Read this in October and thinking about it fondly today. Love greatly

"Because what looks like crazy on an ordinary day can look like love howling if you see it in the moonlight"....this is the first cleage piece i read and it was supermoving...im already looking to collect all her work this was dope

Tunnels

Ava Johnson has returned to her childhood home in Idlewild, Michigan, to spend the summer with her older sister Joyce before moving to San Francisco. As a child, Ava couldn’t wait to free herself from the small county town. Now that she’s back, she can’t help basking all of the city’s charm.

Idlewild is not the black paradise it once was. Like bigger cities, it’s plagued with drugs, robberies, teen pregnancy, scandals and HIV. An activist, Joyce is doing her best to help the young women in the community. Can she pique Ava’s interest as well?

Ava insists she’s only there to spend the summer and hopefully convince her sister to head west with her. What Ava finds is the possibility of starting over and love.

WHAT LOOKS LIKE CRAZY ON AN ORDINARY DAY by Pearl Cleage is a riveting story. Like most books written in the 90s, the story is forthright. You feel an instant connection to the characters, the history of the town, and despite the odds, you’re praying that life works out.

I LOVED THIS BOOK! I loved how the story not only discusses HIV/AIDS, but how the author talks about people being so ignorant about the transmission and the safety of the disease. Even in 2013, with HIV/AIDS still on the rise, I fear that there are people still afraid to discuss the importance of safe sex and knowing your status.

Can’t wait to read more by her. Was shocked at the love interest woven in

Not sure about this one. Started off boring enough to make me fall sleep. I knew it being an Oprah book I wouldn't be all about it. The story clunked along with not much to go on. It was very predictable, even in a world I'm not part of. I knew on every turn what was going to happen. Then the end happened....what the hell kind of ending was that? I felt like it just stopped.
I don't like when the epilogues explain quickly what should have been explained in more chapters. That bugged me. All of the writing was surface/generic. I didn't "care" about the characters...(except that poor baby at the end). It seemed like the author just wanted to get the story out there and didn't want to build on the characters except to tell you why they were/weren't bad.

It was a quick read anyway. :)

This story really had me second guessing if I'd ever been truly seen and deeply loved. I got a little teary in a few places (don't tell anyone though). Pearl Cleage has a gift for crafting three dimensional characters that you can visualize through her descriptions. The book definitely kept me engaged the whole time. Great storytelling. I will say at times it fell into conservative tropes about individual responsibility and dangerous black men, but thankfully it didn't distract from an overall good read.

There are a lot of reasons to like this book -- it's well written, has great style, interesting characters, and a hopeful message. But the reason I love it and reread it regularly is because it's about hair -- women's hair and what it means and the relationship women have with the people who touch their hair. And there's other stuff too -- you know, a plot and action and drama and romance. But the parts that always move me or make me think are the parts about hair.

Normally I run like crazy from an 'Oprah's book club' selection - finding them self-righteous and/or overwritten. What a nice surprise to discover that this book was neither!
I found myself emotionally engaged by Ava's situation and relationships and didn't tire of the narrative at all.
I guess I've learned a little about my own particular literary prejudices by enjoying this book much more than I expected!

I went in with high hopes, but unfortunately left feeling disappointed. The story was quite boring. Nothing at all picked up until about the last 4 chapters. For the most part Ava and Eddie had tea and Joyce held her Sewing Circus group.

I wanted to know more about Ava’s upbringing, her life in Atlanta before the diagnosis. All I left knowing was that her daddy was killed, her mama committed suicide, she ended up being raised by her sister, slept around a lot caught the virus. No depth surrounding these tragic life events.

I really liked the relationship Ava had with her sister and I loved how Eddie looked out for Joyce after her husband died.

As much as I enjoyed Eddie’s character, I didn’t like the fact that he was a dead bear daddy admittedly but never mentioned trying to reach out once he got his life together. For the author to paint his character as such a Vietnam vet, reformed dope boy turned zen master. When he mentioned his kids, I was expecting him to at least say. “I tried reaching out when I got my head on straight but they made it clear that they wanted nothing to do with me” but he just kinda glossed over it and Ava didn’t question it

Having to return little Imani over to Mattie at the crack house was so confusing. All the evidence was there to conduct a simple drug test and deem them ineligible to keep her until the court proceedings. But hey 90’s I guess.

I am glad Joyce was able to gain custody.

It was obvious that the good reverend was a wolf so no surprise there. Obviously his grandson Ty was a victim too. Nothing was explored there but it was definitely implied.

The ending felt abrupt and flat

Pearl is a great and passionate storyteller. I love her interviews.

Fiery Ava Johnson's fast life as the owner of an Atlanta beauty parlor comes to a sudden end when she discovers that she is HIV positive. Shunned by her peers in Atlanta, Ava decides to start a new life in more broad-minded San Francisco--but first she visits her older sister, Joyce, at their childhood home in Idlewild, Mich. A former all-black resort, Idlewild is now just a small rural town crumbling fast under the weight of big city problems. Soon Ava's visit extends into something more permanent as she joins Joyce's efforts to teach teenage mothers. When one of the mothers abandons her baby, Joyce and Ava are granted temporary guardianship. Meanwhile, Ava meets Eddie, a tender-yet-tough introvert who has conquered his own demons and is willing to help Ava tackle hers. This work tackles serious subject matter with comedy and black sisterhood. The romance story line is a bit predictable, but given the protagonist's circumstances is entertaining and fulfilling. Great read!

This is a beautiful testament to why we need to read "own voices" work. When an author writes about their own communities, you get the chance to see the whole breadth of experience written with insight, truth, and compassion.

This includes windows into stigmatization, joy, shame, love, activism, and redemption. It's a smart, hard, loving read.

It also include the most wonderful sex scene grounded in consent and joy.

I really enjoyed this book. I had no idea what I was getting into from the description of the book. Really, the book is about two sisters, black women, who live in Idlewild, MI. The book focuses a lot on their personal journeys and one of the main themes is healthy sexuality, and teaching girls about how to find themselves - I loved it!