Arnold Rampersad
“A treasure trove of memories, moods, ideas, and opinions, stylishly offered up by an absolutely arresting new essayist. Gayle Pemberton is not only learned and bright, she is generous, loving, shrewd, and wry - and also downright funny much of the time. This is a book for everyone who can savor the American experience in all its complexities and complexions, its starry highs and its heart-thumping lows.”
Paula Giddings
“Pemberton is able to draw deeply from many traditions, and in the process creates a new American sensibility: one which is equally comfortable with (and knowledgeable of) Billie Holiday and Cotton Mather. This synthesis is implemented largely through a triumph of design.”
Cornel West
“Gayle Pemberton is a unique figure in contemporary American letters. She writes in a powerful yet pellucid style with a sense of history and humor about how we postmoderns live, love, and die. Her vast learning informs her vivacious prose and her deep wisdom shines brightly on every page. Thank God, the legacy of the great James Baldwin is still alive!”
From the Publisher
"The warmth and wit of Gayle Pemberton's The Hottest Water in Chicago are delightfully seductive. But the reader should make no mistake - this is a profoundly serious book."—Toni Morrison
"Gayle Pemberton is a unique figure in contemporary American letters. She writes in a powerful yet pellucid style with a sense of history and humor about how we postmoderns live, love, and die. Her vast learning informs her vivacious prose and her deep wisdom shines brightly on every page. Thank God, the legacy of the great James Baldwin is still alive!""—Cornel West
"Pemberton is able to draw deeply from many traditions, and in the process creates a new American sensibility: one which is equally comfortable with (and knowledgeable of) Billie Holiday and Cotton Mather. This synthesis is implemented largely through a triumph of design.""—Paula Giddings
"A treasure trove of memories, moods, ideas, and opinions, stylishly offered up by an absolutely arresting new essayist. Gayle Pemberton is not only learned and bright, she is generous, loving, shrewd, and wry - and also downright funny much of the time. This is a book for everyone who can savor the American experience in all its complexities and complexions, its starry highs and its heart-thumping lows.""—Arnold Rampersad
Toni Morrison
"The warmth and wit of Gayle Pemberton's The Hottest Water in Chicago are delightfully seductive. But the reader should make no mistake - this is a profoundly serious book."
