Mohamed Mohamed
Book 1 of Brown Girl, Brownstones begins with an introduction to the main character, Selina. Selina is an African-American little girl living in Brooklyn with her father, mother and older sister. Ina. Selina then finds a family photo before she was born. In the photo she is able to recognize her father but everyone else seems to have changed. Also she finds a baby boy in the photo that she explains has died. She makes her way to the basement where her older sister, Ina, lay sick. Ina is struggling with menstrual cramps that Selina is too young to understand. After bothering her sister a bit she meets with her father. Her father, Deighton, tells Selina stories of how he always had something fun to do as a kid and was never bored like her. He then informs her that he has acquired land from a diseased relative. He was really excited and wanted to keep it secret for the time.
We are the introduced to the other characters living in the Brownstones. There was Suggie who, every Saturday, waited for her lover. They would spend the night together to ease their long week at work. Also, there lived Maritze and her mother, Mary who had disputes about almost everything. Maritze dreamed of once moving from her poor neighborhood and buy a nice home somewhere in Long Island. Mary argues that she will not leave and nothing will convince her to leave.
When Deighton finally tells his wife Silla about the land he acquired, she was in disbelief. Deighton had a hard time convincing his wife. She finally read the letter and suggested that he sell it and use the money for down payment of there home. Deighton is enraged and refuses to sell the land. He claims that it is his land and he’ll do what ever he pleases with it. The debate continues between the two. Silla then goes to her pregnant friend who advises that she convince him to sell it no matter what. Silla goes to her daughter Selina for help. She tells her to try and convince her father to sell the land but Selina refuses. She agrees with her father to not sell the two acres. Her mother is angered and strikes her.
Book 2 was very short and helps us become more familiar with Selina. She is now eleven years old. After Suggie gave her rum and has a quick talk with her mother she makes her way to the nearby park. She first calls for her friend Beryl who was sitting at the family table with her father. Beryl’s father asks Selina about her father and if he is planning to sell the land. She lets him know that her is not selling the land, which brings an unpleasant remark on his face. Selina was able to tell that he did not like her father and thought he was a failure for trying to work with the white man. Afterwards, Selina and Beryl go out for a stroll that seems like a date. They then begin talking about adolescents and what happens to a female. Selina is not fond of the idea and denies that will ever happen to her. Beryl explains that it happens to every girl and that it already happened to her and Ina. Selina is lost for words and feels deeply uncomfortable. Beryl embraces Selina to comfort her.
