This is one of those authors who makes me say, "Wow! I hope other people see MY writing this way." The story is well-paced and intersting but what's more importnat about this writer is that she get to the heart of what the characters are FEELING and shows us all of their emotions, the good, the bad and the ugly.

There are too many Black authors out there right now who are getting success based on the boom in black fiction rather than actual talent. Ms. Golden DESERVES the praise she gets and I HOPE someone is paying her what's she's worth!

I LOVE the way this lady writes. Someone passed me her most recent hardcover(I read alot, but had not even heard of this author). It affected me so deeply, that I ordered her entire backlist. Her characters are so well-drawn out (they are literally "fleshed out") and so real, her tales of ordinary life (which easily engages the reader in a world which can be related to)and her observations so stirring and poignant, that she gives the reader of each of her stories with many verbal gifts. "Affecting" is an understatement. "Long Distance Life" starts at the present and then goes backward in time, eventually ending again with the present. It is about one woman who bravely leaves her home and husband in the South, in search of herself and a life without such narrow confines. She establishes her own business, marries and gives birth to a daughter. Her daughter grows up, has a baby with a married man, and then eventually leaves her home and child to join the Civil Rights Movement and to find her own purpose. To reveal any more of this story would be unfair because the writing is simply so beautiful,it must be experienced. This author is a real gift!

This was a great read. Ms. Golden gave us a clear view of the city through the characters eyes at a time when this, DC, was at its best in appearance. The love and struggle of this family is one that we as african americans can all relate to, not mention the voyage that carries us to and through each day of our life. Ms. Golden, as always, has done a terrific job. I could not put it down. This is much more worthy of a movie deal than some I want mention.

When I was 12 years old our family went on vacation to Folly Island South Carolina. I had been a shell enthusiast since I was in diapers and we got to stay in a beach house owned by my uncle. I was in heaven! I grew up in the northeast and had never seen any of the shells that seemed to be common place there. Unfortunately, up to then I had never owned a book on shells and knew little about them or even what to call most of them. On my second day there my aunt gave me a little book with shells on the cover. I opened it up and it opened a whole new world for me. I was mesmerized. I now had a source of information about my favorite pastime. I looked up and found each and every shell I had found and even learned how to clean and take care of them like a professional. That book was Seashells of the World. Thirty years later I now have thousands of shells and hundreds of books on shells, many of them quite advanced but to this day that little book is my favorite by far. I have worn out my tenth copy and never go anywhere without a copy. It is perfect for all ages from toddler to adult.

As a teacher I used this book for the first time with Elementary school children. Who love it and find it easy to use. They actually get excited about Seashells! I am going to buy more copies for each child in my class! I always wondered about the names and classifications of many of the shells that I have found along the Florida Coast, and now I know!!!

As one of the illustrators (Marita), I would like to point out that I produced many of these illustrations from black and white photographs of perfectly shaped shells which were then colored according to the colors and patterns on recently acquired shells...the illustrations therefore are quite special in that they are the prototypes for their classification.

In the very public work that I do, I too often hear, as I just heard yesterday, well-meaning white people say, "The way to take care of diversity is to never mention it again."

And it is this kind of message that reminds me that we have a ways to go in race relations.

This book is a collection of stories from famous women, both white and black, about their experiences with race.

While every chapter had me deeply moved, I must say that the chapter titled, "Contents Under Pressure: White Woman/Black History," by Catherine Clinton, was the most moving.

This is a story about a white woman who teaches African-American History.

This is, a reverse discrimination story that has value for everyone to read. By her name, and her profession, she is assumed to be African-American. But she is Caucasian.

Her published work has led to many invitations to speak on race relations.

But, when they meet her, in person, and see that she is not African-American, things change.

And she had to put in a tremendous amount of time, to show that she is here to stay, despite the resistence of others.

In the end, this professor taught her students that the thickness of your skin, and not its color is a useful measure for success.

This is a professor whose mission lives on through her students.

I invite everyone male or female, of all races to read this book, as you think of yourself as a fly on the wall.

You will grow, beyond your wildest dreams.

As we begin to approach the next century, race is still an important issue that should not be ignored or denied. As we live in a multiracial society, it is important to take time out and listen to ourselves and others. This is a provocative book that should be read by all women who take the time to intellectually consider themselves and their role as women and mothers, sisters, neigbors, and lovers. How will we teach our children and eachother to consider race? These essays bring forth some harsh realizations of the boundaries that truly separate black and white women and what must be overcome if we truly want to unite. It is a good dose of reality that many of us would benefit from not only reading, but thinking about and discussing. The truth is awfully hard to swallow.

Every woman who has ever been in love must read this book. It is very touching as you read each women's experience and attitude toward relationships with black men. There is something for everyone to relate to. A truly enlightening as well as informative book that captures the culture of "being black" and intertwines it with the many aspects of relationships that black women experience.

This book was simply amazing!!! To hear the voices of some of the most incredible and inspired writers in the nation was a delicious treat that evoked all sorts of emotions and thoughts. The range and delightful stories makes you think that you have somehow had an opportunity to eavesdrop at a "hen party" where the participants allow their truths to come forth. Thanks to the contributors. This is an important piece of literature which will inspire, educate, entertain and delight.

'And Do Remember Me' is one of the best books I've read in a long time! The characters are appealing and the story sad but triumphant. And as an extra added bonus, included toward the end of the book is the most romantic scene you ever want to read. I read the book cover to cover in less than 12 hours, it was that good.

This is the story of Faith, Serena, and Crystal. The three ladies first meet at a white college where they all are roommates. The novel's let's you find out what happen to the ladies after college. Faith becomes a muslim, Serena ends up movin and working in africa, and Crystal marries a white guy. The book is real good, it's written from all of the women's viewpoint.

Reading this book made me realize that the world hasn't changed. Serena, Faith and Aisha all are looking for their place in society and each go about finding it her own unique way, using their God given talents. I'm glad I read this because it teaches about the African American authors that came before Terry, EJD and E Lynn Harris whom these authors emulate.

This book kept my interest from the very beginning because it was so true to life. I have a best friend who has had the same experience. Reading the book brought back all the feelings that I shared with her while she was going through her custody battle. She too had a manipulating husband and the court system seemed to rule against her time and time again. What a great read? I recommend it very highly.

With this wonderful compilation of some of America's finest African American authors - you can't lose. This is a great mix of humerous, mysterious and romantic short stories that will have you wanting to keep reading. Whatever your literary flavor....Gumbo serves it up.

This is an outstanding collection of stories by a wide variety of authors. There is something for every taste. Gumbo is a great introduction to a lot of new writers. Definitely a savory dish!

I love to read books about people like me and I love short stories...this book put both into one and introduced me to a variety of writers I didn't know about along with ones I already did. I ended up buying a couple more books because the short story was so interesting (ex. Douglass Women & Ain't nobody's business if I do). It's a very good source for writers to show off and I thoroughly enjoyed it and tried to roll with the WHOLE book page by page.

The Edge of Heaven by Marita Golden was boring, slow, uninteresting, unexciting, and is for people who like to read about family problems. This book had no plot, and no attention grabber. It was very hard to get into. Other readers may enjoy the book. "Come on Teresa. Are you sick?" "No, I'm fine." BORING! "Do you want me to fix you a plate, Teresa?" Not very exciting! "I'll be glad to meet him. Or would that be too much to ask?" Prime example of family problems. This author, surley was not directing this kind of book to teenagers. It would be more for adults ages ranging from 25 and older. Being a teenager, it was not a very interesting book to read. Good Luck to anyone else who reads this book. But just as it was said before,this book was boring, slow, uninteresting, unexciting, and is for people who like reading about family problems.It had no plot or attention grabber. Marita, try writing something for a younger crowd!

This story was so good, I hated to see it come to an end. The language was so evocative and the characters so vividly drawn with plotting that was wonderfully paced ... I felt under a spell until the very last page.

I really enjoyed reading The Edge of Heaven.It is a wonderfully told story basically in the first person as Theresa expresses her emotions once her mother has been released rom prision.Its a good read about how an incident can destroy a family and yet how the same incident can bring them back together. Theresa has to lea learn some hard lessons but the story ends in a beautiful and realistic manner. The author's description of even the prision is reala dn provides dignity to the characters.It was good reading a book about financially succesful African Americans. The book is also integenerational and a salute to African American females. I have read the authors Migrations of the Heart and A Woman's Place-both of which i enjoyed and look forward to reading Long Distance Life.Marita Golden is a gifted writer.

Passing, written by Nella Larson, portrays the thoughts and feelings of a black woman dealing with inter-racial issues during the early twentieth century. The main character Irene Redfield, who has led a semi pleasant life with her husband and child finds herself dealing with issues brought upon by her past childhood friend Claire. Claire creates an intense and unstable environment for Irene and her family throughout most of the story. Towards the end a dramatic and suspenseful moment leaves the reader to create an ending in itself. I enjoyed Passing and found it to be an interesting book in relation to the early Harlem Renaissance years.

I rate this book highly insomuch as it held my attention to the end. It reads like a novel, which makes it difficult to put down. I recommend it to anyone interested in understanding the challenges of inter-cultural marriages, especially as lived in a foreign country. But the powerful lessons of this book cannot be grasped unless the reader takes into account the inherent flaw of all autobiographies: It is one-sided.

The reader is pulled into the life of Marita and is forced to see and feel the sadness, happiness, and grief of her life. The images she paints of the characters are less reflections of reality than they are reflections of what she has seen in them. Although the American is inevitably disturbed by some Nigerian cultural traditions, a closer look reveals American culture is just as, if not more, disturbing. Marita's story illustrates, perhaps unintentionally, the severe judgment and selfishness of Americans that prevent true multi-cultural understanding. Some passages reveal this more profoundly than others. In one, she discusses the culture of arranged marriages. As she reflects on the American girlfriends of a Nigerian man, she ponders the contradictions as she remembers the women: "Girls like me. Who chose their own husbands. Who thought love was a miracle that bound them to him...Yet when he wanted to marry, he sent home for a wife. A stranger whose body had curves and secret places he would discover only after the fact. A woman of his culture to whom he would owe no explanations. A faceless, anonymous, obedient woman." As an American, I could relate to her perspective, but I could not help feeling ashamed of it also. It is embarassingly one-sided, and the condescending tone is too profound to ignore.

Once married, Marita's American contradictions become more pronounced as she is openly repulsed by polygamy but condones and even commits adultery. The most disturbing part of the book is also the clearest example of the autobiographical flaw: when her emotional "needs" take precedence over even the right of her child to have a father. She was no more innocent than her husband in destroying the marriage she is hurt by. She imagines a desperate situation when there was really only the realities of a troubled marriage, where the sins of both husband and wife are clear and it is impossible to guage who is more guilty.

The only reassurance I felt at the end was the reminder that the author was young when she wrote--and experienced--this. Perhaps, now that she has grown older and wiser, the wisdom of age has inspired her to live her life with more sensitivity to the needs of her child and his father, instead of forcing them both to suffer because of hers.

The author goes into detail about growing up in Washington, DC and then talks about her relationship with her African husband and the other relationships that women and men have formed with Africans. Her marriage at most, was turbulent due to patriarchal customs. She befriended a woman in Nigeria who was an African-American married to a Nigerian who was barren and treated as an outcast by his family and him. Marita has heard from this woman that women have left their husbands not even requesting for their things that they have left behind. The author thought that because she was marrying an African, she would have been treated better. Sadly, she learned that a man is a man, no matter what ethnic origin he is.

This story begins in the 60's, during a time that there was a constant question in the air, I believe, of Blacks, amongst Blacks and Africans, regarding loyalties.

I truly loved reading this autobiography, because Ms. Golden lives through many social pressures, that in the beginning she accepted as part of her responsibility to live in, and endure.

She marries a man who in the beginning seemed like the right guy. But soon learns that her self-concept, her causes and her life view conflict with her husband's emotionally shut down attitude. It also conflicts with the unspoken social rules that her in-laws expect of her.

I especially adored some of the wisdom that Ms. Golden shares in this book, when she learned from other women, "Our husbands will forgive infidelty. But a betrayal of our most importnat duties as wife, that's what they'll never forgive."

She asks what is meant by this, and is told a very true, unspoken message that is part of every culture. The message is that the duty of all wives, according to traditionally thinking men, is that we are there to set the stage on which their lives will unfold.

I had the opportunity, after reading this book to ask many men what they think of this message. And I asked in different ways, to each men. The answer was the same - "Yes. It is true."

And for the women that I discussed this with, they responded with, "Wow. That is true."

A message like this, one which we women learn, and make part of our lives, can make a huge difference in our relationship, because then we are more able to accept that if we are to set the rules, from the very beginning, and be consistent with those rules, we are more apt to get what we want.

Read this little book to explore a woman's journey to finding her place in life.