Chapters (31)
- Cover
- Title Page
- Dedication
- Contents
- Room in the Dark I
- Fawns of the Diaspora Court Liliane in Paris, While Tabou Combo Whispers “Coq Qualité” in Her Ears
- Room in the Dark II
- “I Usedta Drink, Smoke and Do the Hoochie-Koo,” or What’s a Girl to Do When Her Mother Looks Like Ruth Brown
- Room in the Dark III
- “El Bochinche” es que only Fe Cortijo Knows or All the LeBron Brothers Know If Victor-Jésus María Sang Lili to Her Freedom
- Room in the Dark IV
- And Where Is Garnett Mimms?
- Room in the Dark V
- I Know Where Kansas City Is, But Did Wilbert Harrison Ever Get There?
- Room in the Dark VI
- Zoom Went the Strings of Liliane’s Heart, But Arsenio Rodriguez Could Have Told Her the Music Sounds Just as Sweet When We’re Blind and Still We See
- Room in the Dark VII
- I Know Where the E Train Stops But I’m “Sendin’ Out an S.O.S.” and I’m Not Edwin Starr Either
- Room in the Dark VIII
- “Happy, Happy Birthday, Baby” or Wouldn’t It Be Great If the Lead Singer of The Crests Wasn’t a White Boy and I Could Be My Mother?
- Room in the Dark IX
- Every Time My Lil World Seems Blue, I Just Haveta Look at You and Learn Eye-Hand Coordination
- Room in the Dark X
- “That’s Why I Love Her So and Yeah, Yeah, Yeah, I Want to Know” or Why Jackie Wilson Died in Silence
- Room in the Dark XI
- There’s No Use Cryin’ “Forever” or Hyacinthe Returns from a Very Blue Holiday for Real B(l)ack at Ya
- Room in the Dark XII
- Lollie Struts Her Stuff Thru “The Sea of Love” or the Brides of Frankenstein Catch the Bouquet
- By Ntozake Shange
- Acknowledgments
- Copyright
Ever since Sawyer died, was killed, shot in the head, murdered, butchered, knocked off, hit, gotten rid of, executed, shot, taken out, blown away, blown away, blown away. Stop! Stop. Let me get my breath. I haven’t been able to put white folks in their place. I know what the cops said. They said it was niggahs what killt Sawyer, but I know Sawyer was dead long ’fore those so-called niggahs got to him. Sawyer was being assassinated from the time he was born and my crazy mother, Bienaimée, was totally dumbfounded bout how she birthed these “niggahs.” From the first time he opened his eyes, took her bronze nipple in his mouth until he was taking me and Liliane to East St. Louis, Sawyer knew nothing but disdain, contempt, and envy.
“Whatta pretty niggah he is.” You betcha forlorn cracker life, that’s the truth. “Is that your brother, Hyacinthe?” “He’s whatever you imagine that he feels like accommodatin’, darlin’.” That’s the way it was. That’s the way it was. That’s the way it was til Lili.
My brother met Lili on Lollie’s front porch. He said she was just lolling about on Lollie’s porch. The sound of it seemed as exciting to me as the actuality. Lolling, Lollie, Lili. The sounds were intoxicating, he said. My Lili, I call her that cause she never thought I was crazy, least no more crazy than she was. Plus, I know, don’t matter how I know, but I know Lili was whatever my brother wanted when he wanted and I know she’d always thank him for such opportunities cause he told me so. Oh, don’t get all beside yourself! My brother never allowed anyone or anything to give him more pleasure than he’d delivered to them. I guess that means we don’t have to feel sorry for Lili, huh?