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mbenzz's review against another edition
5.0
I read and LOVED Ms. Buckhanon's first novel 'Upstate'. I've been looking forward to reading this book for sometime, but was a bit skeptical that I would enjoy this book as much as I did her first. Well, I certainly was not disappointed. Ms. Buckhanon is an amazing storyteller. It was near impossible to put this book down. The struggles of Shivana Montgomery and her unborn child (yes, even the unborn child has a story to tell) are heartbreaking, yet hopeful. You find yourself rooting for Shivana, wanting so bad to see her achieve her dream of a 'Cosby Show' kinda life, and rise above her tough South Side Chi way of life.
As for the ending...very emotional, and not something I saw coming. I really don't want to give anything away, but, it was a memorable one. I find myself still thinking about it days after finishing the book. If you're at all interested in reading this, go for it. It's an extremely satisfying read...and when you've finished this one, go ahead and pick up her first novel. I absolutely look forward to future works from this super talented author.
As for the ending...very emotional, and not something I saw coming. I really don't want to give anything away, but, it was a memorable one. I find myself still thinking about it days after finishing the book. If you're at all interested in reading this, go for it. It's an extremely satisfying read...and when you've finished this one, go ahead and pick up her first novel. I absolutely look forward to future works from this super talented author.
mirable's review against another edition
5.0
SLJ review:
Adult/High School-Buckhanon's second novel firmly establishes her as a timeless voice for a new generation. The point of view alternates between 15-year-old Shivana Montgomery and that of her unborn baby. The two are tied together by the idea of young black women who are used and then forsaken by men. Shivana plans to abort the baby, whose father is a married drug dealer now in jail, but then she meets a man who makes her want to try to live a happy life, one that includes the child. The narrative of the unborn takes readers back in time through several generations of black women during the periods of slavery, Reconstruction, and Harlem in the 1940s. An authenticity of language and action permeates the novel. The realities of poor Chicago life and Shivana's desperation to escape lead to a sad, seemingly predestined conclusion, yet do not detract from the underlying foundations of love and hope. Teens who like Toni Morrison's work, Buckhanon's Upstate (St. Martin's, 2005), and other realistic novels will enjoy this one.-Charli Osborne, Oxford Public Library, MI
Adult/High School-Buckhanon's second novel firmly establishes her as a timeless voice for a new generation. The point of view alternates between 15-year-old Shivana Montgomery and that of her unborn baby. The two are tied together by the idea of young black women who are used and then forsaken by men. Shivana plans to abort the baby, whose father is a married drug dealer now in jail, but then she meets a man who makes her want to try to live a happy life, one that includes the child. The narrative of the unborn takes readers back in time through several generations of black women during the periods of slavery, Reconstruction, and Harlem in the 1940s. An authenticity of language and action permeates the novel. The realities of poor Chicago life and Shivana's desperation to escape lead to a sad, seemingly predestined conclusion, yet do not detract from the underlying foundations of love and hope. Teens who like Toni Morrison's work, Buckhanon's Upstate (St. Martin's, 2005), and other realistic novels will enjoy this one.-Charli Osborne, Oxford Public Library, MI
biblioemily's review
1.0
I found the narration to be more like an adult book than a YA novel--it wasn't written with the voice of a teenage girl. I also found the narrative of the unborn baby disturbing--as if there is a higher purpose for each pregnancy. And the ending...what was the message supposed to be?
blacksentai's review against another edition
4.0
This is a weird one. It's definitely the story of black girls in the 90s and the shit that goes through their lives. What I love is that this book could only be written by a black woman. It deals with intense subject matter in a way that only works if you're very familiar with what you're writing about. It deals in subtleties and actualities of life without falling into steretypes in any way. It's awesome. The weird thing is that large portion of this book that takes place from am unborn character. Not a fetus (and not any political statement about abortions or anything) but an conscious spirit thing that recounts the awful life of a slave woman and gives insight into the hard lives of pregnant black women in various circumstances. It's done really really well.
julia_dale's review against another edition
3.0
So sad... the middle narrative of the babies perspective was sometimes distracting but it added an incredible voice to the novel.
mochagirl's review
4.0
As the title implies, Kalisha Buckhanon's sophomoric offering, Conception, is nothing short of outstanding. Initially, I was truly concerned if she could deliver as strong and solid a follow-up to her hit debut Upstate - but with this second novel, she removes all doubt. She is truly a talented writer.
Buckhanon returns to familiar territory - the trials of adolescence set in 1992 on the South Side of Chicago where the story focuses on the unpopular, unpretty, undereducated, unmotivated 15-year-old Shivana Montgomery. A product of a single-parent home with a verbally and physically abusive mother, she naively becomes a victim of molestation which results in an unplanned pregnancy by the unemployed, drug-dealing husband of the family she baby-sits for weekly. She is a typical troubled teen hiding behind "ghetto-girl" attitude and street-wise bravado who grapples with school bullies, a despondent, distrusting mother, and humiliating, clandestine trips to the free clinic as she considers her family planning options. Complicating matters further is her budding love affair with a new guy in the building, Rasul.
Blended between Shivana's daily drama is the voice of the unborn spirit child who has been searching for the perfect womb to allow its birth to come to fruition. The child tells of its previous conceptions in 1842 to Yoshi, a young slave girl, impregnated by the plantation stud; 1892 to the homely and newly emancipated Darlene who is smitten with Tuck; and lastly in 1942 to recently widowed Southerner, Tawana, disillusioned by the promises and hopes that the North (Harlem) offered. To reveal more would spoil the plot for the reader; however, I will say, I found these passages equally as engaging as the present-day plotline. The wisdom and dreamlike sequences of the child are beautifully written segments of lyrical prose. The breath and depth of the story is not lost with the rich and heart-breaking stories behind the supporting characters. And the ending - well, I will simply say...Brilliant!
The book is masterful in that it combines age-old themes of abandonment and its embittering effects on those left behind, particularly the women and the children. The author seemingly has her pulse on the mindset of the youth and delivers to the reader a realistic glimpse of the obstacles, the sense of hopelessness and despair that runs rampant in their world. More evidence of her genius is the clever use of metaphors and symbolism sprinkled throughout the story. The use of color (i.e. the recurring white head scarf) and aquatic references (e.g. drowning and the use of water as a medium for purification, escape, and rebirth) yields nothing short of a page-turner that will appeal to fans of the urban, contemporary ficton, and literary genres. I reviewed an advanced reading copy in 2007 and this novel has solidly earned a place on my Top Reads List for 2008. Well Done and Bravo!
Reviewed by Phyllis
December 28, 2007
Buckhanon returns to familiar territory - the trials of adolescence set in 1992 on the South Side of Chicago where the story focuses on the unpopular, unpretty, undereducated, unmotivated 15-year-old Shivana Montgomery. A product of a single-parent home with a verbally and physically abusive mother, she naively becomes a victim of molestation which results in an unplanned pregnancy by the unemployed, drug-dealing husband of the family she baby-sits for weekly. She is a typical troubled teen hiding behind "ghetto-girl" attitude and street-wise bravado who grapples with school bullies, a despondent, distrusting mother, and humiliating, clandestine trips to the free clinic as she considers her family planning options. Complicating matters further is her budding love affair with a new guy in the building, Rasul.
Blended between Shivana's daily drama is the voice of the unborn spirit child who has been searching for the perfect womb to allow its birth to come to fruition. The child tells of its previous conceptions in 1842 to Yoshi, a young slave girl, impregnated by the plantation stud; 1892 to the homely and newly emancipated Darlene who is smitten with Tuck; and lastly in 1942 to recently widowed Southerner, Tawana, disillusioned by the promises and hopes that the North (Harlem) offered. To reveal more would spoil the plot for the reader; however, I will say, I found these passages equally as engaging as the present-day plotline. The wisdom and dreamlike sequences of the child are beautifully written segments of lyrical prose. The breath and depth of the story is not lost with the rich and heart-breaking stories behind the supporting characters. And the ending - well, I will simply say...Brilliant!
The book is masterful in that it combines age-old themes of abandonment and its embittering effects on those left behind, particularly the women and the children. The author seemingly has her pulse on the mindset of the youth and delivers to the reader a realistic glimpse of the obstacles, the sense of hopelessness and despair that runs rampant in their world. More evidence of her genius is the clever use of metaphors and symbolism sprinkled throughout the story. The use of color (i.e. the recurring white head scarf) and aquatic references (e.g. drowning and the use of water as a medium for purification, escape, and rebirth) yields nothing short of a page-turner that will appeal to fans of the urban, contemporary ficton, and literary genres. I reviewed an advanced reading copy in 2007 and this novel has solidly earned a place on my Top Reads List for 2008. Well Done and Bravo!
Reviewed by Phyllis
December 28, 2007
thisgrrlreads's review against another edition
2.0
Recently, everyone ahs been up in arms about pro-pregnancy books. This one is as well, albeit in an entirely different format where the soul of the baby gets to speak and recount the mothers he/she has passed through. In this iteration, she is inside Shivana, a fifteen year old black girl who lives in harsh circumstances on the South Side of Chicago. Shivana has a great voice, a very serious voice and her interactions with her mother make her a teenager. But overall she doesn't feel like a teenager and the baby's soul is distracting when it should be enlightening.
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