Betsey Brown: A Novel

Ntozake Shange

Sep 2010 · Macmillan + ORM

About this ebook

An award-winning writer brings to life the story of a young girl's awakening amidst her country's seismic growing pains in the American South.

"A lyrical coming-of-age novel." — New York Times

Set in St. Louis in 1957, the year of the Little Rock Nine, Ntozake Shange's story reveals the prismatic effect of racism on an American child and her family. Seamlessly woven into this masterful portrait of an extended family is the story of Betsey's adolescence, the rush of first romance, and the sobering responsibilities of approaching adulthood.

"Shange has re-created a humorous, charming, and heartbreaking vision of St. Louis and the Brown family that will delight young and old. She can conjure, as if by magic. . . . Betsey Brown is like an enchanting melody." — St. Louis Post-Dispatch

"Ntozake Shange is a unique and gifted, literary executant and works under strong impulses to do things her own way despite settled conventions of craft. The author's peculiar chemistry (a synonym for talent), plus her singlemindedness, has brought her a decided victory. She has made Betsey Brown live. We care about the child and wonder what will happen to her, how she will fare. This doubtless was the author's intention—and mission." — Chicago Sun Times

Ratings and reviews

I became a fan of Ntozake Shange during my first viewing of For Colored Girls in Manhattan, standing room only. Her poetry shaped my view of self and relationships and the choreopoem as a process remains one of my favorite approaches to story when well executed. I enjoyed Betsy Brown very much when I read it years ago as I am definitely atuned to Zaki's style

About the author

Ntozake Shange (1948-2018) was a renowned playwright, poet, and novelist. Her works include the Tony Award-nominated and Obie Award-winning for colored girls who have considered suicide/when the rainbow is enuf, as well as Some Sing, Some Cry (written with her sister Ifa Bayeza), Sassafrass, Cypress & Indigo and Liliane.
Among her honors and awards are fellowships from the Guggenheim Foundation and the Lila Wallace-Reader's Digest Fund and a Pushcart Prize. She was a graduate of Barnard and recipient of a Masters in American Studies from University of Southern California.