a healing thing.
I loved her journey, even though it is certainly a hard one, And I particularly loved that she was alwaysinto her kid, Not always a stellar exemplar of parenting, but definitely very attached and committed to him,

Being reissued, got the advanced reader's copy from Edelweiss, I really enjoyed Gayle's voice in this bookher writing, her humor, her understanding of friendshipshe just seemed quite real.
I was afraid it would be a bit cliche, but the story ran and read quite naturally, although it seems a bit open ended.
Bravo on an easy to read story that was well told, This is still popular with adolescents despite being overyears old so I had been wanting to read it.
It is fast paced and dramatic, The dialect is a little dated, but gives the book style, I enjoyed Gayle's inner monologue and how the author used it to reveal how she was changing.
Preachy and straightforward in parts but overall still a realistic look at attitudes about teen pregnancy,year old Gayle is sent to the South with her son Jose to her Aunt and Uncles house.
Gayle is determined to get back to New York, but begins to learn and build roots by learning about her family history, and spending time with her cousin Cookie.
She learns about her familys faith and about her own place within her familys history, This work is touching, difficult and openly discusses sexual experiences, thoughts, and boundaries, Tw: abortion. There are some stories you just never forget, This is one of them, I read this story inwhen I wasyears old, around the same age as the main character.
Because of my ability to connect with the main character, I truly think this story shaped my teenage years, and also started my love for genealogy and family history.


I would definitely recommend this story to anyyear old girl, Well, I didnt realize this was released quite awhile ago, Liked the story but didnt like the main character, . . is that possible In Like Sisters on the Homefront, a foulmouthedyear old girl from around the way finds out she's pregnant for thend time.
Her mother, completely fed up with her, sends her south to her uncle mom's brother, She then twists herself in to a sisterlike bond with her cousin and unknowingly receives her family history from her grandmother.
It's an interesting book that seems more geared towards young adults, One of my biggest issues is the age of the girls, I think Gayle should've been agedand her cousin, Cookie, should've been, Not a big deal but perhaps the editor didn't catch that, Anyway, it was a lovely story and I recommend it if you can handle something that isn't as sophisticated a family tale as a Toni Morrison or James Baldwin novel but still modern and interesting.
A very well written, tightly edited realistic fiction for teens about ayear old mother sent to live down south with family members who don't like her.
Except for a finale that tied up lose ends a little too perfectly, this book was great.
It is perfect for reluctant readers and fans of urban or realistic fiction, I read threequarters of it inhours, WilliamsGarcia is a wonderful writer, but this book just didn't touch me, I wanted to like it, but somehow Gayle, the main character, just didn't seem believable, There were many inconsistencies to her personality, I longed to like the book, but this one just wasn't right for me, So, I spent a good part of this book wanting to have a stern talking to with this lil disrespectful girl.
She tested my patience in real life! Once the reader gets past her rudeness and stubbornness, the author deftly gives us a front row of her humanity and vulnerability.
This is less a story about this teenager dealing with the repercussions of her actions and far more about the importance of intergenerational ties, healing, rootwork and growth of

the human spirit through love.
When Gayle gets into trouble with her boyfriend, her mother sends the streetsmartyearoldand her baby, José, down to Georgia to live with Uncle Luther and his family.
There's nothing to do, nowhere to go, and no one around except kneesockwearing, Jesuspraising cousin Cookie, Then Gayle meets Great, the family matriarchand her stories of the past begin to change how Gayle sees her future.
The first thing you should know is that parts of this book specifically Gayle's speech and her narrationit switches from her thoughts to third person are in dialect.
It made it better for me because I could really hear Gayle in my head, but I know some people really hate it.
If that's you, probably avoid this book,

And Gayle isn't an easy person to like, at least at first, She doesn't seem very into being a mom it's clear she loves Jose, but she loses her temper a lot and she doesn't seem to like anyone but her friends and guys.
To be fair, I don't blame her for not liking her mom all that much,

When she goes south to be with the bulk of her family and is essentially told that she isn't going home until her mom says it's OK, she goes out of her way to make sure everyone knows how much she hates it.
She's rude and compares her chores to being a slave but it does seem like she's doing a lot, so I don't necessarily blame her for being upset.
I hate cleaning too, so Team Gayle there,  

She changes slowly, which I find realistic, And it's not like A Christmas Carol where she becomes a completely different person, She stays herself, just maybe a little friendlier and a lot more attached to her family,

I definitely want to read more by this author, She does a lot with a few words and her characters jump off the page, .