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    The Darkest Child
    The Darkest Child
    The Darkest Child
    Audiobook15 hours

    The Darkest Child

    Written by Delores Phillips

    Narrated by Bahni Turpin

    4.5/5

    ()

    About this audiobook

    A new edition of this award-winning modern classic, with a new introduction In 1958 Georgia, the shade of a 13-year-old black girl's skin can make the difference in her fate. Tangy Mae is the smartest of her mother's ten children, but she is also the darkest-complected. The Quinns-all different skin shades, all with unknown fathers-live with their charismatic, beautiful, and tyrannical mother, Rozelle, in poverty on the fringes of a Georgia town where Jim Crow rules. Rozelle's children live in fear of her mood swings and her violence, but they are devoted to her. Rozelle pulls her children out of school when they are twelve years old so that they can help support her by going to work-as domestics, as field laborers, or down at "the farmhouse," where Rozelle takes her oldest daughters to turn tricks for her. Tangy Mae has been offered the opportunity to apply to an integrated high school, and might even have the chance to graduate if she can somehow avoid her sisters' fate. Can she break from Rozelle's grasp without violent-even fatal-consequences?
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherRecorded Books, Inc.
    Release dateJan 30, 2018
    ISBN9781501972362
    The Darkest Child
    Author

    Delores Phillips

    DELORES PHILLIPS (1950-2014) was born in Georgia, but spent most of her adult life in Cleveland, Ohio as a nurse, poet, teacher, and mother. She is perhaps best known for her debut novel, The Darkest Child, which, in-part at least, tells the story of Tangy Mae Quinn’s experience as the first Black girl to integrate a Towns County, Georgia high school. The Darkest Child won the Black Caucus of the ALA award and was nominated for the Hurston/Wright Legacy award. Her work has also appeared in Jean’s Journal, Black Time, and The Crisis.

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    Reviews for The Darkest Child

    4.5/5

    309 ratings33 reviews

    What did you think?

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    Review must be at least 10 words

    • 5/5
      I’ve read and listened to a ton of books over my 52 years and this book is definitely in my top 5. I can’t believe that i went this long without reading/listening to it! Being raised in the south a lot of what i read resonates with me. I hate that the author passed away would’ve loved to read more from her…. And the Narrator was phenomenal!!!

      PLEASE grab this book!

      1 person found this helpful

    • 5/5
      The story is told so vividly, I felt like it was there with her.
    • 5/5
      Beautifully written, extremely descriptive. I enjoyed the book being told by one perspective. Several trigger warnings: SA, abuse, hate crimes. It’s a tough read but the truth is things like this happened and still happen, also for the narrator did an awesome job bringing the characters to life.
    • 5/5
      I loved it the ending made me long for more I haven't posted a review for anything in idk how long. I wish the author would have had time to finish the sequel... Tangy to be cont... I guess all to the imagination
    • 4/5
      Great story telling but an awful situation with a very twisted family. The poor children and that mama is just crazy and majorly abusive throughout. The ending left me full of questions... ???
    • 4/5
      Disturbing story written in such a matter of fact way. It's almost hard to fathom how someone could simply write about abuse, rape, teen prostitution, racism...particularly when it's at the hands of their own mother.
    • 5/5
      An amazing story of family, pains and the troubles we cause ourselves...
    • 5/5
      The narrator was excellent. A very engaging book. I found myself wishing it was a series wanting to know what happened to some characters.
    • 5/5
      My favorite read of all times!!!! I wish she had Finished book 2 before she died
    • 5/5
      My favorite book so far. It pulled me in immediately.
    • 5/5
      This was one of the best novels I have ever read. The storyline was so raw and yet so beautiful. The characters became truly real to me. Such a great author and yet sadden that she passed before writing any other book, but this one will truly stand the test of time.
    • 5/5
      A great read. Just wished the ending was different or another book. So sorry for the loss of this gifted author
    • 5/5
      The book was excellent. I stayed up all night reading it!!
    • 5/5
      All I can say is Wow! Not a dull moment. I couldn't stop listening.
    • 5/5
      Beautiful!!!! Traumatic but beautiful! This is what I call story telling!
    • 5/5
      I loved this book. The words and situations were easy to visualize. It pointed out how the skin color made a difference in how people judge beauty, then and even today. I would love to read more from this author.
    • 5/5
      The dynamics between this black mother going through mental illness and her children brought an undeniable resilience for all to survive in their own way. A must read!!!
    • 5/5
      I loved everything about this book theway they described it
    • 5/5
      This was a very well-written book. I felt connected to the characters. I had a Rollercoaster of emotions and the narrator was magnificent! I never got bored. I enjoyed every part of this book.
    • 4/5
      okay now that ive gathered myself the book was interesting. The ending was a bit off but overall a good read
    • 5/5
      I am so glad I stumbled across this book while looking for an interesting read! ‘Very good book! I think this story would have made a great mini series with like 20 or so episodes. I especially loved the complexity of the mother in this story.
    • 5/5
      Wow such a raw unapologetic read. I really enjoyed this book and will read part 2
    • 5/5
      Tangy is the daughter of a light-colored mother who has fathered several children, each with a different father. Although no longer wanting to serve as a maid in a white family’s house, she forces Tangy and her older sister into prostitution to support their brothers and sisters. Filled with sadness most often caused by the mother’s insanity, Tangy still hopes she will graduate from high school and find a peaceful life for her and her younger sisters. Poignantly written, this story shows how determination and stubbornness help people survive in a life in which they have no control.
    • 3/5
      Tangy's skin is the darkest of her siblings, and she feels it acutely. This young teenager struggles to survive a volatile period in American history with a mother who values her children based on the color of their skin. As Tangy says herself, "there's something wrong with Mama."Oh, is there ever something wrong with Mama!I knew this would be a hard novel to get through, however, I didn't realize just how disturbing it would become. Early on in the novel, Tangy relates how her mother, Rozelle, ensured none of them would touch a particular box: she slams an ice pick into one of her daughter's hands. And the abuse heaped on the children worsens from there. The more I read, the more horrified I was with Rozelle's actions. Of course, the time period this was set, there was little the children could be done and if there had been someone they could have turned to, I don't think they would have due to their mother's manipulative behavior. What made Rozelle so unsettling were the moments when she acted like a caring mother. Tangy herself at times seems to be just the tool for us to observe this mother's actions. It was difficult to really pinpoint her personality. (Also, the moment when she is chosen to attend an all-white school happens, I expected to have more impact on the story and to happen sooner than it did.) She's smart, but perhaps as a result of her mother, she keeps herself suppressed to protect herself.The author's narrative was effective. I felt like I was there, living the horror with Tangy. There were moments of strong language, no doubt appropriate for the time and situation, but distasteful to me. Also when Rozelle decides Tangy is old enough to "work" (sells her for sex), the details were more than necessary.Many of commented on the ending. It does feel open-ended, as though nothing were really resolved. I suspect the author was trying to keep to real life. Not everyone gets what they deserve, but it is still disappointing. Overall, this is a book I would only recommend to those who are prepared for the abuse detailed within. Even if the author had lived long enough to complete the sequel, I don't think I would have been able to read it. I received a free copy from NetGalley for reviewing purposes.
    • 4/5
      The story of a black family in rural Georgia in the 1950's. The time and the setting are not bad enough for a black person but add to that a black woman (who is very white) just keeps having babies - black, indian and white. Unfortunately she is not really sane and the horrors she puts on her children are much worse then the segregation around them. One daughter (the darkest child) who is berated for being ugly finally graduates from high school and makes the break.
    • 5/5
      The Darkest Child by Delores Phillips is soul wrenching horrendous. One would never believe that a Mother could so deeply harm a child, let alone "10" of them, emotionally, spiritually, physically and mentally. Rozelle is a woman who is Pure Evil! She cares for no one, not even herself. Unfortunately, the reader never finds out why Rozelle is the way she is. She's hateful, spiteful, souless, and completely mental. She has 10 children by 10 different men. Most are as white as she is with one being what she calls "A Dummy" and the other "Dark as her tires". This is a Mother who pimps her sons and prostitutes her daughters.

      They lived in a small town in 50's and 60's back when there were signs of segregation and blacks were no longer slaves but instead paid slaves, maids. The people in the town had just grown accustomed to the way things were and weren't looking nor asking for change. And when one does he dissappears. There are many complex characters in this story. It is a page turner for sure. I just couldn't stop reading about this mass of disfunction.

      I was disheartened to learn that Ms. Phillips hasn't written another novel. I wouldn't have thought from the texture and complex nature of this novel, it was her first. I'm sure I wont forget this book any time soon. It is hard for me to write this review without giving away spoilers. There's just too much to tell. Pick this book up. You wont be dissappointed.

      Some Quotes;

      "Took everything out, said I couldn't have no mo', and all I got was a darkie"

      "We could feel recognizable anger replace incomprehensible insanity,"

      "Mama stood at the edge of the porch dangling our baby sister over the side by one arm"

      "I musta been 'bout 'leven or twelve when Mama tried to get Mr. Frank to screw me."

      "Says she lit a match and threw it. Just walked on out the damn house and left my sister in there to burn."
    • 4/5
      This book was similar in the vein of The Help, but much more raw and gritty. This book has scenes in that I will never forget. They were shocking and harsh. The characters all had a lot of depth to them. They grew and they changed. I enjoy books about this period in American history. This was a great addition to it. It was really well written and I would love to read anything else that Delores Phillips has to offer.
    • 5/5
      This was a very difficult book to read. Good but emotionally draining. Originally begun months ago, I gratefully set it aside for awhile because it was a little more "raw" than I'm used to reading.Tangy Mae is growing up in the segregated south in a house which doesn't feel much like a home. Her brothers and sisters all have different fathers - assuming they know who their fathers are - and the emotional outbursts of the mother force the siblings into each others' arms. But this mother transcends the standard shortfalls of the typical head of a literary disfunctional family. Verbal and physical abuse are daily occurences and mental cruelty is a given, but the prostituting of her daughters to cover the family's expenses was a bit too much for me. If you can rise above this kind of writing - in my case simply reminding myself (repeatedly) that these characters were fictional - this is well worth your time. Just be advised that realistic fiction gets that term for a reason, and just knowing that some of what is described actually could (and does) take place raises the author's writing to a different level.
    • 5/5
      Horrific!!!!!! Chilling!!!!! Couldn't put it down. I read it,my wife read it and my sister in-law read it.
    • 5/5
      The Darkest Child is the story of a black family living in the rural south in the 1950s. Rozelle, the mother, classifies her 10 children (by 10 different fathers) by their color - white, Indian and negroe. Tangy Mae is the darkest one of the group and the "smart" one in the family. She loves learning and wants to graduate from high school, but Rozelle wants her to drop out and go to work cleaning houses. No one else in the family has graduated and as Tangy's friend says, "Girls ain't good for nothin' anyway." In addition to this conflict, Rosie is a mentally ill, self-centered and sadistic mother and behaves cruelly towards all her children. She literally brands Tangy Mae on the leg, stabs Martha Jean (the deaf sister) in the hand, kills her youngest child Judy, and pimps out her daughters for money and favors. Despite growing up in these hellish conditions, 9 of the 10 siblings feel like they can't leave their mother's home - the only house in the county without electricity.The family drama plays out against the backdrop of the Civil Rights movement.The story is told by Tangy Mae, beginning when she is 13. Delores Phillips does an excellent job of letting the reader know what's happening through a 13-year-old's naive telling of the facts as she sees them. Only a few things in the novel don't ring true: Tangy Mae, despite her harsh upbringing, remains inexplicably naive about her mother's behavior and her family's actions. And I never figured out why the children as they grow up feel like they can't leave the person who torments and abuses them.