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Anonymous
Posted June 27, 2004
Captivating
Problems In Living caught me by complete surprise. Suddenly,with the turn of a few pages I was transformed into the world of Lana and Eve. I was not only captivated, but also caught up in their lives, thoughts, dreams, and experiences. I was brought into their world, and now, understand, and empathize the plight of the black woman experience. Every now and then, there comes a book, which touches your heart and soul. This, without a doubt is one of those books. Truly, one which will be remembered for a very long period of time.
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Anonymous
Posted August 9, 2004
Problems In Living by Melissa Brown Levine
Problems In Living Problems In Living captures just that. It is more than just a mere fairy tale of tv or book problems but these are real life issues and problems that are found in today's society. It is real and causes the reader to relate in many different areas. Whether it's unplanned pregnancy, family secrets or dysfunctional families, you'll find it in the world today and you'll find it in this book. What you will also find in this writing are the ways that people cope or not cope with these every day issues. Triumph and defeat are every day realities and depending on who you are and how you view life, you'll see it here. Levine has done a great job present every day life the way the way it usually happens. Reading this book makes you feel like you are just living life and solving problems and dealing with issues as in regular life. The escape in it though is that it will make you thankful if you don't have these issues. I applaud Ms. Levine for the substance that she put into her main character Lana, affectionately known as BB. BB is who most black women are today. She's strength for everybody who's weak, independent but knows how and when to be dependant to a certain extent, the nurturer for everyone but herself and she's even bull headed. She holds onto a lot of anger and disgust for a long time which holds her back in many ways. Yes, she represents the sisters very well. This is definitely an everyday story for every day people. You'll experience Lana's pain, her anger and her release as she realizes it's time to stop punishing herself and her husband Glorious. She finally releases herself to have children after all those years. And just as she does, her sister Eve who she has been protecting all their lives, takes her life as she discovers her unborn child will be a girl. Now doesn't that leave you guessing? For the whole story and a good one at that, have a seat and enjoy the work of Ms. Melissa Brown Levine. Ms. Levine, I look forward to more works from you!
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Anonymous
Posted July 9, 2004
I Am Woman--Hear Me Roar
Every once in a great while, we find an author who is blessed with rare insight into the minds of others. Melissa Brown Levine is such an author who spins words in an almost poetic style. Her characters are real people with real problems in every day life. Lala and her sister, Eve, are reared with the Seven Rules for Living from their mother. Eventually, these seven rules cause problems in living for both of them. The oppression of African-American women becomes worse in this story when their own mother favors light skin over dark. As a result, Lala carries a grudge against the world, and Eve hides away from the world. Lala is the strong one in the family¿the one who must take care of a fragile sister and the family of her abusive, drug-using brother. As she assesses others in life, the overwhelming feelings from her childhood come back to haunt her. ¿I believe at one point in her life she was the same as the young woman attending to her, but life has taught her what some of us tend to forget the further away from bondage years we get: We all still niggahs.¿ This assessment comes from one of the rules, and through her years of struggle against them, this one she cannot dismiss. Through this story, we see a strong woman who believes she is fighting against the rules, but in reality, the dignity, loyalty, and respect she fights for is something she deserves merely for being human. Melissa Brown Levine is an extremely talented author, and I very much look forward to future works from her.
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