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Jenniemae & James: A Memoir In Black And White (2010)

by Brooke Newman(Favorite Author)

3.62 of 5 Votes: 3

ISBN

0307462994 (ISBN13: 9780307462992)

languge

English

genre

Memoir & Autobiography

publisher

Crown Publishing Group (NY)

review 1: Jenniemae Harrington came to work as a housekeeper for the author's family in its posh Washington, D.C., home in the late 1940s. In this warped household of lies and evasions, a friendship blossoms in an atmosphere of honesty and good humor between Jenniemae and Brooke Newman's father, James, a well-known mathematician who hobnobs with the likes of Albert Einstein.The author ties the two together through their love of numbers -- James Newman's as a profession and Jenniemae's in her success with the lottery -- but the relationship is much deeper than that. At a time when most relationships between blacks and whites were fraught with antagonism and outright hatred, this one is based in mutual respect and genuine care for each other's well-being.This is truly an inexplicable ... morebond, beautiful in and of itself. Yet it is also tragic, as the author aptly portrays her tumultuous family life in all its remoteness and loneliness. Her father is dictatorial, suffers debilitating bouts of depression and courts an endless parade of mistresses, even moving them into their home at times. Her mother is angry and withdrawn, suffers from night terrors and migraines, but also takes lovers of her own and befriends her husband's lovers. The young Brooke, almost entirely unparented, suffers from what is presumably anorexia and trichotillomania, yet it is never addressed. (After one visit to the doctor when Brooke has pulled out huge clumps of her hair, her father buys her a bracelet and a stuffed animal, and that's that.) Yet whenever tragedy strikes Jenniemae, he is there to comfort her and ease her way with his time, attention and money.Jenniemae is a refreshing and bracing presence in that household of stunted emotions. Brooke Newman has pitched her voice skillfully and invented entirely believable dialog, even though she wasn't privy to the interactions between her parents and Jenniemae. She hints in one sentence about the effect of her upbringing on her life. (She had to pawn that bracelet in her 30s. What brought her to that?) In the end, I loved the book, but felt sad for the author. She was generous in her depiction of a man who at his funeral was said to be grandiose, imperious, troubled, abrasive, arrogant, unkind, egocentric and impossible. He was also feted as someone who "gave himself ... with great generosity, great loyalty, and with unstinting affection." If only that had been so in regards to his family, not just those in his employ.
review 2: This was a book I received from ReadItForward. It might not have been one I would have picked up on my own. This is what I like aboutg ReadItForward. Opens me up to new authors and genres. I knew nothing about James (Jim) Newman. This book gave a background of his historical/professional persona, as well as a bird's eye view of his home life. One utterly and completely different than mine. The sections that expanded on Jennimae's life were by far the most captivating parts of the book. Brooke rights as if she is very detached from her own story that she is relaying. No wonder considering the life she lived growing up. Jenniemae was obviously the best influence in her life. less

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