This was a hard book to read, but really well written. The story of a girl whose only crime is being the darkest child of a horrible mother.

I have never read this author before so I was excited to try something new. Unfortunately, I just couldn’t get into it. It was very well written, but it was just too sad for me.

The Darkest Child takes place in Georgia during the late 1950's. Tangy Mae Quinn is thirteen, one of ten siblings, and the biggest issues she faces are at the hands of her own mother. The darkest skinned among her siblings, Tangy Mae is treated with distain and disrespect by her mother Rozelle. When Tangy Mae is chosen for an integrated class at the high school, will she be able to propel herself into a brighter future?

I had high hopes for The Darkest Child as the book commenced, but my feelings waned as the story meandered along. Tangy Mae is a well meaning child with a strong mind and good moral character, but she gets lost in a surprisingly lackluster story. The book did not hold my interest, though I am a big fan of historical fiction. I wanted to be drawn in my Tangy Mae through her struggles and perseverance, but the book overall was a missed opportunity. For these reasons, I would be hesitant to recommend The Darkest Child to other readers.

Disclaimer: I was given an opportunity to read an Advanced Reader's Copy of The Darkest Child via NetGalley and the publisher, Soho Press. The choice to review this book was my own.

It took me a while to get into this book, but once I did I started enjoying it a lot more.
I'd say that the second half was definitely more engaging than the first half, but overall it was a good read.

Tangy Mae is one of 10 fatherless children being raised by her mother Rozelle in Pakersfield, Georgia in 1958. She is 16 years old and the darkest-skinned of her siblings. Therefore, in her mother's eyes, she is the ugliest and Rozelle never lets her forget it. All of the children have a brutally tough life. Having to deal with racism on top of their mother's ways of life is not for the faint of heart. They have no electricity, no indoor plumbing, and barely any food. Every day life is a struggle to make ends meet. As each sibling grows up and attempts to leave the house Rozelle finds a way to make them keep coming back. Tangy Mae hopes to one day leave and never come back.

I've had this book on my shelf for a very long time. Every time I would sort my NetGalley books by rating this one would rise to the top. I finally know why. This is a tough book to read, however it is very well written and I felt attached to every single character. There is more heartbreak than happiness, but it's a story I'm glad I read about a time not so long ago.

My apologies for not reviewing this book. I was unable to download it before the archive date. I would in the future really like to read it

A sobering insight to the complexities of colorism in the African American community and American society at large. This book is a great opportunity for those unfamiliar with the effects of colorism to see just how deeply it impacts and shapes the perceptions and experiences of the victims.

A heart wrenching debut novel from Delores Phillips sharing the story of Tangy Mae growing up in the midst of abuse and poverty as one of 10 children of a very dysfunctional mother in the Jim Crow South - Georgia, USA in the 1950s.

"The Darkest Child" is one of the most heart-wrenching and well written novels that I have read in a very long time. I become emotionally invested in Tangy Mae and her life. My heart broke over and over as the read but I felt compelled to keep reading. What a powerful novel!

I won't spoil the plot but Tangy Mae lives in a deplorable house with her selfish, emotional and physically abusive mother and her multiple siblings during the late 1950s in Georgia. She does her best to play the peacemaker, tip toe around her mother, and does everything she can to stay in school. She's bright and has dreams of getting out of her town and extricating herself from her situation.

I literally wept and often cheered while reading this book. I continue to think about it even though I've finished it. I know my review can not truly do justice to this incredible and again, I must say powerful books. I highly recommend it.

While I did really live this book, it wasn’t quite what I was expecting. I was hoping for more of a story about her going to school, but it was more about her life at home

Devastatingly sad, this is a haunting tale of Tangy Mae, one of 10 children whose mother is insane. When the story begins, Tangy is 13 years old and her mother claims to be dying, although in reality, she is in labor. Tangy and her siblings live in abject poverty in the late 1950s in Georgia in a tumble down shack with no electricity. When each daughter is old enough, or not, their mother forces them to join her in the oldest profession. Tangy is the smartest of the siblings and the only one with the desire and opportunity to graduate from high school. The book is well-written, raw, sad and makes you think.

--I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts are purely my own and not influenced in any way.--
This is one of those times where the backflap does not fully convey the actual story. The mother is one of the most despicable people I have ever read in a fiction book but the characters were so rich that you never knew how much of it was mental illness and how much was just pure cruelty. The characters were incredibly realistic and I loved the parallels to the Mom and how her dysfunction impacted the kids' daily lives.
That said, I feel like the ending was a bit rushed and I would've liked more parts fleshed out. Overall though, really good but heavy read.

This is a graphic story about poverty, child abuse, racism within races, and pretty much every other topic that makes you uncomfortable including child prostitution. I couldn't finish it.

I absolutely fell in love with this book. The feelings in the book are breathtaking and you cannot help but being sucked into the story. I have no grounds to understand any of the story as something I have experienced, but still the author translated me into this rundown little house and I felt a part of every corner of the story.

I rarely cry when I read books, but this one made me cry. I wanted to save the children, hold round them and tell them it would be ok. I wanted to scream at the mother, slap her, but still at the same time become her friend on her good days. I became embarrassed that this is in fact a part of history that we still have not left behind.

It reminded me a lot of "The secret life of bies", so if that is a book you like, you will love this one.

This is my second time reading this book and it is just as good as I remembered This story hurt just as much as when I read it prior as it did reading again. I know it is labeled as fiction, but I did find myself wondering if any of this was true. Tangy endured more than any child should have to. She started out in life with a stirke against her, which was her mother. And her second strike, her skin tone. This book is very heavy, with abuse, racism from the one you would think should love you unconditionally. The book will bring a variety of emotions up in the reader, but please keep reading. This was an outstanding book before as it is now. Thanks to NetGally, the author and the publisher for the ARC of this book in return for my honest review.

This book will continue to haunt me for a long time now that I'm finished with it! It features many dark places. I am not sure how a woman could have so many children and abuse and murder some of them. I would say that she probably wouldn't get away with it in this day and age but I'd probably be wrong. Just look to the news to see all the cases of terrible things happening to children dealt to them by the hands of their parents who they should be able to trust to protect them. This takes place in Pakersfield, Georgia, the late 1950's. The mother had 11 children all by different men, a single mother. Surely she was mentally ill to treat her children this way. Deep poverty,segregation and alcoholic behavior are a part of the book. The book was fascinating in the sense that it is so unlike what I am used to in real life. The author really knows how to pen a story.
Pub Date 30 Jan 2018
I received a complimentary copy of this book from Soho Press through NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

Heartbreaking and powerful story. Tangy Mae deals with a lot of adult issues for a young teenager. She is a very smart child who likes school and wants to go but family issues and obstacles threaten her dream of graduating. Delores Phillips writes a very powerful story that many of us can only imagine while there are others who live with similar situations. Tangy Mae shows us the that she is a survivor with the drive to make a good life for herself and she is an inspiration.

Wow! I heard about this book in a New York Times piece in which it was recommended by Tayari Jones, the author of "An American Marriage." She described how she could not believe this book did not get more buzz when it was originally released and I agree! It is a deeply moving and compelling story about family, mental illness, racism, abuse, love, ambition and despair. A little bit "The Color Purple" and a little bit "The Help" -- recommended.

Actual rating is 4.5

Thought and Plot

It's been awhile since I bumped into a historical fiction novel that DEMANDED I read it. I read the preview and immediately thought "I must have this NOW!!!!" I was not disappointed!

I normally don't ready anything written in a time period past 1930's (anything after 1920's is super rare for me to read), but this book takes place in the 1950's in a small town called Bakersfield. Here the rich white folk live in one particular part of town, the middle class in another and so on. People are extremely racist (50's, small town USA, Georgia, sounds about right).

Tangy Mae lives with 8 of her 9 siblings in an old, decrepit house with her crazy, mean mother. She is the child with the darkest skin tone, which apparently moves her down the hierarchy. I never realized this was/is an honest to goodness thing. Maybe it's because I come from a place where people are just people and you are judged based on your actions for the most part...Anyhow, Tangy Mae and all her siblings all have different fathers. They can't even tell you who their fathers all are.

Their mother, Mama Rozelle is nuts. Crazy. Mentally disturbed. Conniving. Vindictive. Straight up off her rocker. I don't care how her mother treated her, she is a horrid mother and an awful person. (view spoiler) The woman is nuts. The story starts with her quitting her job as a housekeeper and telling her employers that her child will take over for her because she is going to die soon. (view spoiler)

Tangy's mother is a viper, constantly abusing her children emotionally, physically, verbally, psychologically. Only one of her children was brave enough to break away from her, a daughter who has already left when the book begins. Mama Rozelle tries to get her back by having Tangy Mae write a letter to her that their mother is dying and she needs to come home and take care of everyone.

Tangy Mae manages to be the first child in the family to successfully get to and make it through high school despite her mother wanting her to quit and get a job to help her live the easy life. All of the older siblings were forced to quit and get jobs...but Tangy is smart and wants to stay in school and this book tells you just how she managed it. It also covers the first integrated classroom in their town, which Tangy is a part of...

In Conclusion

The Darkest Child is a very well written story about a girl navigating a newly integrated school classroom environment while suffering abuse at home from her own mother who should have been supporting her rather than trying to keep her under her control through all forms of abuse of her and her siblings.

There are books that I read that I will long remember for how they moved me.
This book is definitely on that list now. Tangy Mae Quinn is a character I do not see myself forgetting any time soon. The book takes placein the last 50s/early 60s in Georgia with Tangy as 1 of 10 children to a variety of fathers and skintones. She is the darkest and accordingly the most ugly/worthless to her mother.
She knows better inside herself and fights to be seen and respected. The mother very obviously is struggling with mental illness at a time it was not much discussed. The struggles of the family are heartbreaking. To say much more would be spoiling a book that while heartbreaking is still an amazing read.
I so wish the author had not passed before she finished the proposed sequel. I wanted to know so badly how Tangy fared.