Publishers Weekly
- Publisher's Weekly
Black Detroit ad exec Kahlil Richardson, hero (and one of several narrators) of this shallow, preachy debut from Atlanta writer White, has a lot on his plate: he's trying to woo his fiance away from her bad-news best friend, straighten out his wayward nephew and get his predatory ex, a successful talk-show host, to support the Detroit community organization that he helps to run. As Kahlil explains, "I thrive on making a difference." But all the melodrama in Kahlil's family circle (bisexual bed-hopping, murder, child abuse, paternity mysteries) fails to save the book from its half-baked political monologues. Whether the subject is homosexuality ("If it's not unnatural, why do people stay in the closet all their lives?"), current events ("You want to know why they put [Tupac Shakur] in jail and, more importantly, why he was murdered? ...Because he spoke the truth, something a lot of people don't like to hear over the airwaves") or marriage ("sisters have to... let the brothers know they are supposed to take charge, by God's law"), Kahlil's barbershop paranoias and prejudices may alienate readers. Only the antics surrounding the dating game, and White's sympathy for its victimsfatherless sons, single parents and burned loversredeem this self-righteous showboat of a novel. (Feb.) FYI: Fed Up with the Fanny was originally self-published.
Library Journal
From the title to the last chapter, the author makes it clear that this book (which he first self-published in 1996) is in response to Terry McMillan's Waiting To Exhale (LJ 5/1/92). The overall message is that men are the misunderstood "good guys" in relationships while women are the true "bad guys" and the cause of the bad things men do. Kahlil Thomas is the perfect hero; tall, dark, and handsome, he is a successful businessman, a community leader, and a loyal friend. He is also sensitive, family-oriented, and devoted to his fiance, Cece. Kahlil's only flaw is trying to solve everyone else's problems, including those of his widowed mother, his sisters, and a teenage nephew. Meanwhile, Cece gets entangled in the deceitful ways of her best friend, Kelly. Of course our hero warns Cece, who doesn't listen, and Kelly causes them to break up. From unwed mothers to evil female talk-show hosts, White covers as many "bad" women scenarios as possible in one story line while turning absent fathers into martyrs and street thugs into pitiful victims of overbearing mothers. This preachy, slanted tale overshadows his otherwise fine talent as a writer. McMillan fans might want to read, but others may wish to pass on a now-tired subject in African American fiction.Shirley Gibson Coleman, Ann Arbor Dist. Lib., Mich.
