Mending the World

Robotham, senior editor-at-large at Essence and author of Spirits of the Passage, here presents a preface from Maya Angelou (""we can all agree that our world needs mending"") and a foreword from author and playwright Pearl Cleage (""This book is an important part of...understanding the power of love, the necessity of truth, and the possibility of rebirth""), and 30 short pieces of fiction and nonfiction that center on moments of care and understanding of one form or another among family members. Most have been previously published, and some will be familiar to regular readers of fiction and essays, such as the excerpt from Jamaica Kincaid's novel Annie John, Gerald Early's ""The Driving Lesson,"" Edwidge Danticat's ""The Book of the Dead"" and Alice Walker's ""The Two of Us."" The pieces by younger writers (Robotham provides short bios) also feel familiar, but put enough of a twist on wayward male narratives (Nelson Eubanks, April Reynolds) and divorce (William Jelani Cobb) to hold interest. Robotham's goal of telling ""the story of today's Black family"" provides a clear, activist context that holds the book together, working to advance the title goal despite mostly tepid material.