Backcover Description: Five young ladies from very different backgrounds choose to pledge historically black sorority Gamma Beta Alpha at Freedom College. As the five strive to get closer to the sorority, they are forced to become closer to each other or not make it through.
Sabina, Akia, Tammy, Luci and Chilli struggle to get to know each other and put their differences aside for the greater goal of becoming sorors. The journey isn't easy, but they face it together.
The pledge process isn't all that they have to endure. The young ladies have lots of secrets that slowly reveal themselves. Some are subtle and some are a bit more extreme, but all threaten to tear the line apart.
All must come together in the bond or risk not being a part of the sorority at all. Their journey through the process is a life changing experience for them all, as they become closer than anyone could have ever expected.
Book Review/s to share: I think we all can agree that we judge books by their covers. If the cover does not catch your attention then you are less likely to book buy the book. I will be honest and say that when I first saw the book covers for Wyatt Bryson's novels 'Sankofa' and 'Onyx and Eggshell,' the idea of buying the books was miles away from my mind. It wasn’t until I actually read the synopses of the novels and learned the meaning behind the titles that I wanted to actually read the books.
The first book I bought was 'Onyx and Eggshell' because it was focused on five girls pledging a sorority (Gamma Beta Alpha). As a member of Sigma Gamma Rho, my interest in this book was almost automatic. I haven’t read a lot of books which focus on Greek life so I definitely couldn’t wait to start this one. (Sidebar -- the sorority's official colors are onyx and eggshell hence the title of the book).
To begin, 'Onyx and Eggshell' centers itself around five main characters, Sabina, Akia, Tammy, Luci and Chilli who attend Freedom College. The first thing I instantly loved about the characters was the fact that they were all noticeably different and every character had something that made you feel connected to them. As much as I would love to go into grave detail about each character, I won’t, because I don't want to give away anything. There are a lot of things that come out in the novel about each of these characters, but giving away the goods is not my style. I will say this, though -- out of the five characters, my favorite was Chilli. Despite her obstacles, Chilli always had sort of a calm demeanor about herself. It seemed as if certain things never got to her. I honestly felt that her name fit her to the T. However, towards the end of the book ... things took a turn. Yep, a big surprise in the plot!
Although this book was about pledging, do not expect to read a story about five girls being hazed. Expect to receive more of a history lesson on Gamma Beta Alpha and how the organization embodies African traditions. It’s obvious that Mr. Bryson did his research with the amount of references to African culture that are in the book. As the characters receive their history lesson, please believe that you will be getting yours as well!
In the end, the point that I really want to make is this. Although we judge books by their covers, we really shouldn’t. 'Onyx and Eggshell' is an example of that. I would definitely be missing out on a great story if I had let the cover discourage me from buying the book. I highly suggest that you look past the cover and head directly to the pages!
Rating: ***** (Literary Classic)"
--- Review by Vogue, author of 'Diamonds in the Rough'
Backcover Description: Charles Ofay and Yolanda Byrd have a one night stand. The town they both go to school in is host to two very different colleges. Ben Tillman University is a mostly white school and their across town neighbor Freedom College is an historically black institution. Their encounter is soon forgotten.
Several months pass and Charlie gets a call from the local hospital informing him of very surprising news. Yolanda had died in an accident not long after child birth and he has a daughter. He is the child's only living relative. Charlie initially runs, but after much soul searching decides to step up and raise his bi-racial daughter.
The mythological sankofa bird of African folklore tells us that you can’t intelligently move into the future if you don’t pay attention to the lessons of the past. Through the education of Charlie and the journey he is undertaking with his aptly named daughter Sankofa, the story explores and examines human nature and issues of race and racism.
E-mail to share: wyattg@gmail.com
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