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4.43 AVERAGE
4.43 AVERAGE
I have loved everything I have ever read by Bette and this one is no exception! This is the 3rd in a series but you don't have to read the first two to read this book. There are just characters that tie the books together and Bette does a great job of giving you some of their history in case you haven't read the previous books.
The storyline of this book touched on issues between whites and blacks in the early to mid 1900's. It is also a story of love, loss, faith and trust. Benjamin is a pivotal character and endures a lot in his lifetime including desegregation and learning that not all people will judge his based on his skin. I was amazed at his strength and character despite what was thrown at him in his lifetime.
This is a touching story and well told
The storyline of this book touched on issues between whites and blacks in the early to mid 1900's. It is also a story of love, loss, faith and trust. Benjamin is a pivotal character and endures a lot in his lifetime including desegregation and learning that not all people will judge his based on his skin. I was amazed at his strength and character despite what was thrown at him in his lifetime.
This is a touching story and well told
But in time such anger wearies a person. It weighs on them like a heavy coat, worn threadbare and without warmth. After a while the wearing of it becomes a burden, forgotten.
This is the third installment of the Wyattsville series and so far the one I have enjoyed the most. What made me love the book was its tone, style, and surprises. The tone was warm and inviting; the style was deceptively light - I thought at first I might not enjoy the book as much, because it seemed too light as in superficial. But the more I read and got involved, the more I enjoyed the words of wisdom tucked like gems in among the humor and the characters' thoughts and actions made me laugh but also made me think.
This book isn't a piece of fluff; it's got depth. And surprises - quirky little twists of fate that keep the reader well ensnared in the story. Passing through Perfect is a thoughtful, well-balanced story about life, its value, what's beyond, and about the fun and intrigue of a good mystery. I loved the book and would recommend it to anyone wanting an enjoyable, satisfying read.
This is the third installment of the Wyattsville series and so far the one I have enjoyed the most. What made me love the book was its tone, style, and surprises. The tone was warm and inviting; the style was deceptively light - I thought at first I might not enjoy the book as much, because it seemed too light as in superficial. But the more I read and got involved, the more I enjoyed the words of wisdom tucked like gems in among the humor and the characters' thoughts and actions made me laugh but also made me think.
This book isn't a piece of fluff; it's got depth. And surprises - quirky little twists of fate that keep the reader well ensnared in the story. Passing through Perfect is a thoughtful, well-balanced story about life, its value, what's beyond, and about the fun and intrigue of a good mystery. I loved the book and would recommend it to anyone wanting an enjoyable, satisfying read.
Another perfect story by Bette Lee Crosby.
Passing through Perfect is a book that will touch you in so many ways. Laughter, tears, anger, love.. It has it all.
Benjamin Church arrived home from WWll, where he worked on planes and other things that needed to be repaired. His mother had passed away while he was gone and his dad, Otis, is all he has left. He's a hard working man who never takes time for himself. That is until his dad talks him into going to a dance. What Benjamin does not know is that his life will change forever that night.
He meets the woman he knows he is going to marry, Delia. She's a preacher's daughter and her dad is very protective. When Benjamin and Delia tell him they are to be married and she is going to have a baby he banishes her from his life forever. Of course Delia is devastated and hopes for years that he will change his mind.
They have one child, Isaac, who is the love of her life. She wants him to have every chance he can and knows in the South that will not happen. Too much prejudice against black people. After Otis dies and Delia is killed by a white man Benjamin takes Isaac and leaves Alabama. He is going somewhere North to find a better life for his son and himself.
This book will touch your heart in ways that you will never forget. There are ups and downs along the way. Prejudice seems to be everywhere. Hatred towards a man who only wants to work hard and make a life for him and his son. Of course not everyone is bad. They run into some wonderful people who treat them like family. Who helps Benjamin get a great job and life so he can give Isaac the life that Delia always dreamed he would have.
Told from different points of view you will see how things were in the South in the 50's. Not a good time to be a black man in a white man's world.
It made me stop and think about how things have changed in some ways and remained the same in others. In this year, 2015, it is hard to believe that there is still such prejudice and hatred towards a person because they are different. It makes me wonder if things will ever change. I certainly hope so.
If you want to read a story that will stay with you for a long long time and make you laugh, cry, feel anger, sadness and happiness you have to read this book. The third book in the Wyattsville series. It can be a stand alone but is much much better if you read the first two before this one. Some of the characters from the other books are in this one and the way they are weaved into the story is no surprise to me. Bette Lee Crosby has a way of telling a story that makes you feel like you are there. You feel it all.
The title is PERFECT too. It is told in the story in a way that brought a big smile to my face.
Another 5 star book... I hated for this one to end!!!
Passing through Perfect is a book that will touch you in so many ways. Laughter, tears, anger, love.. It has it all.
Benjamin Church arrived home from WWll, where he worked on planes and other things that needed to be repaired. His mother had passed away while he was gone and his dad, Otis, is all he has left. He's a hard working man who never takes time for himself. That is until his dad talks him into going to a dance. What Benjamin does not know is that his life will change forever that night.
He meets the woman he knows he is going to marry, Delia. She's a preacher's daughter and her dad is very protective. When Benjamin and Delia tell him they are to be married and she is going to have a baby he banishes her from his life forever. Of course Delia is devastated and hopes for years that he will change his mind.
They have one child, Isaac, who is the love of her life. She wants him to have every chance he can and knows in the South that will not happen. Too much prejudice against black people. After Otis dies and Delia is killed by a white man Benjamin takes Isaac and leaves Alabama. He is going somewhere North to find a better life for his son and himself.
This book will touch your heart in ways that you will never forget. There are ups and downs along the way. Prejudice seems to be everywhere. Hatred towards a man who only wants to work hard and make a life for him and his son. Of course not everyone is bad. They run into some wonderful people who treat them like family. Who helps Benjamin get a great job and life so he can give Isaac the life that Delia always dreamed he would have.
Told from different points of view you will see how things were in the South in the 50's. Not a good time to be a black man in a white man's world.
It made me stop and think about how things have changed in some ways and remained the same in others. In this year, 2015, it is hard to believe that there is still such prejudice and hatred towards a person because they are different. It makes me wonder if things will ever change. I certainly hope so.
If you want to read a story that will stay with you for a long long time and make you laugh, cry, feel anger, sadness and happiness you have to read this book. The third book in the Wyattsville series. It can be a stand alone but is much much better if you read the first two before this one. Some of the characters from the other books are in this one and the way they are weaved into the story is no surprise to me. Bette Lee Crosby has a way of telling a story that makes you feel like you are there. You feel it all.
The title is PERFECT too. It is told in the story in a way that brought a big smile to my face.
Another 5 star book... I hated for this one to end!!!
Dollycas’s Thoughts
I read this book last week and then watched The Golden Globes Sunday night and though I have not seen the movie Selma yet, I thought all three of these things tied together nicely. With what has been happening around the country civil rights are still a huge issue even after all these years since that march from Selma to Montgomery. Rap singer Common said this in his speech as the Golden Globes when he won the award for Best Musical Score,
The first day I stepped on the set of Selma, I began to think this was bigger than a movie. As I got to know people of the civil rights movement, I realized: I am the hopeful black woman who was denied her right to vote; I am the caring white supporter, killed on the front lines of freedom; I am the unarmed black kid who maybe needed a hand but was instead given a bullet; I am the two fallen police officers murdered in the line of duty. Selma has awakened my humanity.
Bette Lee Crosby’s Passing through Perfect takes us to Alabama when people of color entered only through the back door of white people’s houses and had separate bathrooms and water fountains. A time when colored people were not allowed in most stores. We have come past those times or have we. We have elected an African American President, but a portion of the country, including some members of Congress that do not support him because his father was a black man. We still have people who are being judged by the color of their skin by the police, by employers, by their neighbors. They are also judged by their economic status no matter what color their skin is. People living in poverty are considered lazy and living for government handouts.
All these things are in Crosby’s book. Benjamin and Delia are both black. Benjamin is a farmer and a veteran. Delia’s father is a preacher. He believes Benjamin is not good enough from his daughter. Love doesn’t matter. Delia has to make a huge sacrifice to be with the man she loves. Then she sees the other side of life for people of color. Not every town in like her home town of Twin Pines. Grinder’s Corner is so small that they need to go to a bigger city for supplies and there are only a few places she and Benjamin are even allowed to enter. Even when Benjamin heads North and reaches Wyattsville everyone is not thrilled by his arrival. It even pits neighbor against neighbor.
Crosby has written a powerful and moving story. Every story I have read by this author has stayed with long past the final word. There are spots that bring a smile and several that may cause you to shed a tear. Her characters are so engaging you immediately feel invested in their lives and you hope and pray they have better days ahead.
I also hope and pray that people today that are being judged and held back have better days ahead. That there will be income equality, a stronger middle class, less people living in poverty, great education everyone can afford and that we all have equal rights. We have come so far in so many ways but have taken great steps backward in others. I wonder what historical novels written about 2014 will say about equality. This book has really made me think about what future generations may have to say. What stories will a future Bette Lee Crosby write?