West of Rehoboth by Alex Pate
By Yasmin Coleman • Nov 18th, 2009 • Category: Book Review 2002 •
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From the 2002 Archives
Alex Pate is back and once again gracing us with his lyrical, eloquent and poignant writing style. West of Rehoboth is set in the `60s and is about one summer in the life of 12 year old Edward Massey. Every summer the Masseys traveled to Rehoboth Beach, Delaware to escape the heat, gangs and mean streets of Philly. Edward’s parents believe that Rehoboth with its idyllic beach resorts and slower pace is a safer environment for a young AA male child in the early `60s. But is it really? While Rehoboth Beach definitely seems to move at a snail’s pace, its still below the Mason-Dixon line where Blacks are still relegated to subservient roles. The environment is one of a slow furnace that simmers, cooks slowly and is ever ready to explode because of the extremely depressing racial climate. It’s home of Aunt Edna a respected business woman and Uncle Rufus who Aunt Edna makes sleep in the shed out back. Young Edward, who’s an avid Agatha Christie fan, has decided this is the summer, that he puts his sleuth skills to work, and finds out who is the real Uncle Rufus. In the process, Edward unknowingly will place his own life in danger as he discovers that Rufus is just one of many AA males who’ve been beaten down by the system and the times…who’s encountered a life of violence, hate, frustration and much disappointment. But in spite of it all, Rufus has a story to tell and one that hopefully can teach Edward a few things about life and growing up as an AA male in this land of the free and the brave called America.
West of Rehoboth is a wonderful read with strong character development. Young Edward and elderly Rufus jump off the pages and into your heart as you read this poignant and engaging story. This is a book that’s told with emotional honesty and as such sometimes it made it difficult for me to read in one sitting but the suspense kept me quickly turning the pages. I will admit I was a little disappointed in the ending because I was expecting something different, and as such the ending would make me rate the book a 4.5 but because I thoroughly enjoyed other aspects of the book I rounded up to a 5.0. There are some books that touch you in such a way that its hard to describe with words; West of Rehoboth is one such book for me. This is a book that got under my skin and became a part of my spirit. Maybe its because I could relate to the time-frame and mindset of the early 60s since I was also coming of age then.
Pate is an author with immense skills and talents and I look forward to reading future releases by him. For those who’ve never checked out Pate before also read his other books to include Finding Makeba(which I’ve read and highly recommend) and Losing Absalom and the Multicultiboho SideShow(two books that I plan to read soon).
Reviewed by Yasmin
APOOO BookClub
Visit amazon to order a copy of West of Rehoboth.
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Yasmin Coleman is a literary publicist and promoter, book reviewer and founder of APOOO Books and BookClub. In 2000, she founded APOOO, www.apooobooks.com, an online author and reader community dedicated to advancing African-American literature.
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