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3.48 AVERAGE
3.48 AVERAGE
Mathis's writing is beautiful and this novel is heartbreakingly beautiful.
3.5 stars. This is essentially a collection of short stories - each chapter is from the perspective of a different child/grandchild of Hattie. I really enjoyed the writing but wish there would have been more tie in between perspectives or an ending that would bring more characters together
Well, this was definitely one of the most depressing novels I have recently read! The book's central character is Hattie, an African American woman who migrated from the South to Philadelphia with her mother and siblings when she was a teenager, then quickly marries a man who turns out to be at best goodhearted, at worst an irresponsible loser. Nevertheless, she sticks it out with him and has twelve children. Each chapter of the book is dedicated to a slice of life from each child - in no particular chronological order, but all sad and depressing. Not one child blossomed under these circumstances, or is very satisfied. I don't think it has anything to do with the migration to the North (as I remember the media explaining about this book), but rather that one mother stretched to the max, emotionally, physically and financially, cannot provide enough love and motivation for her children to overcome the desolute life.
This book is a family history of sorts. It begins with Hattie Shepherd leaving the Jim Crow South for a better life in Philadelphia. Hattie’s hope soon turns to despair after the loss of her firstborn children. Spanning the years 1925 to 1980, the book follows Hattie’s children and one grandchild, her twelve tribes. Each chapter concerns one or two of them as they strive to find a place for themselves in the world.
Though she is not the central character in all the chapters, Hattie’s influence is clearly evident throughout. It is her mothering, or lack thereof, that shapes each child. Saddled with a feckless husband, she must raise her children in crushing poverty. Devastated by her loss and faced with the relentless demands of caring for a growing number of children, she focuses only on providing their most basic needs of food, shelter, and clothing and preparing them for a world that she believes will not love them and will not be kind: “Hattie knew her children did not think her a kind woman – perhaps she wasn’t but there hadn’t been time for sentiment when they were young. She had failed them in vital ways, but what good would it have done to spend the days hugging and kissing if there hadn’t been anything to put in their bellies? They didn’t understand that all the love she had was taken up with feeding them and clothing them and preparing them to meet the world. The world would not love them; the world would not be kind” (236). Unfortunately, Hattie’s own spirit of hopelessness infects each child with the poverty of hopelessness as evidenced in the paths their lives take: one child is a closeted gay; another child becomes a fraudulent preacher; one son is sexually abused; another son becomes a gambler and a drunk; one daughter suffers from a mental disease; another daughter attempts suicide.
Despite Hattie’s failings as a mother, a discerning reader will find it impossible to hate her. As one of her daughters says, “Mother was never tender,” but “Mother has always done what’s necessary” (220). Whenever one of her children is in distress, she does come to their aid, even if that child has done something which hurt her more than she can find words to express (215) and which makes even the child believe she is undeserving of her mother’s forgiveness (190). Hattie too was a victim of circumstances: “Fate had plucked Hattie out of Georgia to birth eleven children and establish them in the North, but she was only a child herself, utterly inadequate to the task she’d been given” (236). Furthermore, she is not able to cultivate her inner life, as one of her daughter’s realizes: “Mother was a beautiful young woman; the house was too plain, too small to contain her. . . . I understood she had an inner life that didn’t have anything to do with me or my brothers and sisters” (221). When Hattie tries to escape and find some personal happiness, she is unsuccessful. One of her daughters observes, “She’d never seen any joy in her at all. Hattie had been stern and angry all of Bell’s life, and it occurred to her that her mother must have been unhappy most of the time” (201). Her husband perhaps best summaries Hattie’s life when he thinks, “There were too many disappointments to name and too much heartbreak” (106).
Hattie admits her shortcomings; she tells one of her daughters, “’I never did know what to do about my children’s spirits. I didn’t know how to help anybody in that way’”(215). Hattie’s sister gives the following description of Hattie: “Hattie had never been easy to love. She was too quiet, it was impossible to know what she was thinking. And she was angry all of the time and so disdainful when her high expectations weren’t met” (127). A daughter uses almost the same words: “How stoic and constant Mother was, how seething and unfathomable . . . secretive and quick-tempered” (201). In the end, Hattie admits, “She had been angry with her children, and with August, who’d brought her nothing but disappointment” (236) but suggests she is leaving that anger behind: “’But I’ve been mad all my life, and I finally figured out that I couldn’t keep carrying that with me. It’s too heavy and I’m tired’” (215). Anger “hadn’t served her when she was young and wouldn’t serve her now” (243). She may also have time to show tenderness: “she patted her granddaughter’s back roughly, unaccustomed as she was to tenderness” (243). It may have taken Hattie 55 years to change, but then human beings do not change easily, especially if they are as proud as Hattie.
I do not choose books because they are recommended by Oprah; in fact, I often choose not to read them if they appear on her lists. This time, however, I’m glad I overcame my initial reluctance. This is an excellent novel, especially considering it is a debut work. The story it tells of people “wounded and chastened” (111) can be bleak, but the book is beautifully written with a definite lyrical quality. The book may take the reader to dark places, but as Hattie says, “’Everybody’s been there’” (215), and we can learn from those visits.
Please check out my reader's blog (http://schatjesshelves.blogspot.ca/) and follow me on Twitter (@DCYakabuski).
Though she is not the central character in all the chapters, Hattie’s influence is clearly evident throughout. It is her mothering, or lack thereof, that shapes each child. Saddled with a feckless husband, she must raise her children in crushing poverty. Devastated by her loss and faced with the relentless demands of caring for a growing number of children, she focuses only on providing their most basic needs of food, shelter, and clothing and preparing them for a world that she believes will not love them and will not be kind: “Hattie knew her children did not think her a kind woman – perhaps she wasn’t but there hadn’t been time for sentiment when they were young. She had failed them in vital ways, but what good would it have done to spend the days hugging and kissing if there hadn’t been anything to put in their bellies? They didn’t understand that all the love she had was taken up with feeding them and clothing them and preparing them to meet the world. The world would not love them; the world would not be kind” (236). Unfortunately, Hattie’s own spirit of hopelessness infects each child with the poverty of hopelessness as evidenced in the paths their lives take: one child is a closeted gay; another child becomes a fraudulent preacher; one son is sexually abused; another son becomes a gambler and a drunk; one daughter suffers from a mental disease; another daughter attempts suicide.
Despite Hattie’s failings as a mother, a discerning reader will find it impossible to hate her. As one of her daughters says, “Mother was never tender,” but “Mother has always done what’s necessary” (220). Whenever one of her children is in distress, she does come to their aid, even if that child has done something which hurt her more than she can find words to express (215) and which makes even the child believe she is undeserving of her mother’s forgiveness (190). Hattie too was a victim of circumstances: “Fate had plucked Hattie out of Georgia to birth eleven children and establish them in the North, but she was only a child herself, utterly inadequate to the task she’d been given” (236). Furthermore, she is not able to cultivate her inner life, as one of her daughter’s realizes: “Mother was a beautiful young woman; the house was too plain, too small to contain her. . . . I understood she had an inner life that didn’t have anything to do with me or my brothers and sisters” (221). When Hattie tries to escape and find some personal happiness, she is unsuccessful. One of her daughters observes, “She’d never seen any joy in her at all. Hattie had been stern and angry all of Bell’s life, and it occurred to her that her mother must have been unhappy most of the time” (201). Her husband perhaps best summaries Hattie’s life when he thinks, “There were too many disappointments to name and too much heartbreak” (106).
Hattie admits her shortcomings; she tells one of her daughters, “’I never did know what to do about my children’s spirits. I didn’t know how to help anybody in that way’”(215). Hattie’s sister gives the following description of Hattie: “Hattie had never been easy to love. She was too quiet, it was impossible to know what she was thinking. And she was angry all of the time and so disdainful when her high expectations weren’t met” (127). A daughter uses almost the same words: “How stoic and constant Mother was, how seething and unfathomable . . . secretive and quick-tempered” (201). In the end, Hattie admits, “She had been angry with her children, and with August, who’d brought her nothing but disappointment” (236) but suggests she is leaving that anger behind: “’But I’ve been mad all my life, and I finally figured out that I couldn’t keep carrying that with me. It’s too heavy and I’m tired’” (215). Anger “hadn’t served her when she was young and wouldn’t serve her now” (243). She may also have time to show tenderness: “she patted her granddaughter’s back roughly, unaccustomed as she was to tenderness” (243). It may have taken Hattie 55 years to change, but then human beings do not change easily, especially if they are as proud as Hattie.
I do not choose books because they are recommended by Oprah; in fact, I often choose not to read them if they appear on her lists. This time, however, I’m glad I overcame my initial reluctance. This is an excellent novel, especially considering it is a debut work. The story it tells of people “wounded and chastened” (111) can be bleak, but the book is beautifully written with a definite lyrical quality. The book may take the reader to dark places, but as Hattie says, “’Everybody’s been there’” (215), and we can learn from those visits.
Please check out my reader's blog (http://schatjesshelves.blogspot.ca/) and follow me on Twitter (@DCYakabuski).
I thought it was well written scenes & characters but I did not like the format. The format made the story hard to really grasp on the whole. I think you would have understood the family dynamics better if it wasn't such a fragmented format. I thought it ended a bit abruptly too. I think I got the point of the book in relation to the main character, Hattie, but I also still think the format ruined a good writer's story.
It was easy to put down.
That said is was well written just a little too much like a bunch of unconnected short stories. (I am not a short story fan).
That said is was well written just a little too much like a bunch of unconnected short stories. (I am not a short story fan).
Review first published on my blog: http://memoriesfrombooks.blogspot.com/2012/12/the-twelve-tribes-of-hattie.html
Hattie Shepard is a child of the South. At age fifteen in 1923, Hattie leaves Georgia to seek a better life in Pennsylvania. She marries a man named August with hopes for a bright future. Unfortunately, that does not come to pass. In addition, her firstborn twins pass away because of a lack of medicine. Hattie goes on to have nine more children and works hard to instill in them the discipline and strength she feels are necessary to survive in a challenging world.
The Twelve Tribes of Hattie, as the title suggests, follows the stories of Hattie and, turn by turn, her children. To some extent, reading each section is like reading an independent story. The characters carry over from one to the other. However, the focus of each is so definitely one character that the commonality between them seems less relevant.
Unfortunately, because of this structure, I found myself not being able to really vest in any of the characters or develop that sense of emotional connection. By the time I started to feel a connection, the section ended and I felt like I moved on to a brand new story.
Each of the individual stories in and of itself is sad and depressing. So, at the end, I am left with a set of depressing stories - not really something I want to spend time with. I am glad to be done and ready to move on.
Hattie Shepard is a child of the South. At age fifteen in 1923, Hattie leaves Georgia to seek a better life in Pennsylvania. She marries a man named August with hopes for a bright future. Unfortunately, that does not come to pass. In addition, her firstborn twins pass away because of a lack of medicine. Hattie goes on to have nine more children and works hard to instill in them the discipline and strength she feels are necessary to survive in a challenging world.
The Twelve Tribes of Hattie, as the title suggests, follows the stories of Hattie and, turn by turn, her children. To some extent, reading each section is like reading an independent story. The characters carry over from one to the other. However, the focus of each is so definitely one character that the commonality between them seems less relevant.
Unfortunately, because of this structure, I found myself not being able to really vest in any of the characters or develop that sense of emotional connection. By the time I started to feel a connection, the section ended and I felt like I moved on to a brand new story.
Each of the individual stories in and of itself is sad and depressing. So, at the end, I am left with a set of depressing stories - not really something I want to spend time with. I am glad to be done and ready to move on.
In the first of twelve chapters, it's 1925 and we meet a young black girl of fifteen named Hattie. Hattie left the state of Georgia for what she dreams is a better life in Philadelphia married to a man named August. Each chapter is named for one or more of Hattie's children. In the first chapter, Philadelphia and Jubilee, we come face to face with the desperation of a young mother who looses her twin babies to pnemonia simply because she didn't have enough money for medicine.
Although I feel like I have everything to say about this book, I'll take a note from the authors book and restrain myself. One thing I will say is that I can't stop thinking about this book, this woman, her children and what she represents. Just how much the tragedy of loosing her babies and the effect it has on Hattie becomes known to us over time. Even the regret she feels for marrying a man who's good for nothing but they continue to live in a cycle of frustration and eventually, acceptance, is not revealed first hand from Hattie herself, but through the chapters of her children and their relationship with their mother.
"Maybe we have only a finite amount of love to give. We’re born with our portion, and if we love and are not loved enough in return, it’s depleted."
This is one of many quotes that resonated with me because as I grow older, I realize too, there are many things I finally understand about my own mother, now. Yet, there are other facets of her life that will remain a mystery. The sacrifices of parents, particularly a mother, who has made numerous sacrifices for the sake of her children, can be so engrossing, to a point it may seem and feel that her interactions with her children could seem harsh. But with so many mouths to feed, providing the necessities becomes Hattie's focus.
“Somebody always wants something from me,” she said in a near whisper. “They’re eating me alive.”
Hattie wanted her kids to be prepared for the harsh, uncoddled life that awaited e in the world they would soon face beyond their childhood homes. Hattie could be seen as a pessimist but her experience shaped her into a realist. It's not until we grow up, we mature a bit, when we realize that our parents have desires not much different from our own.
"She’d never seen her mother laugh that way. She’d never seen any joy in her at all. Hattie had been stern and angry all of Bell’s life, and it occurred to her that her mother must have been very unhappy most of the time. She wanted to know her mother as she was in that moment, so beautiful and happy that the bright afternoon paled in comparison."
Some might find the structure of this book a bit complicated because they can't connect with Hattie. But if her own family, her children, found it a challenge to do so, why would Hattie allow you, me, a stranger to do so? The moments of understanding are there: Hattie's heartbreak, hurt, her sacrifice, her longing, her desire to be happy. It's in there. I can understand it because there are parts of us that we keep to ourselves, some of those same things.
Although I feel like I have everything to say about this book, I'll take a note from the authors book and restrain myself. One thing I will say is that I can't stop thinking about this book, this woman, her children and what she represents. Just how much the tragedy of loosing her babies and the effect it has on Hattie becomes known to us over time. Even the regret she feels for marrying a man who's good for nothing but they continue to live in a cycle of frustration and eventually, acceptance, is not revealed first hand from Hattie herself, but through the chapters of her children and their relationship with their mother.
"Maybe we have only a finite amount of love to give. We’re born with our portion, and if we love and are not loved enough in return, it’s depleted."
This is one of many quotes that resonated with me because as I grow older, I realize too, there are many things I finally understand about my own mother, now. Yet, there are other facets of her life that will remain a mystery. The sacrifices of parents, particularly a mother, who has made numerous sacrifices for the sake of her children, can be so engrossing, to a point it may seem and feel that her interactions with her children could seem harsh. But with so many mouths to feed, providing the necessities becomes Hattie's focus.
“Somebody always wants something from me,” she said in a near whisper. “They’re eating me alive.”
Hattie wanted her kids to be prepared for the harsh, uncoddled life that awaited e in the world they would soon face beyond their childhood homes. Hattie could be seen as a pessimist but her experience shaped her into a realist. It's not until we grow up, we mature a bit, when we realize that our parents have desires not much different from our own.
"She’d never seen her mother laugh that way. She’d never seen any joy in her at all. Hattie had been stern and angry all of Bell’s life, and it occurred to her that her mother must have been very unhappy most of the time. She wanted to know her mother as she was in that moment, so beautiful and happy that the bright afternoon paled in comparison."
Some might find the structure of this book a bit complicated because they can't connect with Hattie. But if her own family, her children, found it a challenge to do so, why would Hattie allow you, me, a stranger to do so? The moments of understanding are there: Hattie's heartbreak, hurt, her sacrifice, her longing, her desire to be happy. It's in there. I can understand it because there are parts of us that we keep to ourselves, some of those same things.
I was very dissapointed with this book. It's not a novel, It seems like a book of short stories not even really related with eachother. The characters, even Hattie, are not deeply established. A total failure for me
I listened to this an audio book and didn't love it. I'm not even sure what the story was about, totally. Obviously it was about Hattie and her family, but it jumped from family member to family member and didn't talk about every child, only some of them.