Among Others: A Novel

By Lois Griffith

Ever since she can remember, Della has felt as if she's stood on the outside, watching her own life unfold. Della's first memories are of the West Indian island where she was born--its coconut palms, a yard with chickens and a goat. Most particularly, she remembers the image of her parents' light-cinnamon hands against her own small black ones, and later, when her parents moved to Brooklyn, New York, the way the men of the neighborhood tried to make her feel bad about her "dark self." Theses memories, mingled with the anger and confusion they stir up in her, form indelible strands running through her evolving sense of self. But when her father is killed by two white policemen, Della begins to see how her own alienation is a mirror of a larger social rift. Watching as her Brooklyn neighborhood erupts in riots, she finds solace in Gregory, the sweet, smart, and light-skinned boy who lives in her apartment building. Together they discover the joys of sex, love, and music and dream of a day when Gregory will be a professional musician, with Della at his side. ???????? When Gregory leaves Brooklyn to go to college at Columbia University, Della follows and is unwittingly pulled into the confusing world of radical black student activism at the end of the 1960s. There she finds herself drawn to the charming, charismatic student leader Sam. As she struggles to make sense of the difficult and confusing times, she delicately traces the fault lines running through America's conception of race as well as her own image of herself. Writing with a unique beauty and subtlety, Lois Griffith has created a profoundly compelling story of race, love, and protest. And in Della she presents a character of undeniable appeal, both tough and vulnerable, whose search for identity--while rich in detail--is also universal in scope.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 051770367X
• ISBN13: 9780517703670
• Release Date: December 1998
• Publisher: Crown
• Length: 312 Pages
• Weight: 1.32 lbs.
• Dimensions: 9.5" x 1.0" x 6.3"

Customer Reviews

Della, Della, where are you?

This novel is a great rainy day read. It made me laugh, cry and question many things about my own realities. I got a little lost towards the end when Ben entered the picture. The novel took a turn here and seemed to be on a path to nowhere. Della's car accident also seemed to take up unnecissary space... time lost where I am wanting to know what's really up with Sam and Claudia? Della, Della, where are you? The same place her mother was. I give this novel a 4 out of 5.

Impressive

Griffith has made an impressive debut. Her work should definitely be showcased more, but in this age of commercial writing what can we do? Read more than the commercial mess that surrounds us. What made me want to read among others was the love that existed between Della and Gregory. Really the story is Della and Gregory's, but Griffith doesn't play that up enough.Instead the story becomes other characters. While all of the other character's are entertaining, they do little to make Della more self-aware. It would be okay if Griffith set us up for this in the beginning, but she doesn't. The thing that she does do with Della is she shows how she becomes the woman that her mother is- a woman who places to much emphasis on the males in her life and not enough on herself or her daughters. Griffith could have done more to show the parallel between Della's choice in men and her relationship with her father. That was a major point that got overshadowed due to the social activism which I loved and think that Griffith sets us up for this perfectly with Gregory. Griffith could have fleshed Della and her father more. Nonetheless the social activism also allows Griffith to cast some criticism of the Black Panther and perhaps Black Arts Movement. Kudos for that Griffith. As aforementioned, I really enjoyed the characters but there were some unnecessary ones thatreally dragged the story down and didn't allow it to be as fleshed out so that the reader could get to Della and Gregory. If nothing else,Griffith knows NY and has a serious eye for positively critcizing social activism. Griffith also has a knack for description. Maine really works. Pick this book up, Imma' give it a 4.

I couldn't put it down!

This is the type of story that sinks into your every waking thought. Della'a story is all of our stories from falling in love,falling out of love, and wishing love had never knocked on the door in the first place. Lois Griffith puts the reader in Della's mind and place. You're not just watching the story unfold, you actually feel you're standing in Della's shoes when she feels jealousy for Sam's ex, and past life, or when she felt betrayed by her friend, Nadine. Over and over again I felt like Della's story was my own. I read it in one rainy day weekend. I laughed and I cried and I wished there was more.

Great story by a talented new artist!

Among Others is a story of a young lady coming of age in the turbulent '60s. Della is an African-American (West Indian) college student in the Malcolm-Martin era, experiencing many of tribulations of the civil rights battles up close and personal. Her father and "roommate" were both casualties. I absolutely loved the depth and texture of the characters. Sam, Claudia, and Gregory were people I either felt I already knew or wanted to know better. Lois Griffith is a talented author. Great first work; I look forward to more in the future!