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    Leaving Cecil Street: A Novel
    Unavailable
    Leaving Cecil Street: A Novel
    Unavailable
    Leaving Cecil Street: A Novel
    Ebook317 pages7 hours

    Leaving Cecil Street: A Novel

    By Diane McKinney-Whetstone

    4/5

    ()

    Currently unavailable

    Currently unavailable

    About this ebook

    A riveting tale about a back-room abortion that has devastating consequences for two teenage girls on a close knit Philadelphia block circa 1972

    Block parties were king in this West Philadelphia neighborhood, especially the year Cecil Street decided to have two. These energetic, sensual street celebrations serve as backdrops to the story of best friends Neet and Shay and their families.

    When Neet becomes pregnant by one of the corner boys, Shay arranges an abortion that goes terribly awry when Neet begins to hemorrhage. Neet is left unable to bear children and to Shay’s horror slips under the spell of her mother Alberta’s severe, esoteric religious beliefs. Shay is left to struggle with the grief of losing a cherished friendship, while she also bears witness to the the disintegration of her parents’ marriage. The story climaxes during the second block party, during which time it is discovered that Neet and Alberta have disappeared from Cecil Street—the holy-roller mother, Alberta, having finally been set free from the shackles of her church by none other than Shay’s father.

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherHarperCollins
    Release dateOct 13, 2009
    ISBN9780061875779
    Unavailable
    Leaving Cecil Street: A Novel
    Author

    Diane McKinney-Whetstone

    The author of the critically acclaimed novels Tumbling, Tempest Rising, Blues Dancing, Leaving Cecil Street, and Trading Dreams at Midnight, Diane McKinney-Whetstone is the recipient of numerous awards, including the Black Caucus of the American Library Association’s Literary Award for Fiction, which she won twice. She lives in Philadelphia with her husband. For more on Diane McKinney-Whetstone please visit www.mckinney-whetstone.com or follow her on Twitter @Dianemckwh.

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    • 5/5
      I instantly fell in love with Cecil Street and its occupants. Cecil Street is full of life, fun times, and houses with closets full of skeletons. In 1969 West Philadelphia, Cecil Street is not insulated from the changes that are happening in the world surrounding it. Relationships and friendships alike are being challenged throughout Cecil Street. On Cecil Street, tensions are growing and skeletons are leaving the closets and heading to the street. Joe and Louise are that couple that is trying to re-establish their romantic footing because they have been together so long. Joe is charismatic and fun where Louise is mainly grouchy and bitter. Joe and Louise's daughter Shay is their balance. Shay and her best friend and life long neighbor, Bonita "Neet", are inseparable. Due to the consequences of choices that one friend makes, the innocence of Neet and Shay's friendship is ground down to a fine powder. Meanwhile, Joe has found an unhealthy distraction. The wildcard of Cecil Street is Neet's mother Alberta. Alberta has shunned the entire street since joining a radical religious sect. No one on Cecil Street, including her daughter, knows anything of Alberta's background. The answers that lead to Alberta's mysterious ways and life are hiding in Joe and Louise's basement.Cecil Street is made up of all kinds of people and places. The Barber Shop has an extra room where men can bring their girlfriends for an additional fee. BB's house doubles as a place where women can rid themselves of an unplanned pregnancy. The Beauty Shop is one real live social networking stop. McKinney-Whetstone has developed characters in layers and present life situations to the reader in such a delicate way. I would say this is a refined, well paced, and well put together story. McKinney-Whetstone went to the heart of women. She dealt with our multi-faceted insecurities in Louise and Alberta. For the younger readers she showed the dynamics of a true friendship with Shay and Neet. Neet has to deal with the anguish of emotional and sexual abuse. Alberta's life could be another story in and of itself. Alberta shows how women sometime wear a mask or throw ourselves into a movement or jobs instead of dealing with the problems of past and present. The complexity of the characters is phenomenal and yet McKinney-Whetstone makes you love and care about them. Storytelling like this is rare. The ending is shockingly beautiful and redeeming.