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
This Granville had a English accent made me think he was a West Indian or a Negro what put on airs, but he was smooth, I gotta say that. He was more friendly to me than the rest of these people, especially nicer than the Negroes servin’ the food was. Here they was in they little bonnets and aprons, big-grown folks, waitin’ on teenagers black as them who took no notice of them, like the trays was just sittin’ on air and goin’ bout the yard on they own. Oh, but when they got to me, didn’t they eyes just roll this way and that like I was a serious mistake and if they rolled they eyes far enough to one side, by the time they eyes got back to where they could see in front of them I’d be gone. But I was there, smilin’, and waitin’ for someone to ask me to dance.
And with all the fancy carryin’ on, these Negroes could still move with style, I’ll say that. I was dancin’, too. Although I thought I might be a bit much for the way this boy was shufflin’ his feet, at least I was on the floor. Yes, I was. His name was Roy somethin’. He was soft-spoken and tall, smelled good. I saw Rose Lynne run off behind this little house next to the garage. Hum. Then I saw Liliane waving her hand at me, mouthing that she was just checkin’ to see I was havin’ a good time. I was feelin’ more like an explorer, you know, than actually enjoyin’ myself. I wanted to remember everythin’ so I could tell my friends in Jersey what all these Negroes was up to. I know cause I could tell that Liliane and Granville was a hot match. Nobody paid them no mind which means they attempts to grind into each other with they clothes on was an ordinary sight. I hoped Danny had missed the bus or got lost or somethin’.
Next thing I know Rose Lynne come runnin’ out the bushes in tears, sobbin’ and holdin’ her head down. Now hadn’t one of these acne-free polished Negroes held they head down all evenin’, so I thought that fella musta shamed Rose Lynne which is what happens when you go in the bushes with a fella anyway. Liliane broke way from Granville, fine as his black ass was, to tend to Rose Lynne. I excused myself from Roy, I know my manners, too, you see. Then I went right behind them.