All American Dream Dolls
by David Haynes
What's an attractive, successful, all-around-together girl to do when
she's dumped at sixty-five miles per hour on the way to a romantic
getaway? If you're as together as you think you are, you get on with
your life. But if you're Deneen Wilkerson, “college-educated,
hardworking advertising phenom, friend of the earth, and owner of major
appliances,” the only way out is to retreat —in Deneen's case, to the
basement of her mother's house in St. Louis for a solitary orgy of hors
d'oeuvres, talk shows, and mental hygiene.
Deneen's crash—and her wildly funny, improbable rebirth—is the basis of this new novel by the universally acclaimed author of Somebody Else's Mama and Live at Five.
Gradually emerging from her retreat into the all too comfortable
suburban world of her mother and twelve-year-old stepsister, Deneen
struggles to apply the lessons of “Maury/Geraldo/Sally” to herself and
those around her.
When her sister becomes a serious
contender in the All American Dream Dolls preteen beauty pageant,
Deneen finds herself caught up in a universe of handsome promoters, bad
Whitney Houston sound-alikes, and wicked hot-oil treatments. But it's a
world—like Deneen's professional world of anything-for-a-response
ads—that causes her to reevaluate not only her life, but also her
compassion for herself and the women and men in her life. Mothers,
sisters, or beauty queens, as Deneen puts it, “being a black woman
these days, you've got to develop a strong sense of irony.”
Deneen
Wilkerson is the most remarkable creation yet in David Haynes's
distinguished line of memorable female characters. Wise, wicked, sexy,
and moving, All American Dream Dolls is a smashing novel that
proves once again that David Haynes is one of the best—and the truest—chronicler of black lives today.
David Haynes
Author's Bio:David Haynes is the author of several novels, including All American Dream Dolls, Somebody Else's Mama, Live at Five, and most recently, The Full Matilda.
He teaches in the creative writing programs at Southern Methodist
University and Warren Wilson College. He has worked as a classroom
teacher and as a teacher-in-residence for the National Board for
Professional Teaching Standards. His short stories have been
published in journals and anthologies, and two were read and recorded
for National Public Radio’s "Selected Shorts." Granta magazine selected him as one of America’s best young novelists in 1996.
Quotes:“Energy and
wild-eyed good humor make him one of the most underrated fiction
writers alive.”—Salon
“A smart funny tale without
heavy racial baggage. . . . His most surehanded work to date, his
stylish prose holds the reader's attention for the whole ride.”—Chicago Tribune
“All the elements of Haynes's previous books, for which Granta names him as one of America's Best Young Novelists, are present. . . . One looks forward to his future work.”"--Washington Post Book World
“What does a nervous break-down look like? In David Haynes's latest novel, All American Dream Dolls, it's pretty funny-looking. Or funny at any rate.”—Newsday
“Sharp,
funny lines fly thick as arrows. . . . Do Terry McMillan fans
have a big, warm Oprah-style hug waiting for Deneen?”—St. Louis Post Dispatch
“A frequently hilarious novel, with consistently on-target punch lines and an eye for real people.”—Kirkus Reviews
“With
this hilarious tale of a woman's emotional collapse and unlikely means
of recovery, Haynes adds to his growing reputation as a distinctive and
versatile humor writer.”—Publishers Weekly (starred review)
“A wildly funny, realistic look at beauty pageants, sibling rivalry, self-esteem, and growing up. Highly recommended.”—Library Journal
You may also be interested in this/these product(s):
Live at Five
A hilarious new novel by a winner of Granta magazine's “Best Young American Novelists” award about what the media does —and doesn't —tell us about ourselves. more...
$ 21.95
Add to Cart
|
Somebody Else’s Mama
A moving, loving portrait of an African American family balancing the
competing demands of everyday life, Haynes's first novel for adults is
a character-rich comedy of contemporary life in a middle-class black
town. more...
$ 21.95
Add to Cart
|
|
Price:
$ 21.95
Binding: Cloth
Availability In Stock: 147
Immediately
Publisher: Milkweed Editions
Published: 1997
Size: 5.5 x 8.5
Genre: Fiction
Pages: 288
ISBN: 9781571310156
|
