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Rating: 
Summary: Delightful Coming of Age Saga
Review: Marvin V. Arnett has spun a delightful coming of age saga that starts in 1928 when there wasn't much to be delighted about in the United States. The Great Depression was about to strike, World War II was on its way, there were family tragedies and riots would hit the nation's large cities. In addition, the church sanctioned certain segments of the population making them pariahs. Marvin Sprague's family, although poor with her father working as a cook at a downtown Detroit hotel, managed to share what they did have with neighbors who were less fortunate in spite of the church's disapproval. Her father gave leftover food and her mother, with her magic sewing machine, turned out clothes for children who had only rags.In what was, indeed, a time of segregation, poverty and grimness, throughout the story Arnett's wonderful sense of humor lightens the heavy burden. She tells of the time when she was ten and had read all the children's books in the library. The librarian took pity on her and gave her a restricted adult card. Marvin promptly checked out a steamy adult book causing her father to roar and her to blame the librarian. He chastised the librarian and from that point on Marvin's visits to the library were not as pleasant as they had been; she stopped her regular visits until she was old enough to visit the main branch by herself. The book gives a social history of a time period that many Americans know little about. It has the personal touch that brings the Depression and the Detroit Riot of 1943 alive with characters the reader can readily relate to and empathize with. While each chapter could certainly stand alone, Arnett ties the whole together in a wonderful story that can be enjoyed by everyone. Reviewed by Alice Holman
of The RAWSISTAZ Reviewers
Rating:
Summary: When we were human
Review: There once was a time when the elemental Afro American family consisted not only of father/mother/offspring, but also included grandparents, the church and the neighborhood. This was a time when it was common place for three or sometimes four generations to live together in one home. The love, care and warmth of the family did not end when one walked out of one's house to go to work, school or play. Back then,"the hood", was in fact a true "neighborhood". "Pieces From Life's Crazy Quilt" recalls the golden days of Afro American social existence and life in Detroit during the 1930s - 1940s. What the author, Marvin Arnett has done is create a literal time machine that transports us back to those times in a very descriptive and emotional manner. This work is a intimate and insighful look into the life and influences of a child growing up admist colorful, warm and sometimes ominus character arrays. That Arnett includes stories and lessons from the bright and the dark side of her experiences speaks volumes for her knack at providing and maintaining balance in her descriptions of characters and environments. This is a work that will remind Arnett's peers that there once was a time where the neighbor hood was a nuturing and loving place. The younger reader who is looking for a better way of life and a better way of living it will be transfixed to discover what used to be and what may be possible to recreate. They need to know that there really USED to be a time when the black community in Detroit had empathy and mutual respect as foundations for behavior instead of the current impersonal co-existence. I look for this work to one day be transformed into a movie or musical play. The imagery is powerful. Kudows to the author for inventing a work that is entertaining, educational and most of all, practical. "Pieces from Life's Crazy Quilt" is a detailed and imagery loaded work that is also a warm, honest and some times dark snap shot of yesterday. ...and if we relly take to heart the lessons that Arnett teaches us, it can also serve as a potential road map for finding our way back home.
Rating:
Summary: When we were human
Review: There once was a time when the elemental Afro American family consisted not only of father/mother/offspring, but also included grandparents, the church and the neighborhood. This was a time when it was common place for three or sometimes four generations to live together in one home. The love, care and warmth of the family did not end when one walked out of one's house to go to work, school or play. Back then,"the hood", was in fact a true "neighborhood". "Pieces From Life's Crazy Quilt" recalls the golden days of Afro American social existence and life in Detroit during the 1930s - 1940s. What the author, Marvin Arnett has done is create a literal time machine that transports us back to those times in a very descriptive and emotional manner. This work is a intimate and insighful look into the life and influences of a child growing up admist colorful, warm and sometimes ominus character arrays. That Arnett includes stories and lessons from the bright and the dark side of her experiences speaks volumes for her knack at providing and maintaining balance in her descriptions of characters and environments. This is a work that will remind Arnett's peers that there once was a time where the neighbor hood was a nuturing and loving place. The younger reader who is looking for a better way of life and a better way of living it will be transfixed to discover what used to be and what may be possible to recreate. They need to know that there really USED to be a time when the black community in Detroit had empathy and mutual respect as foundations for behavior instead of the current impersonal co-existence. I look for this work to one day be transformed into a movie or musical play. The imagery is powerful. Kudows to the author for inventing a work that is entertaining, educational and most of all, practical. "Pieces from Life's Crazy Quilt" is a detailed and imagery loaded work that is also a warm, honest and some times dark snap shot of yesterday. ...and if we relly take to heart the lessons that Arnett teaches us, it can also serve as a potential road map for finding our way back home.
Rating:
Summary: Pieces from Life's Crazy Quilt
Review: This journey to the Detroit of the 1930s and 40s also takes the reader on a ride through the first years of a young African American girl's life--her relationships with family, church, and community, her growth toward an understanding of her own potential. Marvin Arnett's story is bright with both humor and poignancy as she clearly draws her characters and their struggles in a pre-Civil Rights American city. Her voice is clear and plain-spoken, and she creates an intimacy for the reader with person and place that will stay in the mind indefinitely. Read this book for its history, but read it also for its humanity. Marvin Arnett believes in humankind. The book is a testament to that hope.
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