The Darkest Child

By Delores Phillips and Tayari Jones

A new edition of this award-winning modern classic, with an introduction by Tayari Jones (An American Marriage), an excerpt from the never before seen follow-up, and discussion guide.
 
Pakersfield, Georgia, 1958: Thirteen-year-old Tangy Mae Quinn is the sixth of ten fatherless siblings. She is the darkest-skinned among them and therefore the ugliest in her mother, Rozelle’s, estimation, but she’s also the brightest. Rozelle—beautiful, charismatic, and light-skinned—exercises a violent hold over her children. Fearing abandonment, she pulls them from school at the age of twelve and sends them to earn their keep for the household, whether in domestic service, in the fields, or at “the farmhouse” on the edge of town, where Rozelle beds local men for money.
 
But Tangy Mae has been selected to be part of the first integrated class at a nearby white high school. She has a chance to change her life, but can she break from Rozelle’s grasp without ruinous—even fatal—consequences?

• Language: English
• Publisher: Random House Publishing Group
• Release date: Jan 1, 2005
• ISBN: 9781569477496

Delores Phillips

DELORES PHILLIPS (1950-2014) was born in Georgia, but spent most of her adult life in Cleveland, Ohio as a nurse, poet, teacher, and mother. She is perhaps best known for her debut novel, The Darkest Child, which, in-part at least, tells the story of Tangy Mae Quinn’s experience as the first Black girl to integrate a Towns County, Georgia high school. The Darkest Child won the Black Caucus of the ALA award and was nominated for the Hurston/Wright Legacy award. Her work has also appeared in Jean’s Journal, Black Time, and The Crisis.

Reviews for The Darkest Child

[booksovertv · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

The Darkest Child by Delores Phillips is soul wrenching horrendous. One would never believe that a Mother could so deeply harm a child, let alone "10" of them, emotionally, spiritually, physically and mentally. Rozelle is a woman who is Pure Evil! She cares for no one, not even herself. Unfortunately, the reader never finds out why Rozelle is the way she is. She's hateful, spiteful, souless, and completely mental. She has 10 children by 10 different men. Most are as white as she is with one being what she calls "A Dummy" and the other "Dark as her tires". This is a Mother who pimps her sons and prostitutes her daughters.

They lived in a small town in 50's and 60's back when there were signs of segregation and blacks were no longer slaves but instead paid slaves, maids. The people in the town had just grown accustomed to the way things were and weren't looking nor asking for change. And when one does he dissappears. There are many complex characters in this story. It is a page turner for sure. I just couldn't stop reading about this mass of disfunction.

I was disheartened to learn that Ms. Phillips hasn't written another novel. I wouldn't have thought from the texture and complex nature of this novel, it was her first. I'm sure I wont forget this book any time soon. It is hard for me to write this review without giving away spoilers. There's just too much to tell. Pick this book up. You wont be dissappointed.

Some Quotes;

"Took everything out, said I couldn't have no mo', and all I got was a darkie"

"We could feel recognizable anger replace incomprehensible insanity,"

"Mama stood at the edge of the porch dangling our baby sister over the side by one arm"

"I musta been 'bout 'leven or twelve when Mama tried to get Mr. Frank to screw me."

"Says she lit a match and threw it. Just walked on out the damn house and left my sister in there to burn."

[micbella · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

All i have to say is their momma sho' is crazy!

[thequietreader · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Tangy's skin is the darkest of her siblings, and she feels it acutely. This young teenager struggles to survive a volatile period in American history with a mother who values her children based on the color of their skin. As Tangy says herself, "there's something wrong with Mama."Oh, is there ever something wrong with Mama!I knew this would be a hard novel to get through, however, I didn't realize just how disturbing it would become. Early on in the novel, Tangy relates how her mother, Rozelle, ensured none of them would touch a particular box: she slams an ice pick into one of her daughter's hands. And the abuse heaped on the children worsens from there. The more I read, the more horrified I was with Rozelle's actions. Of course, the time period this was set, there was little the children could be done and if there had been someone they could have turned to, I don't think they would have due to their mother's manipulative behavior. What made Rozelle so unsettling were the moments when she acted like a caring mother. Tangy herself at times seems to be just the tool for us to observe this mother's actions. It was difficult to really pinpoint her personality. (Also, the moment when she is chosen to attend an all-white school happens, I expected to have more impact on the story and to happen sooner than it did.) She's smart, but perhaps as a result of her mother, she keeps herself suppressed to protect herself.The author's narrative was effective. I felt like I was there, living the horror with Tangy. There were moments of strong language, no doubt appropriate for the time and situation, but distasteful to me. Also when Rozelle decides Tangy is old enough to "work" (sells her for sex), the details were more than necessary.Many of commented on the ending. It does feel open-ended, as though nothing were really resolved. I suspect the author was trying to keep to real life. Not everyone gets what they deserve, but it is still disappointing. Overall, this is a book I would only recommend to those who are prepared for the abuse detailed within. Even if the author had lived long enough to complete the sequel, I don't think I would have been able to read it. I received a free copy from NetGalley for reviewing purposes.

[joannemonck · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

The story of a black family in rural Georgia in the 1950's. The time and the setting are not bad enough for a black person but add to that a black woman (who is very white) just keeps having babies - black, indian and white. Unfortunately she is not really sane and the horrors she puts on her children are much worse then the segregation around them. One daughter (the darkest child) who is berated for being ugly finally graduates from high school and makes the break.

[onnaday · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This book is excellent in evoking all emotions but mostly hatred toward Rosie (the mother). Tangy Mae is a smart child of 10 with common sense and you just want to snatch her away from her crazy mama. This story compels you from the start to the end with you saying 'what could possibly happen next'. I'm looking forward to her next novel.The story is mixed with some historical moments set back in the 40's, 50's and 60's. It depicts the rural south and living in a small town during racial hatred. Filled with grand plot events, racial tension, and family violence, this debut is a sensational read.

[lsh63 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

[The Darkest Child] is a heart wrenching tale set in the Segregated South ,of a child wanting to love her mother, even while experiencing child abuse and the effects of alcoholism combined with her mother's madness. Great Read.

[brangwinn · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Tangy is the daughter of a light-colored mother who has fathered several children, each with a different father. Although no longer wanting to serve as a maid in a white family’s house, she forces Tangy and her older sister into prostitution to support their brothers and sisters. Filled with sadness most often caused by the mother’s insanity, Tangy still hopes she will graduate from high school and find a peaceful life for her and her younger sisters. Poignantly written, this story shows how determination and stubbornness help people survive in a life in which they have no control.

[sunflower38_1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

The Darkest Child by Delores Phillips is soul wrenching horrendous. One would never believe that a Mother could so deeply harm a child, let alone "10" of them, emotionally, spiritually, physically and mentally. Rozelle is a woman who is Pure Evil! She cares for no one, not even herself. Unfortunately, the reader never finds out why Rozelle is the way she is. She's hateful, spiteful, souless, and completely mental. She has 10 children by 10 different men. Most are as white as she is with one being what she calls "A Dummy" and the other "Dark as her tires". This is a Mother who pimps her sons and prostitutes her daughters.

They lived in a small town in 50's and 60's back when there were signs of segregation and blacks were no longer slaves but instead paid slaves, maids. The people in the town had just grown accustomed to the way things were and weren't looking nor asking for change. And when one does he dissappears. There are many complex characters in this story. It is a page turner for sure. I just couldn't stop reading about this mass of disfunction.

I was disheartened to learn that Ms. Phillips hasn't written another novel. I wouldn't have thought from the texture and complex nature of this novel, it was her first. I'm sure I wont forget this book any time soon. It is hard for me to write this review without giving away spoilers. There's just too much to tell. Pick this book up. You wont be dissappointed.

Some Quotes;

"Took everything out, said I couldn't have no mo', and all I got was a darkie"

"We could feel recognizable anger replace incomprehensible insanity,"

"Mama stood at the edge of the porch dangling our baby sister over the side by one arm"

"I musta been 'bout 'leven or twelve when Mama tried to get Mr. Frank to screw me."

"Says she lit a match and threw it. Just walked on out the damn house and left my sister in there to burn."

[goldiebear · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This book was similar in the vein of The Help, but much more raw and gritty. This book has scenes in that I will never forget. They were shocking and harsh. The characters all had a lot of depth to them. They grew and they changed. I enjoy books about this period in American history. This was a great addition to it. It was really well written and I would love to read anything else that Delores Phillips has to offer.

[pbadeer · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This was a very difficult book to read. Good but emotionally draining. Originally begun months ago, I gratefully set it aside for awhile because it was a little more "raw" than I'm used to reading.Tangy Mae is growing up in the segregated south in a house which doesn't feel much like a home. Her brothers and sisters all have different fathers - assuming they know who their fathers are - and the emotional outbursts of the mother force the siblings into each others' arms. But this mother transcends the standard shortfalls of the typical head of a literary disfunctional family. Verbal and physical abuse are daily occurences and mental cruelty is a given, but the prostituting of her daughters to cover the family's expenses was a bit too much for me. If you can rise above this kind of writing - in my case simply reminding myself (repeatedly) that these characters were fictional - this is well worth your time. Just be advised that realistic fiction gets that term for a reason, and just knowing that some of what is described actually could (and does) take place raises the author's writing to a different level.

[tlogreen · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Horrific!!!!!! Chilling!!!!! Couldn't put it down. I read it,my wife read it and my sister in-law read it.

[bohemiangirl35 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

The Darkest Child is the story of a black family living in the rural south in the 1950s. Rozelle, the mother, classifies her 10 children (by 10 different fathers) by their color - white, Indian and negroe. Tangy Mae is the darkest one of the group and the "smart" one in the family. She loves learning and wants to graduate from high school, but Rozelle wants her to drop out and go to work cleaning houses. No one else in the family has graduated and as Tangy's friend says, "Girls ain't good for nothin' anyway." In addition to this conflict, Rosie is a mentally ill, self-centered and sadistic mother and behaves cruelly towards all her children. She literally brands Tangy Mae on the leg, stabs Martha Jean (the deaf sister) in the hand, kills her youngest child Judy, and pimps out her daughters for money and favors. Despite growing up in these hellish conditions, 9 of the 10 siblings feel like they can't leave their mother's home - the only house in the county without electricity.The family drama plays out against the backdrop of the Civil Rights movement.The story is told by Tangy Mae, beginning when she is 13. Delores Phillips does an excellent job of letting the reader know what's happening through a 13-year-old's naive telling of the facts as she sees them. Only a few things in the novel don't ring true: Tangy Mae, despite her harsh upbringing, remains inexplicably naive about her mother's behavior and her family's actions. And I never figured out why the children as they grow up feel like they can't leave the person who torments and abuses them.

[jonesli · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

[The Darkest Child] is a heart wrenching tale set in the Segregated South ,of a child wanting to love her mother, even while experiencing child abuse and the effects of alcoholism combined with her mother's madness. Great Read.

[altima313 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This book is excellent in evoking all emotions but mostly hatred toward Rosie (the mother). Tangy Mae is a smart child of 10 with common sense and you just want to snatch her away from her crazy mama. This story compels you from the start to the end with you saying 'what could possibly happen next'. I'm looking forward to her next novel.The story is mixed with some historical moments set back in the 40's, 50's and 60's. It depicts the rural south and living in a small town during racial hatred. Filled with grand plot events, racial tension, and family violence, this debut is a sensational read.