Ebony the Beloved

I must say, that reading is not my most favorite thing to do. Often I get motivated to go buy a book which sounds interesting but 20-24 pages into the book, I loose interest. This was my outlook on most books, but then I picked up "Ebony, The Beloved". I picked it up with absolutely no expectations. I read the first page, then 2 chapters..before I knew it, I read the entire book in 2 days. From the very first page, author Hannah Spivey painted such percise photos with her words. I imagined myself next to these characters in her book. I went through an emotional rollercoaster reading through each chapter. I found myself crying, laughing, rolling my eyes, clapping, I literally could not put the book down. I find it totally unlike me to be moved so much by an authour where I am writing a review online. Ms. Spivey is an outstanding author and I am so excited for her next book. Ebony, The Beloved is a MUST read. This story sheds light on the characters we all have meet in our everday lives. It's a story written by someone who obviously is in touch with reality. Outstanding book..truly.

This is a tale of Ebony Sparks, a young teenage girl searching to find a bit of solace in her life. Being belittled by her parents, classmates she was in a cruel world and she knew it. Feeling as a outcast was a familiar place for Ebony. As any little girl feeling awkward about their looks, then to have your parents to tell you that your, dumb,and ugly, nappy headed,and stupid and will never amount to nothing. It was the way of life for her, she knew nothing different. Ebony had been through so much abuse form sexually, emotionally, physically, mentally, the list could go on and maybe she even considered that love, because that was all she had come accustom to.

That was until she came in touch with an International Mega Entertainer that she meet at benefit concert that had all types of connections to other celebrities like her favorite singer Trey Songz, Ebony thought she was well on her way to some peace of happiness, she meet the gorgeous Mr. Desmond Waltz she thought was going to be her Knight and shining armor, being the young naive teenager girl she was, she had no clue what being with a man like that would be like, Ebony was indeed mesmerized by the glits, glam and fame, nice gifts that he had given her the lifestyle had her wanting to be his girl, in Ebony's mind she would be the girl everyone would envy when they found out she was with him.

But he's mother wasn't going to allow the likes of this girl to come in a take what she had away from her. Desmond and his mother got a real kick out of cause her a great deal of torment to her, broken spirit, battered body having Ebony to cry out in agony, which only cause the punishment to be even more excruciating to her.

Honestly will Ebony be able to make it out alive, can she find the love that she so desires, or will she be able to end this vicious cycle of mistreatment? What would be the ultimate price she would pay to be set free from all the past hurt and demons she's endured?

Reading Ebony the Beloved made me so grateful to have parents who raised me in a stable home with love and compassion! I read this book in two days. I absolutely could not put it down!

The main character Ebony is the oldest of two children. Her parents are unhappily married when the book starts and constantly argue and berate each other. I liked that the mother was Christian and the father was a Hebrew Israelite...just that dynamic alone made the scenes in the family home interesting as neither parent really respected the other's religion.

The one thing the parents do have in common is their disdain for Ebony. They talk to her any kind of way...and I don't mean cursing her out, they constantly call her an idiot, tell her she's dumb, just completely break the poor girl down. What's worse, they treat Ebony's younger sister Naja like a true princess. In addition, they are very strict and are struggling financially (since Ebony's mom is lazy and flat out refuses to work) so Ebony has to wear long skirts and sweatshirts...outfits the fashion police would have a field day judging.

Speaking of judging, the kids at Ebony's high school have no issue judging Ebony's lack of style. Ebony stays to herself because she has no friends, and is content losing herself in the books she reads on a daily basis. Ebony's life takes a turn for the worst when she accidentally bumps into the most popular girl at school, causing the girl to scuff her precious Marc Jacobs shoes. This incident spirals out of control as the popular girl and her best friend set up Ebony and attack her in the locker room right before gym class starts. Reading this part really broke my heart because it all stemmed from a scuffed shoe...a scuffed shoe though...pure craziness! It's very reminiscent of bullying nightmares you hear about on the news/see in a Lifetime movie. The girls plan to post the attack on YouTube but the best friend loses heart once the popular girl tells her that she plans to cut Ebony's hair, beat her up and slice her face with a razor blade (WHAT the heck?!?!?). The sidekick ends up running out of the locker room with the video.

At this point in the novel, I figured "ok...Ebony is in the hospital with serious injuries after her attack...this incident should definitely bring the family together." However, Ebony refuses to point out her assailants, so her parents ignore the Doctor's orders of mandatory bed rest for 2 weeks. Instead, they drop her off at school as soon as she is discharged from the hospital and when she's not allowed to return to school the next day, they force her to clean the entire house. That same night they tell her a devestating secret and kick her out of the house...I definitely screamed at my phone as I was reading the novel like "how can they kick her out after all of this???"

Ebony goes to stay with Ms. Norma, a fiesty but loving secretary at her high school. Ms. Norma took an interest in Ebony after her parents heartlessly dropped her off at school as soon as she was discharged from the hospital. Ms. Norma and her niece Tara embrace Ebony and shower her with love and affection (and clothes thank goodness lol). It seems like Ebony is headed in the right direction at this point in the novel but a lifetime of emotional neglect combined with her naivety at the tender age of 15 still manage to get her in even more trouble. By chance, she links with Desmond Waltz, a famous singer and performer (who also happens to be a good 15 years her senior), at a charity event. Desmond's public persona and his crazy Mama (seriously this lady was beyond deranged!) have enabled him to cover up his sadistic activities towards young girls. I was really rooting for Ebony at this point in the novel but of course she thinks she knows everything and ignores warnings from Tara about Desmond's pedophilic tendencies. Ebony is so star struck and desperate for a "boyfriend" that she refuses to believe that Desmond is a sick pervert and she begins sneaking out of her home to see him. Things really get crazy from there...

I loved Ms. Spivey's writing style, she's excellent at giving a back story on each character without straying too far from the main story. She also took the time to bring closure to every storyline she introduced which I don't see too often in contemporary urban fiction. Her vocabulary is on point too! I had to grab my dictionary a few times lol. But trust, this novel is an easy read since the overall tone is conversational.

I won't tell the end of the story (which I enjoyed) but I can say that I highly recommend this book. A great read for anyone who has ever felt alone and suffered from esteem issues. Just make sure you have a box of tissues nearby!

-K.Reid

I've just read the incredible story of "Ebony, The Beloved" by the amazing writer, Hannah Spivey. This book tells the story of a young, black girl living a life which has no true meaning, while simply existing for the sake of purpose. Her parents appear to detest her very being by showing their lack of appreciation for her, while rendering more affection to Ebony's younger sister. This book really roams deep within the confines of one's psyche. I found myself totally engulfed into the pity of Ebony. She could never find solace within her surroundings, and Spivey, the author, constantly reminded you of that fact. Her parents berate her at every turn, calling her names and even subjecting her to cruel circumstances that were hard to believe.
Like most teenagers, Ebony looks for other means of happiness, by locking herself within the realms of her own validation. Like creating herself as an imaginary significance to R&B singer, Trey Songz. She dreams often of being with him, even enveloping the idea of having sex with him. But the few moments of sexual loveliness dissipate as she is reminded, by mainly her father, of her undesired looks and unattractive body. To make matters worse, Ebony is forced to wear clothing to school that is unsettling to the eye. At this point in the book, I held that moment close to my own personal vest. During my junior high school years, my parents were not as financially comfortable as they had become in later years, and like Ebony, I was deduced to wearing clothing that was more pragmatic, than fashionable. Since the beginning of time, school has always been the cornerstone to what's going on, not what's important in a child's eye. And Ebony was learning that hard truth everyday.
Hours of torture at her usual learning place was felt daily. In gym class, in the hallways, or wherever her tormentors could find her. Like in the real world of schooling, there was no definite answer why a shy person like Ebony would have to be used as a punching bag or a laughingstock, but she was. And Spivey doesn't relent when expressing the violence and the tawdry vision of what is going on around the protagonist, as she deals with this constant battle. (Spoiler Alert) In the end, on one fateful day in the bathroom, Ebony is accosted in the worst way. Actually leaving her terribly bruised and bloodied, so much so, that is she sent to the school's office, and then later, sent home. Only there, she is not comforted by her family, but only further humiliated to the point of disbelief.
As said before, Spivey is an excellent writing talent. And her idea of sharing a destructible lifestyle without familial support on page is far from simple. From the very beginning of the story, you are woven into this urban world of unhappiness, cliché anecdotes, and misplaced pride. If you are looking to delve deeply into an explosive, dramatic piece, then, this is the book for you. Just be prepared to possess an ample amount of Kleenex to do so at your side. And a cleverly-devised plan to cover the angst.