Tina McElroy Ansa (1949–2024)
Author of Ugly Ways
About the Author
Image credit: James Ansa
Series
Works by Tina McElroy Ansa
Associated Works
Breaking Ice: An Anthology of Contemporary African-American Fiction (1990) — Contributor — 279 copies, 1 review
Calling the Wind: Twentieth Century African-American Short Stories (1992) — Contributor — 105 copies
Centers of the Self: Stories by Black American Women, from the Nineteenth Century to the Present (1994) — Contributor — 29 copies
The Bluelight Corner: Black Women Writing on Passion, Sex, and Romantic Love (1998) — Contributor — 10 copies
Tagged
Common Knowledge
- Birthdate
- 1949-11-14
- Date of death
- 2024-09-10
- Gender
- female
- Nationality
- USA
- Places of residence
- Macon, Georgia, USA
St. Simons Island, Georgia, USA - Education
- Spelman College
- Occupations
- novelist
journalist
writing teacher
filmmaker - Organizations
- Atlanta Constitution
Sea Island Writers Retreats, Sapelo Island (founder)
DownSouth Press (founder)
Members
Reviews
Lists
Zora Canon (1)
The Zora Canon (1)
Awards
You May Also Like
Associated Authors
Statistics
- Works
- 6
- Also by
- 11
- Members
- 756
- Popularity
- #33,639
- Rating
- 3.7
- Reviews
- 7
- ISBNs
- 29
- Languages
- 1
- Favorited
- 2
Lena McPherson is a lady of prestige in her town of Mulberry, GA. Many readers who follow Ansa's work will remember Lena had a prequel in Baby Of The Family. This book though gives us full insight to her initial sadness - Lena was born of a spiritual birth with a caul over her face. Her people didn't believe in that, and burned the caul. Over her life Lena has had remarkable spiritual gifts, but such gifts have limited her from having meaningful relationships with people except for Sister, her best friend. Sister is prety much a high priestess and has been trying to help Lena get a handle on her gifts.
The book picks up steam with Sister goes on a spiritual trip for a couple of months. Before they go they do a ritual trying to conjure Lena up a man. Little do either of them know they summon Herman, Lena's 100 year old ghost of a guardian angel. Herman ain't your typical guardian angel. He's there to love Lena in any way shape or form she needs it, and he gets the job done. Slowly but surely her gifts start manifesting him as flesh and bone, especially as their love thing intensifies. This at least gives her clarity and closure on the deaths of her entire immediate family, and a deeper understanding of the state of affairs in her life, especially pertaining to Herman. But all good things come to an end. In the case of Herman and Lena, the end is just the beginning.
Read it. Starts out "slow" if you haven't read Baby Of The Family, but if you're reading a one off of it and make it to the chapter entitled "Love" the pages will turn and it will be over before you know it.… (more)