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
Judge Lincoln Parnell liked the drive thru Mercer County out Route 33 toward Freehold, the Circle, easing on to Asbury Park and finally Bellmawr Beach. As a boy, he’d “whupped” all those farm boys and factory workers’ sons in any sport they could think up. Plus, now, he also sat in judgment on them, their ways, their snide superiority and dreams. Why, he’d been accepted at Yale with a full football scholarship until they saw him on the first day of practice. No colored quarterback. Impossible.
Princeton was the same, but meaner. They wondered did Lincoln Parnell realize that Robeson had gone to Rutgers, the state school. Now, had Lincoln Parnell ever lost a game or a woman? Didn’t Lincoln Parnell graduate from everything before his older brothers had figured out they had to finish something? Hadn’t Lincoln Parnell’s own pa tied him to a tree with a harness cause he wouldn’t mind?
But Lincoln Parnell minded a lot of things. He minded the word “niggah.” He minded the Scottsboro Boys, Emmett Till, Sam Cooke, and them constantly chasin’ Chuck Berry. He minded Robeson’s persecution; he minded we didn’t own land, couldn’t vote, could hardly talk and killed each other off whenever the white folks let up for a second. Lincoln Parnell minded and he kept score.
Liliane was counting, too. He kissed me 439 times, at least. He licked my eyebrows had to be five times. He pulled my dress down, oh, well, three times. He unbuttoned—let me see, how many buttons do I have—and she counted.
“Liliane.”
“Yes, Papa.”
“Looked like you all were having what we used to call a helluva good time.”
“Sure did, Daddy. Why, I danced every dance and even did ole Ruthie whatshername, ya know the one who’s dad is always up for disturbing the peace, well, I even did that little tramp out of the dance contest. I won, Daddy. Can you imagine, Papa? I won outta all the other girls there.”
“No, Liliane. I’m not surprised. Sweetheart, you were always so light on your feet and could follow turns to any rhythm our people concocted from wherever. No, that’s just my little girl. Too hot to handle, too smart to let go.”
“Daddy.”
“Yes?”
“Is this near where you and Mama drove into the cornfields when you were young and before…you know, before I came?”
“Uh-uh. No. Was Route One-thirty, not Thirty-three.”
“Oh.”
Liliane was beginning to think that the clouds sinking toward the road were Danny’s arms searchin’ for her. She let the window down, so she could smell him. Her cloud-man.