From Publishers Weekly This novel about a black family living in St. Louis in 1957 centers on Betsey， 13， who is restless， wants to "be somebody" and is being bused to a white school. Her mother and grandmother oppose and her father supports integration. When the father plans to take Betsey and her siblings to demonstrate against a racist hotel， the mother leaves home. PW stated that "by depicting and personalizing the racial tensions of the 1950s through the lives of appealing characters， Shange has produced a memorable， quietly powerful book." Copyright 1986 Reed Business Information， Inc. Review “A lyrical coming-of-age novel . . . about a teenaged black girl who endures the trials of school integration.”—The New York Times“Ntozake Shange has recreated a humorous， charming， and heartbreaking vision of St. Louis and the Brown family that will delight young and old. She can conjure， as if by magic . . . [This book] is like an enchanting melody.”—St. Louis Post-Dispatch“Miss Shange is a superb storyteller who keeps her eye on what brings her characters together rather than what separates them: courage and love， innocence and the loss of it， home and homelessness. [She] understands backyards， houses schools， and churches. Betsey Brown rejoices in—but never sentimentalizes—those places on earth where you are accepted， where you are comfortable with yourself . . . [This novel] creates a place that is both new and familiar， where both black and white readers will feel at home. The characters are so finely drawn they can be recognized by their speech alone. Readers of Miss Shange’s poetry already know that she has an extraordinary ear for the spoken word.”—The New York Times Book Review“A beautiful， beautiful piece of writing.”—Houston Post“Exuberantly engaging.”—Los Angeles Times --This text refers to the Paperback edition. See all Editorial Reviews