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 One Day I Saw a Black King by J.D. Mason
My rating: 4.5 of 5 stars
4.5 stars for One Day I saw A Black King by J. D. Mason. It was another great read by an author whose work I am thoroughly enjoying. It is the sequel to Don’t Want No Sugar. The entire time I was reading I kept thinking of my favorite poem, Celebration, written by Mari Evans. One verse reads:
I be bringing a whole heart
and while it do have nicks and
dents and scars,
that only make me lay it down
more careful-like
An; you be bringing a whole heart
a little chipped and rusty an'
sometime skip a beat but
still an' all you bringing polish too
and look like you intend
to make it shine
This verse sums up everything One Day I Saw a Black King is all about. Two damaged people, John and Connie, meet, not knowing that they live in the same apartment building. Neither one knows how to have a successful relationship but something keeps them drawn to one another. They love the best way they know how—with no expectations.
The story opens with the birth of John King assisted by midwife Roberta, and then moves to the story of Connie who is abandoned by her mother at the age of 12. It parallels their lives up until they meet 30+ years later. What I loved about the story was its realness. Mason tackles some serious issues that people face everyday, like child abandonment, teenage prostitution, homelessness, and dating with a sexually transmitted disease. I strongly recommend this book to anyone who has dealt with these issues and feel that no one will ever love them because they are too damaged.
On the downside, what I felt was missing, although I read the first book, was the lack of information that I hoped would answer questions left over from Don’t Want No Sugar. For example, what happened to Roberta’s 2 children from Charles, they were never mentioned; or what transpired with Mattie before she gave birth to John? Also, I was left wondering why the author never reveals to John his connection to Roberta.
These things aside, I really loved One Day I Saw A Black King and continue to be impressed by J. D. Mason’s work and will probably read more of her novels.
Much Love,
Tracy
Tracy L. Darity is the author of He Loves Me He Loves Me Not! and Love…Like Snow In Florida on a Hot Summer Day. She is currently working on her third novel, The Red Bear Society, due out in Fall 2011. For more information visit www.TracyLDarity.com
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