by Gypsy Culp Houston
Bernice McFadden’s Glorious grants 21st century readers entry into the early 20th century, the whirlwind of the Harlem Renaissance, the Back to Africa and the Civil Rights movements. At the center of this story is Easter Bartlett, a young Black from a small town in Georgia. The reader witnesses her in a myriad of circumstances, all seemingly ending in unhappiness and loneliness.
Upon loosing her mother, gaining a stepmother and hearing hurtful words from her father, Easter decides to leave Waycross Georgia and her mute sister, Rlizbeth, behind. What follows is the nomadic life of someone looking for a place to call home. As the story unfolds, Easter goes through several transitions. She morphs from cook to carnie, to school teacher to wash girl and more. Though scenarios and scenery change, the one thing that remains constant in Easter’s life is her love for words and writing.
Upon loosing her mother, gaining a stepmother and hearing hurtful words from her father, Easter decides to leave Waycross Georgia and her mute sister, Rlizbeth, behind. What follows is the nomadic life of someone looking for a place to call home. As the story unfolds, Easter goes through several transitions. She morphs from cook to carnie, to school teacher to wash girl and more. Though scenarios and scenery change, the one thing that remains constant in Easter’s life is her love for words and writing.
It is Easter’s writing that provides her with the strength to carry on during the difficult times of her life. During her time in Harlem, her writing allows her to move in interesting circles and to make important literary connections with other writers of her time. The Harlem Renaissance is in full swing and Negrophile benefactors are willing to pay money so that talented Negros can devote all of their time and energy to their craft. Meredith Tomas, volunteers to fill the role of benefactor for Easter. This leads Easter to entering a contest that will change her life forever.
Easter’s travels take her from Waycross to New York City with a few stops in between, and finally ending back in Waycross. During her travels she falls in love, takes a lover and gets married, not necessarily in that order. Every moment is an opportunity for self discovery and reinvention. Letting no dust settle on her feet, Easter moves seamlessly from one place to the next, basically from one life to the next.
While a quick read, Glorious allows the audience a connection with key moments in African American history. McFadden’s writing is such that the underlying theme of desperation and despair become almost human. Racism is ever-present in the novel. There always seems to be an unspoken threat to the African American characters, ‘You better watch your step, Darky.’ How saddening that even in progress there is the fear of not belonging or being welcome.
Though, it is a novel primarily about African American life and culture, all audiences will find a piece of themselves in Glorious. Whether it’s the tenacity of youth, the perils of unrequited love or the loss of love ones, everyone will find something with which to identify. Beautifully written, Glorious, is a thought provoking novel that is sure to leave readers in deep contemplation and reflection.
