Rating: 
Summary: A very good novel that should have been great
Review: "Your Blues Ain't Like Mine" is an ambitious novel. It begins with the murder of an African-American teenager in rural Mississippi in the 1950's. It then follows the boy's family, the family of the murderers, and other citizens of that small Mississippi town, for the next 40 years or so. Many of the Blacks in the story move north to Chicago during this period. So the story describes not only the social and political changes in the deep South during those years, but also the experience of those who exchanged the seething racism of Mississippi for the northern big-city ghettos.In choosing to portray such a vast - and critically important - period of American history, the author set herself a daunting task. There is a tremendous amount of material to cover in a novel like this. And the job can't be done thoroughly in 460 paperback pages. The author often condenses a major change in a character's lifestyle or philosophy into a single paragraph or even a single sentence. The characters are well chosen and sympathetic (except the characters who weren't intended to be sympathetic), and the book is well written and well plotted. But for myself, I found myself wanting much more than Ms. Campbell was giving me. I suppose that a 1200-page novel wouldn't have sold nearly as well as this shorter one. But a 1200-page novel, on the same subject and by the same author, might have been a historically great achievement.
Rating:
Summary: A very good novel that should have been great
Review: "Your Blues Ain't Like Mine" is an ambitious novel. It begins with the murder of an African-American teenager in rural Mississippi in the 1950's. It then follows the boy's family, the family of the murderers, and other citizens of that small Mississippi town, for the next 40 years or so. Many of the Blacks in the story move north to Chicago during this period. So the story describes not only the social and political changes in the deep South during those years, but also the experience of those who exchanged the seething racism of Mississippi for the northern big-city ghettos. In choosing to portray such a vast - and critically important - period of American history, the author set herself a daunting task. There is a tremendous amount of material to cover in a novel like this. And the job can't be done thoroughly in 460 paperback pages. The author often condenses a major change in a character's lifestyle or philosophy into a single paragraph or even a single sentence. The characters are well chosen and sympathetic (except the characters who weren't intended to be sympathetic), and the book is well written and well plotted. But for myself, I found myself wanting much more than Ms. Campbell was giving me. I suppose that a 1200-page novel wouldn't have sold nearly as well as this shorter one. But a 1200-page novel, on the same subject and by the same author, might have been a historically great achievement.
Rating: 
Summary: The summer that turned sour.
Review: "Your Blues Ain't Like Mine" is about a AfricanAmerican male name Todd from Chicago, who visits the deep south(Mississippi) during the summer, to see relatives. Not knowing how racist and segregated Mississippi was at the time, he tells a married white woman name Lily something in French,her husband Floyd got upsetso he decides to tell his father-in-law and brother-in-law about it, then they payed Todd a visit. This situation resulted in a violent death. All three men beat Todd to death. This incident changed the state of Mississippi forever. It was really sad at first but it made me realize that racism actally exist more in the Deep South than anywhere. Not only does it exist but a change has to be made to resolve this problem which is not getting any better but getting a whole lot worse. I'm not saying that racism is only in the south, its everywhere,and it needs to be stopped.
Rating:
Summary: Kept me up into the wee hours of the morning--that good
Review: A great story of how the South changes after WWII, through the eyes of people across socioeconomic and racial lines. I really enjoyed it and recommend it to anyone who wants to read a serious novel..
Rating:
Summary: A Touching Story
Review: Bebe Moore Campbell has done a beautiful job with writing YOUR BLUES AIN'T LIKE MINE. Even though I did not have a child at the time of the reading, I still felt the hurt that the mother felt when she lost her son. Bebe, you are a wonderful writer. Keep up the good work, Girlfriend.
Rating:
Summary: Excellent Reading!!!!
Review: Bebe took us back, way back and gave us a history lesson to some degree. This book had no racial boundries, it let you know at one point and time we all had the "blues". I couldn't put the book down until I finished. Excellent reading!!!
Rating:
Summary: "Brilliantly written!!!"
Review: Before I got half way through the book, I was wondering why
wasn't a movie ever made of this one. I had to keep going
back to the biography page just to see who this little lady
is. Talk about being in tune with and just knowing how people think!!!
Rating:
Summary: A Joy to Read!
Review: Campbell's novel is one that is to be commended. I thoroughly enjoyed the story and her writing style. Sticking to detail but not adding too much is just what any reader appreciates and she comes through time and time again. Campbell wrote a book that contains so many characters and covers the span of nearly four decades and not once did she lose my attention or respect for her genious. Lovers of Toni Morrisson and Maya Angelou will certainly want to give Bebe Moore Campbell a try.
Rating:
Summary: GREAT, GREAT, GREAT
Review: Can it get any better? This was an EXCELLENT read. I put the book down a few times in the beginning because I just couldn't get through it. Not because it was bad but because it was so sad and reading about racism in the past saddens me. Once I finished the book and thought of how she tied this story together I could not help but to say "this must really be a skilled sistah to write something so touching". I have never, ever read a book the told such a story so damn well. I was touched. I actually cried at many times in the book. SHE IS A GREAT WRITER blessed with a skill for story telling. May God continue to bless her!
Rating:
Summary: A REALITY FOR MANY BLACK-AMERICANS,
Review: Dear Mrs. Bebe Moore-Campbell; After reading a portion of your YOUR BLUES AIN'T LIKE MINE while waiting for my friend to finish dressing some time ago, I had promise myself to buy and finish reading it one day. But as is many promises, I soon forgot it. Then one day recently I happen to be listening to my favorite talk radio station and heard Mrs. Bebe Moore-Cambell talking about the same book, she was here in Chicago on a book signing tour. I called in spoke to her briefly, and promise to rush right down and purchase a signed copy from her. Not only was she a delightful person, in person, the sister is very heavy upstairs (smile). As for her book, YOUR BLUES AIN'T LIKE MINE, Once started, I couldn't put it down until I had finish it. Me, being in my 60s,, 66 to be exact, had experience many of the happening she wrote of in her book. The only part I found her lacking in, were her mentioning of the Korean war. But then I had served there as a combat infantryman; and wrote of my experiences there in WHAT'S A COMMIE EVER DONE TO BLACK PEOPLE? In it I detailed the psychological effect the war had on me, a then 17-year-old kid fighting in a racist United States army. A war where we black soldiers soon realized the bitter irony of our situation--supposedly fighting to protect the rights and freedom of an ethnic people, many of us had never heard of before; even as that freedom was denied us in our own country. My experience was a rude awakening to the realities, not only of life and death, but of politics. Writing this book was one of the most difficult decision of my life. But perhaps it'll serve as an inspiration to other Black-veterans, to tell their stories, our history; and encourage talented writers/educators such as Mrs., Bebe Moore Campbell, to continue with her very enlightening and POWERFUL portrayer of a REALITY of life that we African Americans have experience. I am sorry I can only give her FIVE-STARS.
| 
