The talking drum
Par : Lisa Braxton
Editeur : Inanna Publications
Numéro de produit : 9781771337427
ISBN : 9781771337427
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Retour à la liste des produitsIt is 1971 and Bellport, Massachusetts is a dying factory town. But the coming urban redevelopment will have even more implications for the residents. Sydney Stallworth has left her law studies to support her husband's dream of opening a business in the heart of the black community. For Omar Bassari, a drummer from Senegal, Bellport will be the launching pad from which he hopes to spread African culture across the world. Della Tolliver has built a fragile sanctuary for herself, her boyfriend, and her daughter Jasmine, a troubled child prone to nightmares and outbursts. Tensions rise as the demolition date moves closer and suspicious fires begin to break out. Bellport's residents find themselves increasingly at odds with the political system that is manipulating their lives and their relationships. Examining the profound impact of gentrification, The Talking Drum explores intra-racial, class, and cross-cultural tensions, along with the meaning of community and belonging.
It is 1971. The fictional city of Bellport, Massachusetts, is in decline with an urban redevelopment project on the horizon expected to transform this dying factory town into a thriving economic center. This planned transformation has a profound effect on the residents who live in Bellport as their own personal transformations take place. Sydney Stallworth steps away from her fellowship and law studies at an elite university to support husband Malachi’s dream of opening a business in the heart of the black community of his hometown, Bellport.
For Omar Bassari, an immigrant from Senegal, Bellport is where he will establish his drumming career and the launching pad from which he will spread African culture across the world, while trying to hold onto his marriage. Della Tolliver has built a fragile sanctuary in Bellport for herself, boyfriend Kwamé Rodriguez, and daughter Jasmine, a troubled child prone to nightmares and outbursts.
Tensions rise as the demolition date moves closer, plans for gentrification are laid out, and the pace of suspicious fires picks up. The residents find themselves at odds with a political system manipulating their lives and question the future of their relationships.
The Talking Drum explores intra-racial, class, and cross-cultural tensions, along with the meaning of community and belonging. Examining the profound impact gentrification has on people in many neighborhoods, and the way in which being uprooted affects the fabric of their families, friendships, and emotional well-being, the novel not only focuses on the immigrant experience, but the way in which the immigrant/African American neighborhood interface leads to friction and tension. This book thus provides a springboard to important discssions on race and class differences, on the treatment of immigrants, as well as the government’s relationship and responsibility to society.
