Three Girls from Bronzeville: A Uniquely American Story of Race, Fate, and Sisterhood
- Downloads：5725
- Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
- Create Date：2021-09-10 11:21:10
- Update Date：2025-09-06
- Status：finish
- Author：Dawn Turner
- ISBN：1797132598
- Environment：PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle
Reviews
Raymond
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Review coming soon。
Pj
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This book was self-congratulatory， too comfortable with speaking for Kim and Debra， and afraid to examine how all of them were failed by their families and society。 With “sisters” like Dawn， who needs enemies？ Readers won’t hear an accurate story about these women unless Debra writes a book of her own。
Barbara White
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Take a trip into the lives of three girls living in Bronzeville in the 1970's。 You won't be disappointed。 The good times， the bad times， and the ugly times are all present。 Thanks to Goodreads First Reads for my copy。 Don't miss this one。 Take a trip into the lives of three girls living in Bronzeville in the 1970's。 You won't be disappointed。 The good times， the bad times， and the ugly times are all present。 Thanks to Goodreads First Reads for my copy。 Don't miss this one。 。。。more
Kathleen Gray
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An unusual memoir about three best friends whose paths diverged in ways that will make you， like Turner， ask why。 Dawn， her sister Kim， and their friend Debra grew up in and out of one another's homes as young girls。 They had hopes and dreams but somewhere along the way， Kim and Debra derailed， Dawn's path to success seems less fraught than their lives but as with some many things， it's not clear where the small turning points at- most importantly， where they could aww turned back。 This reads li An unusual memoir about three best friends whose paths diverged in ways that will make you， like Turner， ask why。 Dawn， her sister Kim， and their friend Debra grew up in and out of one another's homes as young girls。 They had hopes and dreams but somewhere along the way， Kim and Debra derailed， Dawn's path to success seems less fraught than their lives but as with some many things， it's not clear where the small turning points at- most importantly， where they could aww turned back。 This reads like a novel and even though it's apparent from the start what will happen， you will still find yourself invested。 Thanks to edelweiss for the ARC。 A very good read that resonates。 。。。more
Kelly Lang
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Engaging story of 3 girls growing up in Chicago。 Each of them has their personal struggles and accomplishments Ms。 Turner allows the reader to feel the emotions fully。She intertwines some housing history and public events to give the reader clarity。 I had a hard time putting the book down。
Annie
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A beautiful memoir about growing up on the Southside of Chicago。 A story of love and loss and what we gain along the way。 The author is a journalist and is applying her lens onto her own life which brings both an observer's eye to what is happening around her while at the same time is able to convey the feelings and emotions of growing up。 Her ability to describe detail transported me to her childhood home and her dad's workplace among others。 This book made me reflect on life and how circumstan A beautiful memoir about growing up on the Southside of Chicago。 A story of love and loss and what we gain along the way。 The author is a journalist and is applying her lens onto her own life which brings both an observer's eye to what is happening around her while at the same time is able to convey the feelings and emotions of growing up。 Her ability to describe detail transported me to her childhood home and her dad's workplace among others。 This book made me reflect on life and how circumstances can change the trajectories of our lives and those of family and friends in an instant。 The questions of "what if" haunts all human experience。 I cared about all of the people she writes about here even with their flaws。 It is a brilliant meditation on loss of childhood and loss of neighborhood。I highly recommend this book！ 。。。more
Drea
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A beautiful memoir focused on friendships and family and forgiveness as the author traces her life in the Bronzeville section of Chicago with her sister Kim and best friend Debra。 While I have little in common with the author， I related to so many of her feelings surrounding her close relationships。 I don’t want to spoil the memoir by giving too many details: know that it’s so well written and gives the reader a lot to think about and talk about - this would make an EXCELLENT book choice for a b A beautiful memoir focused on friendships and family and forgiveness as the author traces her life in the Bronzeville section of Chicago with her sister Kim and best friend Debra。 While I have little in common with the author， I related to so many of her feelings surrounding her close relationships。 I don’t want to spoil the memoir by giving too many details: know that it’s so well written and gives the reader a lot to think about and talk about - this would make an EXCELLENT book choice for a book club group。 Recommend 100%。 Thanks to Simon and Schuster for the early copy of this lovely memoir - I’m so grateful。 。。。more
Tashay
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Black Chicago Summer Reading Book #6The first half of the book felt cold and distant。 The author tells the story of how she， her younger sister， and childhood best friend all took different paths in life。 The best friend and sister wind up on the wrong paths but the author never “really” strays， or when she does make mistakes， they don’t get much air time。 I was more drawn to the sister and best friend’s lives than that of the author。A much stronger ending than beginning。
Sylvia-Marah
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Three Girls From Bronzeville by Dawn Turner was moving。 I appreciate Simon & Schuster for sending me an advanced reader's edition to review。 This memoir is the inspiring story of one young woman growing up in the predominantly Black neighborhood in Chicago’s Southside， Bronzeville。 It is a story about a girl with modest working-class roots， who achieves success as an author and journalist。 But is also a story about sisterhood， friendship and loss。 Debra， Dawn and her little sister Kim grew up in Three Girls From Bronzeville by Dawn Turner was moving。 I appreciate Simon & Schuster for sending me an advanced reader's edition to review。 This memoir is the inspiring story of one young woman growing up in the predominantly Black neighborhood in Chicago’s Southside， Bronzeville。 It is a story about a girl with modest working-class roots， who achieves success as an author and journalist。 But is also a story about sisterhood， friendship and loss。 Debra， Dawn and her little sister Kim grew up in the Lawless community housing project。 Debra’s family lived on the floor directly above the Turner’s apartment， and the two girls became best friends in third grade。 In this memoir， Turner shares the divergent paths these three friends took in life。 She asks what factors explain the different roads we take。 Is it the choices we make？ Is it fate？ Or is it a combination of choices， life experiences， and chance？Writing about memoirs is always tricky because I don’t want to include any spoilers！ What I can say about this portrait of girlhood， womanhood and friendship， is that it will work its way into your heart。 The stories of the women moved me in this memoir。 The beautiful turns of phrase continually struck me。 Dawn Turner uses language both clearly and evocatively。 I can see evidence of her journalistic and creative writing talents in this memoir。 Three Girls From Bronzeville hits stores on September 7th。 Go grab a copy from your favorite local bookseller， or pre-order a copy online。 Enjoy！ 。。。more
Diana （Reading While Mommying） Dean
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Dawn Turner， a former journalist for the Chicago Tribune， chronicles growing up in the Bronzeville section of Chicago with her sister and her best friend， Debra。 While sharing stories about their childhoods in this part of Chicago—a Black community born of formerly enslaved people coming north during The Great Migration—she highlights the divergent path her life took， compared to those of her sister & her best friend。 It’s all set against a post-civil-rights time when the hope Black Americans ha Dawn Turner， a former journalist for the Chicago Tribune， chronicles growing up in the Bronzeville section of Chicago with her sister and her best friend， Debra。 While sharing stories about their childhoods in this part of Chicago—a Black community born of formerly enslaved people coming north during The Great Migration—she highlights the divergent path her life took， compared to those of her sister & her best friend。 It’s all set against a post-civil-rights time when the hope Black Americans had for long-lasting systemic changes was dashed with stark realities。 For every triumph， there’s tragedy。 For every heartache， there’s joy。 For every challenge， there’s hope。Turner’s searing prose pulls you right in and doesn’t let go。 You feel as if your friend is sharing her life in intimate， vividly descriptive detail。 Turner's heart is laid bare on these pages and it’s a stunning literary achievement。 Best of all， her messages of hope， home， family， redemption， faith， and， ultimately， love are ones everyone can relate to。 I loved this and highly recommend reading it！ Even if you're more into escapist books， this memoir is a must for anyone who loves stories that celebrate the lives of women， especially women of color。Thanks @this_is_edeweiss and @simonbooks for the free copies in exchange for an honest review。 。。。more
Marianne Kaplan
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Memoir about family， racism， poverty， economic challenges。 Choices and consequences
C。
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A thoughtful， sensitive， and very affecting memoir。 A pleasure to read。（full review to come）
Mindy Christianson
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As someone who taught the book The Other Wes Moore to high school freshmen for a few years， I was thrilled to read this book。 It has a similar plot - the author writes about her life， along with the lives of her best friend and her sister， and she examines where their paths diverged。 This book had more raw honesty （I think I could use it in a college-level class）。 It was moving and beautiful。 Thanks to Edelweiss and the publisher for the ARC。
Emily
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***Goodreads Win***As much as I appreciated the clear， straight-forward story telling， unfortunately， this book didn't compel me。 Maybe I've been reading too many memoirs recently but this one did not have that certain something that made me look forward to reading it every night。 Dawn Turner is a good author but not as a "character" in the book。 Through her eyes I felt like someone looking into a window of the lives of her sister， best friend and family。 But I wanted to be taken into that life。 ***Goodreads Win***As much as I appreciated the clear， straight-forward story telling， unfortunately， this book didn't compel me。 Maybe I've been reading too many memoirs recently but this one did not have that certain something that made me look forward to reading it every night。 Dawn Turner is a good author but not as a "character" in the book。 Through her eyes I felt like someone looking into a window of the lives of her sister， best friend and family。 But I wanted to be taken into that life。 But I never felt let in; I felt at a remove。 Maybe that was the point since Dawn seemed to operate on a level above those in her life。 I'd bet if you gave me a book written by Debra， I would have been more engrossed。 。。。more
RyReads
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Fascinating memoir。 Even if you don't like nonfiction， this is worth giving a shot。 Fascinating memoir。 Even if you don't like nonfiction， this is worth giving a shot。 。。。more
Diane Payne
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Turner's honest memoir covers a fair amount of ground。 It begins when she's young living in a housing project with her mother and sister， and her best friend upstairs。 I don't want to give away spoilers， but readers don't have as much time with her sister as they do with Debra， who ends up in prison for decades。 Once Kim， her sister， is no longer in the memoir， she reconnects with Debra mainly via phone calls。 Turner's young daughter becomes deathly ill as a toddler， then fortunately recovers， a Turner's honest memoir covers a fair amount of ground。 It begins when she's young living in a housing project with her mother and sister， and her best friend upstairs。 I don't want to give away spoilers， but readers don't have as much time with her sister as they do with Debra， who ends up in prison for decades。 Once Kim， her sister， is no longer in the memoir， she reconnects with Debra mainly via phone calls。 Turner's young daughter becomes deathly ill as a toddler， then fortunately recovers， and she more or less disappears from the memoir also。 The memoir focuses mainly on her sister and childhood friend， which makes some of the other relationships， like with her husband and daughter， seem a bit diminished。 Her mother has a much more prominent role in the beginning of the novel also。 The last half of the memoir focuses a lot on her friend in prison， someone Turner writes columns about in the Tribune， and by the ending， we see her now ex-husband， daughter， and mother once more。 It's a valuable read。 。。。more
Kate M
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This memoir was an emotional read from start to finish， however， I would consider it a "must read" for all Americans。 It is truly a story that illustrates the experience of race in the US。 This memoir reads more like a novel than a biography due to Turner's beautiful prose and flawless ability to connect the stories throughout her life into one continuous theme。 This memoir was an emotional read from start to finish， however， I would consider it a "must read" for all Americans。 It is truly a story that illustrates the experience of race in the US。 This memoir reads more like a novel than a biography due to Turner's beautiful prose and flawless ability to connect the stories throughout her life into one continuous theme。 。。。more
Michelle Hobbs
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I won this book in a giveaway and I’m SO glad I did！ It is a beautifully written memoir that explores so many important topics。 I found myself unable to put it down at so many points！ Emotion pours out of the pages。 This book comes out in September 2021， and it is definitely a must-read！
Carol
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I finished reading Three Girls From Bronzeville at 4 a。m。 I am sitting here pondering it。 It is a deeply intense and personal memoir centered on Dawn， her younger sister and her friend since childhood， Diane。 I have read several reviews that have a similar reaction。 There but for the grace of God， go I。 I have had the same thought when my mother told me of my childhood friends and what she knew of them， many years later。 But the author was able to maintain contact when her friend DianeThey wrote I finished reading Three Girls From Bronzeville at 4 a。m。 I am sitting here pondering it。 It is a deeply intense and personal memoir centered on Dawn， her younger sister and her friend since childhood， Diane。 I have read several reviews that have a similar reaction。 There but for the grace of God， go I。 I have had the same thought when my mother told me of my childhood friends and what she knew of them， many years later。 But the author was able to maintain contact when her friend DianeThey wrote letters and talked on the phone。 When I moved away from the neighborhood， most of my friends had already left before me。 But they were at each other's apartment in the same building and Diane's mother encouraged her to play with her。 There is a lot of tragedy at times， sadness and times that the three lives separated and came back together again。 Dawn made it successfully， she worked towards a great education and career。 Troubles at home bubbled up just like in all our lives but with the help of her mother， her favorite aunt and her grandmother， she had a lot of emotional support。 Her younger sister was at first a follower and then a mischief-maker， but she needed more than what could have helped her a lot。 I wonder， if part of the reason would be the difference in ages in the sisters， but only Kim could have revealed the truth。 And Diane， at first， she and Dawn aspired to be nurses， But two girls when they were older had different interests。 Diane's story means a lot to me。 You can think that your life has become hopeless but with the right people， you can find redemption and forgiveness。 I cheered when reading that part of the book。Lastly， I felt very close to Dawn's mother when driver through the old Bronzeville apartment area and the area surrounding the landmarks that she knew。 I am in between Dawn and her mother in age， But I have had the experience of locating my grade school that I went from 1st through 6th grade on Google Maps。 I was shocked to see that the old brick building that I loved was replaced by what looked to me like a temporary for a building。 I searched more and found out that school that I went to had been demolished。 Gone was the grand main hallway， the stained glass window of Principal Funk's office。 the very tall ceiling where the large Christmas tree stood with hand made ornaments from the children， the three floor auditorium with the flights of stairs the changed directions for every floor。 All that is left is memories and I wonder what the other children remembered about that grand little school。 I know exactly what Dawn's mother was feeling。 You lived many years in that building， but it is gone。I received an Advance Review copy from the publishers as a win from FirsReads。 Thank you， Dawn Turner for your memoir and all your memories。 I feel honored to be reading it。 。。。more
Martha Kuder
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Dawn Turner took me on an emotional journey of her life in this fantastic book。 I also fell in love with Dawn’s beautiful best friend and pesky adoring little sister。 The hilarious antics of little girl fun was totally relatable to when I was little。 But the 3 girls started growing up， and life pulled them in different directions for whatever reason。Living fast and hard brought devastating and heartbreaking changes to Dawn’s friend and sister。 Addiction changed everything。 Their dreams dimmed as Dawn Turner took me on an emotional journey of her life in this fantastic book。 I also fell in love with Dawn’s beautiful best friend and pesky adoring little sister。 The hilarious antics of little girl fun was totally relatable to when I was little。 But the 3 girls started growing up， and life pulled them in different directions for whatever reason。Living fast and hard brought devastating and heartbreaking changes to Dawn’s friend and sister。 Addiction changed everything。 Their dreams dimmed as drinking and drugs damaged them， bring about poor choices and darken their lives。Even though I cried hard in parts of this book， it also taught me about forgiveness and redemption in a way I’d never thought about before。 。。。more
Dana
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Thank you for the ARC。 Excellent！
Shelly
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After a career of writing about other people， author Dawn Turner tackles her own coming of age story， skillfully choosing what and how to share her personal experiences growing up in the 1970s with her younger sister and best friend in this powerfully written memoir。Living in the historic Bronzeville section south of Chicago， these three children of working class parents are inseparable until life draws them on three separate paths to adulthood。 Although I recognize the historic people associat After a career of writing about other people， author Dawn Turner tackles her own coming of age story， skillfully choosing what and how to share her personal experiences growing up in the 1970s with her younger sister and best friend in this powerfully written memoir。Living in the historic Bronzeville section south of Chicago， these three children of working class parents are inseparable until life draws them on three separate paths to adulthood。 Although I recognize the historic people associated with Bronzeville （Ida B。 Wells， Louis Armstrong， Bessie Coleman， Richard Wright – to name a very few）， I am not familiar with Chicago neighborhoods and relied on a map to get a sense of its physical location。 If anything， this endeared me more to the story because I could be present in the descriptive recreation of her childhood home without any preconceptions。 The author beautifully juxtaposes her family structure within the neighborhood， connecting the original three girls from Bronzeville with the current girls， and Lordy， Lordy， Lordy， the passage of time that consumes it all。 Her memoir richly captures the poignant message that it is up to each individual to find and adhere to a plan for their life。 Without one， they are swallowed up by life’s experiences and circumstances。 Dawn uses these circumstances to get into college， where she learned how to develop and manage her plan。 While our future is dependent upon our individual ability to recognize and seize opportunity through our own personal determination and hard work， seeing that opportunity often requires others – as guides and mentors。 Yet， people can only do so much for others。 As Dawn repeatedly tried to be a positive influence， encouraging her sister and best friend， she could not live their lives for them。 They made their own choices and experienced more challenging hardships as a result。 Also evident throughout the story are the serious effects of recreational drug use in America， intensified with the introduction of crack cocaine in the 1980s。 In some ways， “Three Girls from Bronzeville，” shares broad-stroke commonality with J。 D。 Vance’s bestseller， “Hillbilly Elegy。”With incredible vulnerability and authenticity， Dawn Turner shares with us some of her most important people who shaped her life – parents， grandmother， aunt， uncle， sister， best friend， teachers， classmates， spouse， in-laws， and daughter。 Never perfect， but always real， her story is honest， direct， sometimes shocking， and often sad。 I genuinely appreciated her invitation to visit her childhood， to embrace one’s loved ones， and see the long hard work that leads to understanding and forgiveness。 I highly recommend this book。*I received an advance copy of this book through NetGalley。com 。。。more
Rsaunders1
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I loved everything about this book， from beginning to end。 The writing was exceptional and I had to keep reminding myself I was reading a memoir and not a novel。 I especially connected with the story because the author and I are about the same age， and though our childhoods were different， there were many similarities。 Poverty and addiction don’t have to be the killers they are， and through the tragedy and loss， this theme shines through。 Thanks to Simon & Schuster for the ARC。
Biblio Files （takingadayoff）
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I did not expect to read a book about growing up in the Chicago Projects to hit so close to home。 I grew up in a white California suburb， but Dawn Turner's narrative of her nerdish girlhood， her intense friendship with her upstairs neighbor and classmate， and her close relationship with her sister Kim， a few years younger， all sounded like they were right out of my life。 I was fortunate enough not to have even a fraction of the drama that Dawn writes about though。 I couldn't stop reading Dawn's I did not expect to read a book about growing up in the Chicago Projects to hit so close to home。 I grew up in a white California suburb， but Dawn Turner's narrative of her nerdish girlhood， her intense friendship with her upstairs neighbor and classmate， and her close relationship with her sister Kim， a few years younger， all sounded like they were right out of my life。 I was fortunate enough not to have even a fraction of the drama that Dawn writes about though。 I couldn't stop reading Dawn's well-told story through family difficulties， and then as the girls got older， even more serious episodes。 Tragedy was followed by more tragedy， but finally， some hope and small successes。 A lot to think about and another lesson on why it is so important to document these lives。 Thanks to Edelweiss and the publisher for a digital review copy。 。。。more
Audrey
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This is narrative non-fiction at its best。 This memoir about 3 girls （2 sisters and a BFF） growing up in Bronzeville， depicts the fierce bonds of family and friendship。 The two families strive to give their girls， more then what they had， through their strong family bonds and work ethic。 Yet， not all three achieve the American dream。 The author is honest and has a sharp analysis in her childhood dreams and can roughly see， in hindsight， where paths diverged。 This is a book about Black womanhood， This is narrative non-fiction at its best。 This memoir about 3 girls （2 sisters and a BFF） growing up in Bronzeville， depicts the fierce bonds of family and friendship。 The two families strive to give their girls， more then what they had， through their strong family bonds and work ethic。 Yet， not all three achieve the American dream。 The author is honest and has a sharp analysis in her childhood dreams and can roughly see， in hindsight， where paths diverged。 This is a book about Black womanhood， as well as the struggles that seem to work against them。 But， above all， it's about support and sisterhood and how they catch each other， when one starts to fall。I received an arc from the publisher but all opinions are my own。 。。。more
Mary
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Great read
Andre
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There but for the Grace of God go I。 This book exemplifies that sentence。 This memoir is written like a novel， a testament to Dawn Turner’s talent as a novelist。 A very entrancing story of three girls from Bronzeville， Chicago， Illinois。 Two sisters and a best friend。 They all started out in similar near middle class circumstances， obviously Dawn and her sister Kim sharing the same upbringing separated by a mere three years。 Debra becomes Dawn’s friend in the third grade and they began a life lo There but for the Grace of God go I。 This book exemplifies that sentence。 This memoir is written like a novel， a testament to Dawn Turner’s talent as a novelist。 A very entrancing story of three girls from Bronzeville， Chicago， Illinois。 Two sisters and a best friend。 They all started out in similar near middle class circumstances， obviously Dawn and her sister Kim sharing the same upbringing separated by a mere three years。 Debra becomes Dawn’s friend in the third grade and they began a life long friendship。 How do people begin in the same place but end up entirely in different lots。 Is it luck？ Wrong choices？ Are some people born bad or destined for greatness？ The reader will contemplate these possibilities as you follow Dawn along her journey from childhood to professionally accomplished adult。 Why hadn’t Kim and Debra followed along that path。 What derailed them？ I can’t say much more without giving you the story and I’d much rather you get this tale from Dawn Turner than me。 I can say this is a fast read， and moves like a novel with speed and snappy prose。 You will laugh， maybe cry， but always you will be rejoicing in the story， and feel gratitude for Dawn having shared it。 I found this book to be appealing and revealing， and although there is some sadness to contend with， it was an uplifting journey。 I urge you to add this to your “Read Now” shelf。 Thanks to Edelweiss and Simon & Schuster for an advanced DRC。 Book drops September 7， 2021 。。。more
Jamie Cha
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I give this book 4。75 stars。 I received a free ecopy from Net Galley for an honest review。 It was an easy book to read。 The author really gets you to know each character。 You know thei strengths and weaknesses。 At parts， in the story， I wanted to hug the digital pages。 I even had feelings for the cat。The book takes place over many decades。 You can see how the characters transform。 There were many times I pondered， what would I have done in similar circumstances。It is one of the most emotional bo I give this book 4。75 stars。 I received a free ecopy from Net Galley for an honest review。 It was an easy book to read。 The author really gets you to know each character。 You know thei strengths and weaknesses。 At parts， in the story， I wanted to hug the digital pages。 I even had feelings for the cat。The book takes place over many decades。 You can see how the characters transform。 There were many times I pondered， what would I have done in similar circumstances。It is one of the most emotional books I have read。 It will tear at your heart strings。 Make you want to call people from your past up。The story shows that sometimes we can make a difference and sometimes we can't。 Most of us make mistakes。 Sometimes our support system can help us when things get rough （ and sometimes they can't）。 We do the best we can。 I can't wait to read more from the author。 I would like to thank her for writing so beautifully the story of her pain， life， and journey。 。。。more
Nicki Jo
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I enjoyed this book ， not only the storyline but the characterization though i felt it was like riding a train。 A few twists and turns but relatively a flat ride。 Also， did I miss how Kim died？
Jennifer Hopkins
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