We had our book group last night. We had read a book by James Baldwin called “Go Tell It On The Mountain” (“Go Telephone The Mountain” was what the man in the shop went to look for when I asked for it), the story of the dark secrets that haunt a black family during the depression in Harlem. First published in 1953, it is based on the author’s experiences as a teenage preacher in a small revivalist church. It is a classic of contemporary African-American literature and describes the fire and brimstone spirituality, the hypocrisy, the segregation, the unrequited love, the confusion, the guilt that featured in their family saga. I’m glad I read it, but I didn’t like it.
We had the evening at my house because we’d heard that the member of our group who’d been diagnosed with breast cancer in the summer wanted to come. Since we last saw her, only a matter of months ago, she has had both her breasts removed, lost all her hair, is in the middle of her third course of chemotherapy and shortly due to start radiotherapy. It was lovely to have her back and I couldn’t get over how brave she was. She clearly didn’t want to discuss what she’d been through – I really wanted to talk to her about it or at least mention it, but perhaps it helped her to have an evening where she didn’t feel the need to bring it up. I hope so.
Mud in the City
November 14, 2008My mother’s going through chemo at the moment and if your friend is anything like heer then she will ahve loved havng an evening that doesn’t recolve around the dreaded ‘C’ word and when she could feel that things were getting back to normal.
It is infuriating to feel that your life has been hijacked by a disease!
the mother of this lot
November 14, 2008‘Go Tell It On The Mountain’ sounds a real bag of laughs.
A Mother's Place is in the Wrong
November 16, 2008What a very brave friend Lulu, and how much she has been through. Good that she has such lovely friends. M xx