Singing in the Comeback Choir »

"If this is a fair world, Bebe Moore Campbell will be remembered as the most important African-American novelist of this century -- except for, maybe, Ralph Ellison and James Baldwin. Her writing is clean and clear; her emotions run hot, but her most important characteristic is uncompromising intelligence coupled with a perfectionist's eye for detail." --The Washington Post Book World

Maxine McCoy's life is going pretty well. She is the executive producer of a hugely popular talk show, married to the man she loves, and pregnant with their child. Although there are some issues in her life that she must deal with -- her husband's past infidelity, the high pressures that come with being a television producer -- she has done rather well for herself.

Living atop a Los Angeles hill in a lavish home, Maxine feels good about what she has accomplished, especially considering the limited circumstances and opportunity she was given in the struggling Philadelphia community where she was raised. But her security is shattered and everything changes when Maxine gets a call from the caretaker of her 76-year-old grandmother, who raised the orphaned Maxine. She is summoned back to the old neighborhood that she would rather forget.

Maxine returns to Philadelphia and discovers that her old neighborhood, like her grandmother, has seen better days. Once a brilliant singing star, Maxine's grandmother, Lindy, has become a smoking, drinking, bitter woman whose once glorious voice has withered from disuse. The house that at one time echoed with music and laughter is now quiet and lifeless. The community in which Maxine grew up has become a crime-infested neighborhood that keeps its residents in a state of fear and despair.

Maxine is all set to move her grandmother away from the decimation around her, but Liddy isn't quite ready to leave, and fights for her independence. When an opportunity arises for Liddy to sing once again, both she and Maxine realize that Lindy and the old neighborhood are worthy of restoration.

Writing with lyrical prose and insight, Bebe Moore Campbell demonstrates why Entertainment Weekly called her "a master when it comes to telling a story." She has written a tale of hope and redemption that shows how, with the right attitude, anything is possible.

Wendy Sealey

In her latest novel, [Campbell] masterfully spins a careful plot from which emerges a well-crafted and engaging work that grapples with life's most important issues: love, trust, and the value of faith. -- Quarterly Black Review