White Mandingo Part II: The Conclusion

By Maurice Blaise and Ellen Blaise

A 60's "Woodstock" Vermonter realizes there has to be more to life than LSD and rock n'roll. He leaves his profoundly dysfunctional family,his bohemian friends, and joins an Order. Entering Seminary,... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0595170978
• ISBN13: 9780595170975
• Release Date: February 2001
• Publisher: iUniverse
• Length: 404 Pages
• Weight: 1.32 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.0" x 6.2" x 9.1"

Customer Reviews

observations

a truly compelling story about a vermonter dealing with the intricacies of west african ethnic policies.the end was an O'Henry like conclusion, which threw me completely off balance.in all, the books should be made into a movie. i loved them!

A unique and personal view of this young man's Liberia

This autobiographical novel by Maurice Blaise, based on hisexperiences Africa in the 1970s when he was studying for thepriesthood, was written in two parts. The first part, which I reviewedpreviously, was fascinating even though I thought it was a bitoverlong. I feel the same way about Part 2. There's good material hereand a wonderful story, but the author has a tendency to over analyzeand give long explanations of his philosophy and even write about hisdreams. All this is unnecessary because the story is a good one and hetells it well. Part 2 is set primarily in Liberia and the leadcharacter, Maurice, has befriended and fallen in love with two youngAfrican women of the Kru tribe. He also has to travel to outlyingareas to do Sunday church services. He describes all of this inexcruciating detail. The reader learns about the backbreaking laborthat the people endure as well as the terrible illnesses. We get totake a fresh look at the practice of polygamy and what it means to theex-wives when the Church forces men who have formerly had severalwives, to divorce all but one. We understand the relentless search fornourishing food and see first hand the impact that the Church hasbrought. We learn about plain raw survival in spite of terribleobstacles. Life becomes difficult for Maurice because he decides toleave the Church. What follows are even more graphic descriptions ofthe contrasts between wealth and poverty in the city. When he hasnowhere else to go, he is befriended by Mandingo Muslims and learns toappreciate their way of life. Then, just when he is rejoined by thetwo women he loves, there is a sudden twist to the story. And thereader is left with a conclusion that never ties up all the looseends. That's a shame because there is some excellent material here andMr. Blaise is a good writer. In spite of the shortcomings, I dorecommend these books. They will give you a unique and personal viewof the world the author experienced. Just be prepared for a very longread.

I cried.

I couldn't wait to read the second book.It really tore me up,(but what an adventure!) and in the end I cried. What happened to the sisters that he was so in love with? And who is the editor? His sister, or his wife? As a psychologist, I can attest to the fact that he was tormented for sure, but loveable, nonetheless!What happenend in in end, the after the flight to New York? Did he finally settle down, or is he still wandering, looking for meaning?Is there another book by him coming out soon? Will there be a book signing in the near future, as I would like to meet him!Dominique