Fiction
324 pages
www.aprilsinclair.net
Rating: out of 5
Everything feels fresh and exciting much like Stevie in AIN'T GONNA
BE THE SAME FOOL TWICE, this colorful sequel to Coffee Will Make
You Black.
By the novel's start, Stevie has graduated high school and is
leavingand is leaving to attend college in a small Illinois town not too
far from her native Chicago. Although the school is predominately
white, Stevie manages to hang with Black folk, making fast friends
with Sharlinda and Today. But it's her relationship with French girl
of a woman.
It's also confirmed when she, Today and Sharlinda travel to San Francisco for a getaway after
graduating college. After her buddies ditch her dates, Stevie decides to explore the city on her own
by going to a womens-only dance. There she meets Traci, one of the few sistahs in the place. The
two hit it off, and pretty soon Stevie decides to stay in San Francisco to carve out a life of her own.
Stevie moves in with Traci, taking over the room and rent for one of the roommates who's traveling
abroad. Although the romantic relationship is great with Traci, it's hard for Stevie to adjust to the city
a first; trying to find a job is pure hell and San Francisco has its share of far-out folk. But you can never
keep a Black woman down, and Stevie's willing to explore new experiences. It's 1975 and the world is
changing; Stevie wants to change along with it.
In time Stevie finds out the more things change, the more things stay the same. Racism might to be
as blatant in the City by the Bay as it is in the Windy City, but people are still hung up on color. And
after her affair with Traci goes sour, she discovers love is a bitch, too. But she takes everything in
stride, and learns that you can be a fool, but you won't ever be the same fool twice.
Sinclair's Ain't Gonna Be is dynamite. Stevie's spunky character is a hoot, complete with the 70's lingo
and all. The story is fulfilling and leaves you wanting more. Although not as sweet as its predecessor,
it's still a funky good time.
Reviewed January 2006
