Some Things I Never Thought I'd Do (2009) - Plot & Excerpts
This story is about Regina Burns and how she turned her life around after getting hooked on drugs and almost losing her mother’s house. Cleage didn’t dwell much on the drug abuse, but it was the reason that Regina found herself in the predicament she did. There are other themes as well, such as the role of men in society–whether their role is as protector or predator—and how they treat women and children. Cleage also touches on how black men are perceived in society at large, and whether or not they can be deemed a good man even if they do things like have babies out of wedlock. Does that then negate every positive thing they’ve ever done? She poses this argument by showing the alarming lengths one woman went to in order to protect her dead son’s legacy and his image as a “good black man.” The cast of characters was quite interesting. There were the neighbors, Aretha the photographer and Flora, who lived with her daughter in Atlanta while her DA husband fought the good fight in Detroit. They had to live in Atlanta because of threats from the people her husband was trying to put away. Peachy was a sweet, funny guy, and it was bittersweet reading about how much he loved his deceased wife. Then there was Blue, the dark-skinned, blue-eyed black man who had been traveling through time to find his soul mate, Regina. I have to admit, I thought the reincarnation bit was weird, but there was no denying the strength and sexiness of Blue and the fact that he and Regina belonged together. Blue managed to offer protection to a small neighborhood on the west end of Atlanta. Utopia existed within its boundaries. Woman could walk home at night without being concerned about their safety, there was a community garden, men tipped their hats with a smile and said good morning, and kids could walk home from school without fear of being harassed. If you had a problem and “the bad guys” encroached within the boundary and threatened one of the inhabitants, you just let Blue know and he’d have a talk with the perpetrator. If talking didn’t work and they decided to act a fool again—or even worse, lay hands on somebody, the perpetrator might disappear. Most of the time he was a gentle guy, but it didn't pay to mess with anyone under his protection. Blue was like the Godfather for that neighborhood. In real life, vigilantism can be problematic because there would be too many gray areas and people with absolute power tend to run amok. But in the movies and in books, I applaud it wholeheartedly, and besides, Blue understood his power and knew how to control it. He didn't just go knocking people off all willy-nilly.One of the saddest parts of the book was when ShaRonda, only 12 years old, came home from a concert. She had thought her Uncle DooDoo would always protect her from the men in their neighborhood. (You know the ones. They prey on young girls. Unfortunately, her uncle was in deep with the worst of the lot, a man named King James who had a girl as young as ten years old turning tricks for him.) When ShaRonda arrived home, the men made lewd comments and started passing money around to each other—even her SOB uncle—hinting at what was about to take place. She ran upstairs, locked the door, jumped from a second floor window, and ran to her friend’s house—which happened to be in Blue’s neighborhood. Before that night, DooDoo and the gang made some foolish mistakes by encroaching into Blue’s neighborhood, but what happened to this little girl was the proverbial last straw. Long story short, Blue handled it. After that night, folks within and without Blue’s neighborhood no longer had to worry about DooDoo and his fellow criminals.I like the idea of men who are gentle but also fierce warrior/protector-types. Yeah, it would be nice to have men like Blue around to protect the innocents, and do what the police can’t. The romance between Regina and Blue blossomed, and they ended up together. The book ended on a high note, for which I was happy.
Some Things I Never Thought I’d Do by Pearl Cleage is somewhat of an urban fantasy romance. The story opens in Washington D.C. with Regina Burns having just returned home from rehab and is on the verge of losing the family home. With the guidance of her Aunt Abbie, she returns to Atlanta where all her problems began, the intention being to raise the required cash to appease the banker who half-heartedly wants to help her save the house that the aunt has mysteriously taken up residence in during her absence. The plot quickly shifts gears to Atlanta, Georgia where she meets Blue Hamilton, a savior of sorts from a past life. After a short courtship, the two fall madly in love and live happily ever-after. If only it could be that simple.Pearl Cleage is one of my favorite storytellers; she has the gift of turning even the worst of situations into something poetic and beautiful. I truly love her love affair with black love. However, Some Things I Never Thought I’d Do forces even the most die-hard Cleage fan to stretch their imagination, to let go of some strong beliefs, and to simply accept what is given as something beautiful and graceful, and right—even when we know it’s all wrong. The story is set in what I am assuming is a bad part of Atlanta, known as West End. I tried to picture this neighborhood, as I was recently in Atlanta and a morning walk to Publix led me past an apartment complex by that name. In the book, West End has been cleaned up and turned into a model area. Regina is inspired by the fact that women and children are no longer suffering at the hands of their male counterparts. She soon learns that the person responsible for this urban renewal is a “one-hit wonder” R & B singer by the name of Blue Hamilton. Blue, gets his name from his unusual eyes, which can go from the color of the ocean to sapphire to aqua, depending on his mood. I tried really hard to envision this fine dark-skinned brother with blue eyes but my mind kept going back some twenty years when I actually worked with a guy who fit Blues description except his were contacts and no one thought the look was sexy or cute. I felt at times that Cleage made things too convenient and too much was handed to me on a silver platter. This is where her great storytelling abilities come into play because it makes the reader want to stay with the story no matter how unbelievable the plot. My true problem with the plot was the notion that black men are at the root of all that is wrong in black communities and if we ostracize the black man from the black woman and child then the world is somehow a better place. The rational part of me wanted to look back to when slavery tore the black family apart, and the slave owner decided which families stayed in tact and to what extent. But Some Things I Never Thought I’d Do told me I had to believe in the dream of crime-free streets wher children can play without fear, prosperous black-owned businesses, and a neighborhood where everyone knows your name and gardens together. In order to go along with the tranquility of the setting I had to believe in Blue and his good Godfather mentality, and everything he did, right or wrong, was for the women and children. So by falling for this fallacy I also had to believe that Regina was the luckiest woman in the world to have not only been chosen by him in a previous life but yet again in this one. So I decided to go with the flow and allowed myself to enjoy the story.At the time I picked up Some Things I Never Thought I’d Do, I also grabbed another Cleage novel titled Baby Brother’s Blues, which happens to be the third in a series, so lookout for my review. For this one, I give Cleage 4 stars.Much Love,TracyTracy L. Darity is the author of He Loves Me He Loves Me Not! and Love…Like Snow In Florida on a Hot Summer Day. Her third novel, The Red Bear Society will be released December 1, 2011. For more information visit www.TracyLDarity.com.
What do You think about Some Things I Never Thought I'd Do (2009)?
I enjoyed the characters in this book and the friendships building between them along their journey. I especially liked Aunt Abbie who considers herself to be a visionary advisor.My favorite quote:"I don't hear voices," she sniffed. "I have visions. There's a difference, although you're still too full of estrogen to understand it." Aunt Abbie goes on the say "Estrogen is fine, but it definitely blocks a lot of female magic, especially the stuff having to do with being able to see the past and present and the future as all part of the same bolt of cloth. As long as you can have babies, you can't really focus on this stuff..."I found myself feeling very hopeful after reading that passage, not that I want to have visions. :PI guess I've placed a lot of value on child-bearing and child-rearing, and... Well? ...What comes next really? I think I need an Aunt Abbie! Do you think there is any truth to that estrogen philosophy?
—Kimz Zahour
I was able to get pretty engaged with this story. I like the stories she has to tell - they are compelling. I think it's interesting that she starts the story talking about drug addiction as though it were merely a series of bad decisions, with few physical or psychological ramifications beyond the loss of cash and property. I think she treats the topic a little too lightly, and with a smidge of judgement.I also take issue with the way she presents this "neighborhood cleansing," without much questioning of the morality of it. I know it's kind of a 'she's saying what we're all thinking' thing, but I don't think it's as simple as she presents it.I guess that ultimately, I feel like if she made more of an effort, she could write great books of substance, as opposed to lightweight books that are really enjoyable. Not that there's anything wrong with that.But still, I did enjoy it and kind of bonded with the characters. I'm reading Babylon Sisters now.
—Atena Oyadi
Content warnings: mentions of rape, mentions of murder, mentions of death, threats of violence, implied violence, mentions of drugs, alcohol usage, implied sexThis was honestly better than I was expecting. I mean I was expecting it to be good because she's a good author but it exceeded my expectations (or maybe my expectations were lower than normal due to being badly disappointed in the past....regardless though).I ADORE Nat King Cole. I need to put that out there. Because the author quotes from the song "The Very Thought of You" by Nat King Cole. So immediately upon recognising said song from the quoted lyrics I had to put on Nat King Cole on youtube as a playlist to read by. Which actually gives this book a REALLY GOOD atmosphere. So my advice? Put Nat King Cole on when and if you read this book.I like that this had a good ending. It falls under my list of books that don't bother me when they have a happy type ending. There were ups and downs and it was a good and fun read.The only thing that bothers me really doesn't have a lot to do with the book but more my own brain. When the ocean was mentioned/described, my mind conjured up enough of a visceral memory of the last time I went to the beach that now my skin feels like it has a layer of salt on it and I need to take a shower to get it off me. I've stopped smelling it finally but still feel like I have a layer of salt on my skin which is uncomfortable for me. And why I don't like beaches. But I have to give it to the author, she described it pretty well.And this book had me feeling emotional by the end. Like the crying type emotional. I hate feeling like that. But that's a personal thing that's neither here nor there. But on the other hand, it's a good thing that the book could actually have me feeling something.I can't express how much I liked this book. Go out. Buy it. Borrow it. Read it. It's good. Even if it is a bit fluffy at times. Doesn't make it any less good. In fact, I feel it kind of enhances how good it is.
—Blow Pop
