Some People, Some Other Place

by J. California Cooper

Book Overview

J. California Cooper returns with a sweeping novel about love and heartbreak, perseverance and luck, telling her tale with an insight and grace that reaffirms Alice Walker's words of praise for her... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0385496826
• ISBN13: 9780385496827
• Release Date: October 2004
• Publisher: Doubleday Books
• Length: 368 Pages
• Weight: 1.50 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.2" x 6.5" x 9.7"

Customer Reviews

Superb.

"Some People, Some Other Place" is a cautionary tale that examines life - its love and losses, joys and pitfalls. The story reads like an ancient fable cloaked in spiritual wisdom and practical experience. Narrated by an unborn child from the spirit realm, the novel reveals the story of Eula Too and the inhabitants of Dream Street in a town named Place. Eula Too is the daughter of dirt poor sharecroppers. Her lot in life appears sealed when at the age of five she is recruited by her mother to help keep the house and raise the children. Eula Too's life changes when she is befriended by Miss Hart, a neighbor and former school teacher, who teaches her to read. With reading comes dreams and Eula Too decides at the age of fifteen that she can no longer live the cutoff, deprived life she's been born into. Full of hope and the desire for a life better than the one she has, Eula Too set out for Chicago and the possibilities that the city offers. It is in route to Chicago that Eula Too's and Elizabeth's lives intersect. Elizabeth rescues Eula Too from the side of a road after she is brutally raped by the man she has trusted to take her to Chicago. Elizabeth is the Madame of an elite brothel in a Chicago suburb. Eula Too reminds Elizabeth of a dear friend from her hometown, Place, and decides to employ the young girl as her assistant and confidant. During this phase of Eula Too's life, she is educated by a private tutor and has access to all the finer things in life that money can buy. It is in this place, surrounded by people who know the cost of everything and the value of nothing - least of all love and friendship - that Eula Too's life begins to lose meaning. When a family tragedy erupts for both Eula Too and Elizabeth, they return to a different Place with more life changing experiences in store for Eula Too. Cooper demonstrates in this novel how every life depends on another. How people and communities can implode in the absence of love. Not the possessive love that money tries to buy or the selfish love that can destroy lives, but the kind and generous love that can make you free. The author provides insightful commentary on the human condition within the socio-political context of a country where money rules and people are its servants. "Some People, Some Other Place" is a richly woven tale that is sure to engage and enlighten. The primary characters in the novel are fully drawn each with circumstances that easily remind you of people and problems that exist in real life. This is a novel to be read, deeply contemplated and shared. It is superb story telling with powerful messages. Highly Recommended!

another great one from her

i think she is one of the most talented writers ever. she writes about things that make you vision life and real people. This is one of best books that i have read.if you want to read about baby mama drama and cheating relationships this book is not for you, but if you need a good book that is a page turner then this is the book for you along with her other books.

Simplyl Beautiful

I am not done with this book, but I just had to get on here and say a few things: Please get this book. Usually books that have rape in it, for some reason, I am drawn away or read with caution, but Ms Cooper, to me is a jewel of a writer and as far as I'm concerned, you cannot help but love her books, and this one is no exception. If u really want to know, J.California Cooper is a gifted writer and I personally think she doesn't get her due. You read her stories, and you feel as though you can gain something from her books for your own life. Now with Eula Too, she loved life. She wanted the best and she didn't let life get her down. I loved Madam for what she done, but as time gets one and you notice her own feelings, you wonder about her motives. I am really enjoying this story. So beautiful and it shows that yes, you had a bad experience, but you can get over it and move on.

The Journey

Waiting to be conceived, the narrator in SOME PEOPLE, SOME OTHER PLACE watches Earth with great interest, especially a young lady named Eula Too, the narrator's future mother. Born to a dirt poor family in a dirt poor town a hundred miles south of Chicago in the early 1900's, Eula Too had no life of her own. Instead, she was made to care for her numerous younger siblings, her mother-who acted as if her job was to have babies, and the household which was barely more than a run down shack. By the time she was fifteen, she was burned out. So when her mother tells her she is pregnant, yet again, she walks out to find her own life. Over the past year an impotent man has been giving Eula Too money to allow him to rub up against her. She's been saving her money and plans on using it to get her start in Chicago. The man, a chauffer, drives to Chicago twice a week and agrees to take her with him on his next run. On the ride to Chicago, the man allows his friend to rape her, then the men leave her stranded on the road. Eula Too is found along the road by Madam Lafon, owner of a high- class brothel just outside of Chicago. The madam takes Eula Too in and nurses her back to health. Something about this young girl's innocence touches the madam's heart. She gives Eula Too a job as her personal assistant and over the years the two become friends. Now in her thirties, Eula Too realizes she still does not have a life or anything of her own. Even her spoiled child, a result of the rape and the narrator's sister, considers herself to be better than her mother and disassociates herself from her family. When Eula Too is in a town named Place helping Madam Lafon make funeral arrangements for her mother, she decides she will stay in Place and start a life of her own. Madam Lafon is jealous of this new life of Eula Too's. She'd kept her close to the brothel so she wouldn't have to share her. And now there is a man interested in Eula Too. What if her only true friend falls for this man? The older woman can't bear the thought of dying alone. She must make Eula Too see that this man is beneath her and stop this relationship before it gets out of hand. Simply put, SOME PEOPLE, SOME OTHER PLACE is a masterpiece. In all of my readings, there is only one other book that I have given this accolade. As an editor, I enjoyed watching Cooper smoothly intertwine the narrator and Eula Too's journeys, the use of everyday language to depict the often times complex and convoluted, the development of character and plot. As a reader, I enjoyed the journey from the heavens to earth, the emotions stirring within me as I grew to know Eula Too, the enlightenment of the lives of African-American families in Depression-era America. I could go on and on about this novel and still not do it justice. Reviewed by Deatri King-Bey of The RAWSISTAZ Reviewers

This Book is well worth the Wait!

You can't imagine the joy I felt, back in August when I was lucky enough to receive a bound galley of Some People, Some Other Place. I sat down and made myself comfortable. I knew I would enjoy this book I had patiently waited for the next J.California Cooper book. It had been too long since the last novel. Well this book is worth the wait. It has the good the bad and the ugly. You get so caught up in the lives of Madame, Eula Too, Jewel and the people of Place, they become people you care about. J.California Cooper never disappoints her readers. She has that down home make you glad to be here quality. The reason I love this writer is her ability as a storyteller, it's like you are sitting down in front of her and she is weaving this wonderfull tale and it is unfolding right in front of your eyes. By the time the narrator is done you are sad that your journey has come to an end. Much like my favorite J.California Cooper tome In Search of Satisfaction this book will pull you in from the beginning and hold you until the last page. You will be glad that Ms J. California Cooper took the time to introduce you to these people in this place. She is simply the BEST!!!