Let The Lion Eat Straw

Reissued upon its 25th Anniversary, Let the Lion Eat Straw is a dazzling novel that tells the story of Abeba Williams whose mother abandons the poverty and despair of the South-and in the process her daughter-for opportunities up North. In the absence of her mother, she clings to Mamma Habblesham, a woman with enviable reserves of love and hope. Their affection for each other seems boundless until Abeba's resentful and abusive mother returns to take her to Brooklyn. As she grows up, her exceptional musical talent promises to be an avenue of escape. But a handsome singer distracts her-and opportunities that once seemed so close, begin to fall away. Now married with a growing family, she fights to maintain the dignity of her family. Replete with imagery that astonishes and lyricism that lingers long after the reader has finished the last page, Let the Lion Eat Straw is a revelation of the glory in apparently ordinary lives.