Makeda

"Eloquent and erudite, Robinson's oft-times mystical coming-of-age saga teems with rich and evocative historical insights."--Booklist"Hypnotic . . . one of the finest novels this year . . . [Robinson] is a gifted storyteller."--Essence"Makeda is beyond ambitious and imaginative . . . well written and powerful, with an ending that is equal parts tragic and romantic in nature . . . a breathtaking revelation, weighted with romance and lovely passionate prose."--New York Journal of Books"Robinson is not only exploring what it means to be black. His theme of knowing the past before planning the future applies to all cultures, all people. Pick up this odyssey of family drama, history and love, and be prepared to consider your own beginnings."--Shelf AwarenessMakeda Gee Florida Harris March is a proud matriarch, the anchor and emotional bellwether who holds together a hard-working African American family living in 1950s Richmond, Virginia. Lost in shadow is Makeda's grandson Gray, who begins escaping into the magical world of Makeda's tiny parlor.Makeda, a woman blind since birth but who has always dreamed in color, begins to confide in Gray the things she "sees" and remembers from her dream state, and a story emerges that is layered with historical accuracy beyond the scope of Makeda's limited education. Gradually, Gray begins to make a connection between his grPart coming-of-age story, part spiritual journey, and part love story, Makeda is a universal tale of family, heritage, and the ties that bind. Randall Robinson plumbs the hearts of Makeda and Gray and summons our collective blood memories, taking the reader on an unforgettable journey of the soul that will linger long after the last page has been turned.Review"Robinson writes with erudition about strange and wonderful matters."--Kirkus Reviews"Hypnotic . . . one of the finest novels this year . . . [Robinson] is a gifted storyteller."--Essence magazineFrom the Inside Flap"In Robinson's majestic prose and sweeping historical vision, the tongues of Virginia Woolf, Gabriel García Márquez, and Toni Morrison blend to remind us that we can renew our souls in the eyes of ancestors who return to us in whatever way our lives demand."—Michael Eric Dyson, author of Know What I Mean?“Rich and detailed . . . Makeda is a lively and irresistible story about family and the coming-of-age of an intelligent black man in twentieth-century America. At once tender, intellectually daring, and emotionally unsettling, Makeda joins that short list of great American novels.”—Kwame Dawes, award-winning author of She’s Gone“I have always loved Randall Robinson, and with Makeda I love him more.”—Bertice Berry, author of Redemption Song“Above all is Robinson’s way with language; his development of characters who float mythically through a story of epic proportions.”—Herb Boyd, author of Baldwin’s Harlem