Ida B.

Karen E, Quinones Miller, you deserve your NAACP Image Award Nomination, Congratulations! I throughly enjoyed this book. Ida B. Wells-Barnett Tower is an apartment building in Harlem. The story centers around the residents who live there, especially Brenda Carver, Rosa Rivera and Sharif Goldsby. These three along with a host of secondary characters, form a neighborly bond over a number of years. A tragedy occurs followed by a dreadful crime, battle lines are drawn, and accusations are thrown. On top of it all the city is planning to tear down Ida B and relocate it's many residents. Karen has written a pleasurable, but sometimes sad story. This is a great book club read.

Karen's books are targeted by bad reviews many times. I just can't understand it. Because she is so talented. All her books that I have read have been phenomenal, they have been pageturners to the point where I can't put them down. She gives you memorable characters that stay within your soul. Ida B. for instance is real it is what is actually going on in the "hood". I know I grew up in a project much like Ida B. where everyone looked out for each other. Sure there were problems and life wasn"t full of apple pies but it was family. And as for the person who didn't believe the woman jumped off the roof with her children. Get this it happens in real life it happened when I was growing up. Karen keep bringing out these real stories with real characters. Also to you the reader I have bought three copies of Ida B. for Christmas gifts to support my sister and this good book. For bookclubs this is a great book for discussions.

This book wasn't what I expected but it was very good, Ms. Miller really came through on this one, with its drama/suspense ingredients. I grew up in Baisley Park Houses in Jamaica, Queens and all the characters that were in the Ida B. was true to life. You had your nosey neighbors, bad behind kids and some real good people there. Even though some people thought it wasn't much it was home to a lot of people for a lot of years and I loved the way they all pulled together in the mist of a tragedy, a very cruel tragedy. Only thing I wish Ms. Miller could of focused more on the main character Brenda, but I guess she wasn't trying to single one character out, she was trying to focus on the buidling as a whole. This book is a very good fast read, with hopes and dreams of people just like you and me. Later.......

Karen E. Quinones Miller's fourth novel, "Ida B." regales readers with the lives of several long-term occupants of a high-rise subsidized tenement known as the Ida B. Barrett Wells Tower located in Harlem, New York. Home to its residents, Brenda, Sharif, Rosa, and several others, for over two decades; these tenants have created an unbreakable bond closer than that of most biological families as each has faced judgment, personal failure, and ridicule from a cast of neighborhood peers. Brenda Carver, a twenty-five year old, single mother of four is currently receiving assistance from the government to make ends meet. Her four illegitimate children, four "baby daddies", and lack of support is the least of her problems. Brenda's biggest set back lies in her highly dependent nature and her habitual indecisiveness. Her dream of becoming an author is constantly being railroaded, not due to her intelligence, but to her lack of follow through. Everything Brenda tries to accomplish get derailed, including a concrete storyline for her dream novel. As Brenda faces her personal struggles, she must also keep an eye on the future of her oldest son Bootsy, who has witnessed a crime that may cost him his life. With her comfort zone becoming increasingly tattered, Brenda's reality may have to be dealt with sooner, rather than later. Known as the neighborhood saint, Sharif Goldsby is a man who will stand up and fight for the downtrodden. His labor of love towards others range from creating petitions, organizing marches, and even making personal phone calls to those in decision-making capacities. Sharif is usually the first one notified when trouble occurs. His life has been devoted to making Ida B. a better living community for all, even when faced with horrible accusations regarding his sexual preference. Ultimately Sharif is placed in a position where his personal judgment becomes unsettling causing hurtful situations to resurface and a severe life altering choice to be made. Karen E. Quinones Miller has transported readers into a small community unbeknownst by many, but respected by all who come in contact. Filled with comedy, drama, heartfelt scenes, and realism, "Ida B." is truly an enjoyable, self-relating, and most of all a unforgettable novel. -Monique Baldwin-Worrell, founder of Flavah Reviewers