MARCH 2020 - AudioFile
Entertainment columnist Leslie Gray Streeter gives voice to love and loss in this memoir about grief. A black woman who was married to a Jewish man, she is a big personality with a unique story, and it shows throughout her lively narrative style. Listeners' laughter may turn to tears as they hear her detail the circumstances of her husband's unexpected death. Streeter is witty, sharp, and unflinchingly honest. Her pace is swift as she describes what she calls the “fish out of water” experiences that surrounded the mixed-race, multi-faith couple. Moments of humor are unexpected and welcome. This may be a title to recommend to friends facing similar losses, when they are ready. M.R. © AudioFile 2020, Portland, Maine
Publishers Weekly
12/16/2019
Palm Beach Post columnist Streeter discusses losing her husband and adopting her son in a bittersweet memoir that approaches heavy subjects with lightness and humor. When Streeter was 44, her husband, Scott, died from a heart attack while they were “making out” as their nearly two-year-old son, Brooks, whom they were in the process of adopting, slept in another room. The book opens on the day of the funeral, as Streeter, who is African-American and Baptist, tries to plan a religiously and culturally inclusive send-off for Scott, who was white and Jewish. The author fondly remembers when she and Scott first met, their quest to adopt, and the joy they felt when Brooks was placed with them as a foster child. She is forthright in discussing her life as a widow: she eats and drinks too much as a way of coping, moves in with her mother for support, has to tell Brooks that his dad is dead, and adopts him as a single parent. “I’ve climbed out of hell by the tips of my raggedy fingertips,” Streeter writes. This hopeful account will appeal to readers who enjoy stories of resiliency and new life chapters. (Mar.)
From the Publisher
One of Glamour’s Best Books of 2020
"Tender, clever, and endearing, this story of love and loss will have you alternating between laughter and tears. Leslie's mix of break-it-down humor and heartbreaking truth make this book playful and deep in all the right places."—Tembi Locke, New York Timesbestselling author of From Scratch
"So often, readers feel it's not okay to laugh in times of grief, but Streeter not only reminds us its okay, she encourages it. Black Widow has earned a place on the shelf next to Joan Didion and Cheryl Strayed in the realm of the grief memoir."—Booklist
"Black Widow is a beautiful love story that also happens to be a grief story. Leslie Gray Streeter tells the whole tale-falling in love, marriage, adopting, parenthood, death, moving on-with her captivating wit. Only she could make Black Widow so deeply moving, painfully funny, altogether unforgettable."—Rob Sheffield, author of Dreaming the Beatles and Love is a Mix Tape
"Black Widow is a very special one of a kind book, a wonderfully touching love story that will make you laugh and cry, sometimes on the same page. Even more outstanding is Leslie Gray Streeter's voice. You won't soon forget Black Widow."—James Patterson
"Grief is a heavy darkness with spots of unexpected, unpredictable light. Leslie's book is a light for those still stuck in the dark—a sad, funny, personal story filled with universal truths about life and love and loss."—Nora McInerny, author of The Hot Young Widows Club and No Happy Endings
"I can only marvel at Leslie Streeter's resilience, humor, and candor. Black Widow is a funny, heartwarming read about one of the worst things that can happen to a person. We should all be this grounded in our day-to-day lives."—Laura Lippman, NewYork Times bestselling author of Ladyin the Lake
"When Streeter's husband died, leaving her to raise their baby with her mother, also a widow, the journalist and playwright was plunged into a new, surprisingly funny life of coffin shopping and staring down racism."—Glamour
"This hopeful account will appeal to readers who enjoy stories of resiliency and new life chapters."—Publishers Weekly
A laugh-out-loud book for women who aren't ready to navigate widowhood in the traditional way.—New York Post
"This is a great read for anyone who's suffered loss of a loved one. I'd say it's chicken soup for any soul in grief. Anyone who reads this will undoubtedly feel consoled."—Aphrodite Jones
"I can't recommend this book enough. It made me realize how much I love my family and that LOVE conquers all."—Johnathon Schaech
"In her seriocomic debut, Palm Beach Post entertainment columnist Streeter pays tribute to her husband, Scott, by sharing detailed stories about their life together and her many struggles dealing with his death...Streeter's candid exploration will resonate with those who have dealt with similar circumstances. A love-filled eulogy to a beloved husband and the special times the couple shared before he died."—Kirkus
"If this book title isn't already a knockout to you, then I don't know what to say. But in all seriousness, humor is necessary to survive grief, and Leslie Gray Streeter imbues her memoir of losing her husband with just that. A love story that contemplates death, race, and single motherhood, Streeter's book is not something to gloss over."—San Francisco Weekly
"Using humor and a powerful narrative, Streeter guides us into an unexpected life of widowhood, single motherhood, and newfound wisdom."—Palm Beach Daily News
Library Journal
★ 03/01/2020
In 2015, when she was 44, Palm Beach Post columnist Streeter became widowed following husband Scott's unexpected death. This, after being married for only a few years and in the process of adopting a toddler. Streeter writes about having to care for their son while figuring out how to live without Scott in smooth, conversational prose that carries readers through stories of good and bad times in their lives, including the trials and tribulations they faced as an interracial and interreligious couple. Readers who have experienced loss will recognize the tumble of emotions Streeter describes, as she responds to inappropriate bereavement comments and the stress of suddenly negotiating burial details for one's 40-something spouse with a mix of indignation and black humor. VERDICT A deep reflection on young widowhood, foster care and adoption, and the persistence of love, this work is recommended to fans of Nora McInerny (The Hot Young Widows Club), and anyone interested in stories of love, friendship, family, and loss, bound together with a wide, sparkly ribbon of humor. [See Prepub Alert, 8/25/19.]—Monica Howell, Northwestern Health Sciences Univ. Lib., Bloomington, MN
MARCH 2020 - AudioFile
Entertainment columnist Leslie Gray Streeter gives voice to love and loss in this memoir about grief. A black woman who was married to a Jewish man, she is a big personality with a unique story, and it shows throughout her lively narrative style. Listeners' laughter may turn to tears as they hear her detail the circumstances of her husband's unexpected death. Streeter is witty, sharp, and unflinchingly honest. Her pace is swift as she describes what she calls the “fish out of water” experiences that surrounded the mixed-race, multi-faith couple. Moments of humor are unexpected and welcome. This may be a title to recommend to friends facing similar losses, when they are ready. M.R. © AudioFile 2020, Portland, Maine
Kirkus Reviews
2020-01-12
A memoir about how the author coped with her husband's sudden death.
In her seriocomic debut, Palm Beach Post entertainment columnist Streeter pays tribute to her husband, Scott, by sharing detailed stories about their life together and her many struggles dealing with his death. Because Scott was white and Jewish and the author is black and Baptist, religion, racism, integration, and acceptance are significant topics throughout the narrative. For the first few months after his death, Streeter was overcome by grief as she had to pick Scott's coffin (a "lovely, Jewish-law-compliant pine box"), choose the appropriate spot to bury him and which dress to wear to the funeral, and, most importantly, figure out how to tell their son, almost-2-year-old Brooks, whose adoption was nearly complete, that "Daddy's not actually working late." The author also shares her insecurities about weight and overeating, the intense exercise program she endured to get back in shape after binging, how she drank to avoid the pain, and the necessity of relying on her mother, who had also recently lost her husband. Although Streeter's humor occasionally feels forced, her grief, lucidly portrayed, is tangible, and it's clear writing about her difficult experiences proved cathartic to her and to those who know her and Scott and their relationship. The most moving part of the book, divided into chapters such as "Grief Cake," "Healing: It's Like Putting Eyeliner on a Baby," and "You're Gonna Make it After All," concerns the author's continued hopes and fears regarding the final adoption of their son, a narrative thread that culminates in a heartwarming verdict by the judge. Her resilience in the face of devastating loss is commendable, and while the book isn't a top-shelf memoir about grief, Streeter's candid exploration will resonate with those who have dealt with similar circumstances.
A love-filled eulogy to a beloved husband and the special times the couple shared before he died.
