The Hilltop - Life & Style
Issue: 5/8/04
By Patrice Miles
Aunties come in several varieties- spanning from the down home Auntie, to the big city Auntie that you really never see, but are strangely close to. Some Aunties are funny, while others are reserved, yet loving. Aunties have been the backbone of many families and that one person to whom you can always turn for anything.
Ingrid Sturgis, the current editor of Essence.com, pays homage to aunties in her new book, "Aunties: 35 Writers Celebrate Their Other Mother," which will appear on bookshelves around Mother's Day.
"Aunties" features personal essays from several different writers depicting their extraordinary bonds with their aunts. "Aunties" showcases the wonderful relationships between aunties and their nieces and nephews.
The book "profiles a variety of aunts from different cultures, temperaments, and walks of life-the surrogate mother, the wild aunt, the eccentric aunt, the mentor," said Random House, the publisher of Sturgis' book. Several well-known journalists and authors such as Pearl Cleage and M.J. Rose contributed their writings and memories to the book. A few local writers also contributed: Esther Iverem and Shawn Kennedy of Washington, D.C., Lalita Noronha and Michelle Pinkard of Baltimore, Md., Yanick Rice Lamb of Bowie, Md., Yasmin Shiraz of Alexandria, Va., and Beverly James, who is a Howard graduate.
Sturgis is a lifetime member of the New York Association of Black Journalists. She is the former managing editor of BET Weekend and Savoy magazine. Additionally, Sturgis worked for The Philadelphia Inquirer and Emerge. She is also author of The Nubian Wedding Book. Sturgis was born and raised in New York City and lives with her husband in New Jersey.
According to preview materials from the Random House Publishing website, the essays include stories like "Tia Sonia," who made her living as an old world witch in Honduras. She provided her niece, Beverly James, with a tenuous connection to the country of her birth-and imparting a valuable lesson after she fails to predict her own tragic demise.
"Tropical Aunts" tells the story of Aunt Debs and Aunt Ava, who ventured north from Florida only twice, but left an indelible mark on Enid Shomer's ideas about being an independent woman.
In the heartwarming "Bloodsense," Mark Holt-Shannon's magical Aunt Lolly, a woman with a heart as big as the ocean, provided unconditional love-and a bridge between three boys and the father who left them behind (Stories drawn from Random House website).
"Aunties" is a terrific celebration of family, fun and love for those who are closest to you. Sturgis clearly poured her soul into this labor of the heart. The book shows reverence to the women whose intangible gifts of guidance and respect often pass without recognition. Through the vivid images portrayed by the writers, the readers are able to grasp a true understanding of the relationships between these writers and their other mothers. This book is a definite must-read for the summer and it pays an honest tribute to aunts all across the world.
K. Reid May 3, 2004
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