Discovering Dorothy West

The theme for the readings the Winter Session of my book group TUESDAY MORNING BOOKTALS IS “Unhappily Ever After”.  One of three books in the series is The Living is Easy by Dorothy West.    One reason for being a member of a book group is to get the opportunity to read books you generally wouldn’t chose for yourself – not out of bias – out of ignorance.

Dorothy West was a member of the famous Harlem Renaissance.  The Living is Easy was published in 1948 but sadly went out of print.  West didn’t publish fiction again until 1995 at the age of 85 when The Wedding was published.  Oprah Winfrey turned the book into a TV mini-series.

The Living is Easy tells the story of a middle class Black family in Boston at the turn of the 20th century.  The family matriarch and protagonist Cleo (Cleopatra) runs a household of sisters, children and her husband with a unique maternal vision, gile, lies, conniving, ingenuity, and improvisation.  For me, Cleo will be one of the most memorable characters in literature.

While successful for many years, Cleo’s husband, Bart Judson, loses his fruit importing business and moves to New York City to find a job and send money home for the family.

The book raises the themes of intraracial oppression, assimilation into a white society and how marriage can be suffocating.

I highly recommend reading The Living is Easy, it will change your world view.

If any readers have ready Dorothy West,  I invite you to post a blog on this site.