The Women of Brewster Place by Gloria Naylor

On Inauguration Day, there was a breakout star in attendance and her name is Amanda Gorman, the 22-year-old National Youth Poet Laureate. When she stood on that podium with her fierce yellow coat and bright read headband, she read her poem, “The Hill We Climb” with the skill of a more seasoned performer well beyond her years. Her poem was not only exciting, but also unifying. Her words provided hope and confidence, a road map for reconciliation. She gave us what we needed most: a sense of community. When she said, “and the norms and notions of what ’just’ is isn’t always justice” reminds me of this book, “The Women of Brewster Place.” Written by Gloria Naylor and first published in 1982, the book is comprised of seven stories about women living in urban housing development in an undisclosed city, such as New York or Chicago. The stories about Mattie Michael, Etta Mae Johnson, Cora Lee and others depict these women as they try to survive while holding fast onto their hopes, dreams and desires. The women’s stories seem unique to their surroundings, but are at the same time, stories that continue to happen across America every day: Economic struggles made harder by family pressures from parents and spouses, while raising young children. The fact that the women remain open hearted in the face of neglect and abuse makes the reader feel there is always hope, if only one remembers to continue to dream outside your own four walls. As Amanda Gorman concluded, “If we’re to live up to our time, then victory won’t lie in the blade, but in all the bridges we made. That is the promise to glade the hill we climb. If only we dare, it’s because being American is more than a pride we inherit. It’s the past we step into and how we repair it.” To purchase this book on Amazon click here.