Paths of Sanctuary - Softcover

Bracy, Ihsan

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1887276491 ISBN 13: 9781887276498

Publisher: Cool Grove Press, 2019

Synopsis

Paths of Sanctuary is a magic-realism novel which traces the life of an African-American family from enslavement in 1786 through post reconstruction to its eventual settling in Sanctuary, a small mountain village situated geographically just below the first gates of heaven. The novel centers on the forbidden commingling of the people of clay (humans) with the people of fire (angels) and the friction that occurs whenever two bordering cultures co-exist. Told in an almost lyrical narrative, Paths of Sanctuary explores the hidden complexities discovered within family, including the trials found within infidelity, friendship and love.

About this title

About the Author:

Paths of Sanctuary is author Ihsan Bracy's second work of fiction with Cool Grove Press (Feb. 2008). His first book Ibo Landing: an offering of short stories, (CGP 1998) is scheduled to be work-shopped by NYU in preparation for an upcoming Broadway run by The Mirror Repertory Company where Ihsan is the Arts and Education Coordinator. A former member of The Family (La Familia) Inc., his credits include prolonged theatre workshops at Bayview Correctional Facility for Women, the Spofford Home for Juveniles and Riker's Island, which culminated in a forty prison inner city tour. Ihsan directed Juan Shamsul Alam's Benpires which received a Pulitzer Prize nomination in theatre.

Review:

Bracy depicts myriad aspects of African American family dynamics. This tragic novel delves back into the horrific slave trade and merges into present emancipation at the Gates of Heaven. The author creatively carves out mystical charachters with names such as Dance, Time, Passage, and Silence. Each character's life exemplifies his or her name. This novel is filled with hints of voodoo and the paranormal. Issues surrounding marriage are depicted in this novel. The young couple is very happy at the beginning of their marriage. Dance is responsible and faithful, while Time is an industrious wife. Each one however, brings baggage into the marriage, and when life's pressures hit, the negative aspects of both emerge. Problems in this marriage include ineffective communication, listening to gossip, alcoholism, infidelity, and even incest. Positive aspects of African American extended family are portrayed through the two aunts. Ms. Affection and Ms. Cinnamon are always there to help the couple. The novel gives good portrayal of rural life where everybody knows everybody and is in each other's business. On Friday nights, farmers and local workers go to the juke joint for a little solace and usually trouble emerges! --Multicultural Review Volume 17, Number 1, Spring 2008 by Maxine Agazie

ihsan bracy s new novel, paths of sanctuary, is an intricate story of love, lust, envy and filled to the brim with examples of how each can lead to the destruction of one s soul. Readers interested in family dynamics and the interworkings of African-American communities, will most enjoy being taken across decades of time to witness the creation of a three-generational family living in a town just south of the first gates of heaven. The town, called sanctuary, holds in it children born of both angel and man, living side by side with human beings. The forbidden man/angel relationship is at the core of the central conflict, although it is difficult to discern even if you are three-quarter s of the way through the book. This information is clearly given only in the last few pages, at which point you suddenly realize the tie-in and purpose of the prologue. This is not to say that bracy s book is without merit. At times his writing is so lyrical you are easily swept away by the beauty of his words. The world he has created is full of magical-realism, colorful, interesting characters worth rooting for, and a litany of sub-plots that often commands more attention than the main plot. And, the third-person, exposition-heavy narrative allows readers to observe characters from various points of view. These same strengths also cause quite a conundrum for bracy. He gives us such strong, empathetic major and minor characters that their voices demand to be heard. Rarely are they and this makes it oftentimes difficult to distinguish between them. It also robs readers of a look at the characters interior and a chance to fully experience the heightened intensity of emotions that is pervasive throughout the book. Some will argue that bracy s writing is more in line with fable telling or the style of J. California Cooper and thus not required to do more showing than telling. But in order to believe the motivations that drive bracy s characters to make life-altering, cataclysmic decisions, more insight into his characters interior is needed. Take for instance the story of passage, the son of main characters dance and time. He is depicted as a kind-hearted, well-liked boy who is on the cusp of becoming the kind of man all parents hope their sons will grow up to be. In an instant he is turned into an immoral, evil and depraved individual. Why is this? And why did bracy choose passage, the most benign of the family members, to be the catalyst for the family s destruction? Other strengths pose similar challenges for bracy, like the use of three separate boy- girl relationships to symbolize the union of spirit and man. Each is beautifully crafted and depicts a pure, soulful, everlasting bond. But their true significance is unclear and so then is their link to the overall story muddling the genius of bracy s distinct storytelling and well-woven prose of rhythms and sensory. But bracy ends up coming out on top, leaving us with a story that needs to be told, one worthy enough to pass down to the generations. --aalbc.com, by Jill Robinson

About this edition

• Publisher: Cool Grove Press
• Publication date: 2019
• ISBN 10: 1887276491
• ISBN 13: 9781887276498
• Binding: Paperback
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 330
• Illustrator: Black Rafael Leonardo