Walk with Us: Triplet Boys, Their Teen Parents & Two White Women Who Tagged Along
At a time when we are inundated daily with reports of violence, heartbreak and tragedy, it is gratifying to read of people who not only go out of their way to help each other, but willingly perform sacrifices most of us would never dream of. However, don't assume this is a smarmy tale of saintliness - Ms. Gordon portrays everyone honestly and realistically (herself included), warts and all. These are people who struggle and make mistakes, but because of their love for each other, their tenacity and their wish to do what is right and good, they manage to overcome obstacles that would daunt and defeat 99% of the population. They are ordinary people who chose to step up in exceptional circumstances. By the end of the book, I felt I had witnessed true heroism. --M. L. PirieElizabeth (Kathryn) Gordon writes of Tahija, Lamarr, and their triplet boys, who for almost two years shared a house with Kathryn and her partner Kaki. We share Kathryn's doubts and reservations, and her spiritual experience that invites Kathryn to provide radical hospitality to Tahija and Lamarr, becoming their major childcare provider and housemate. We observe at close quarters what it's like when the Department of Human Services threatens to take away the boys because Tahija is presumed unfit as a poor, black teen mother. We meet Family Court, doctors, and social service agencies which do not actively encourage fathers who want to be involved with their families. We witness Kathryn's struggle to love and support Tahija when their ideas about childrearing create a cultural divide; Tahija moves out as a heartbreaking result. And, we are there for the healing of the rift. Walk with Us invites the reader to walk with the little family, expanding our hearts and minds and souls along with Kathryn's, to include those who are not so different from ourselves. --Mariellen O. GilpinThis is an important book. It is the true story to two white women who provide a home for a pregnant 15 year old black girl, her partner, and their triplet sons after their birth. The author is a published poet, and it shows in the writing. This book is beautifully written, and Ms. Gordon's honesty is so complete that it is sometimes painful to read. This is a true examination of conscience. It is also an examination of the history of race relations in the US and the current state of those relations, not from an observer who visited a ghetto a few times for a story, but from someone who lived it. Make no mistake, there is also much that evokes laughter here. Ms. Gordon has a marvelous sense of humor, and she is not afraid to laugh at herself. I consider this book "a must read" for anyone interested in and concerned about race relations in America. And that should be everyone, shouldn't it? --Maureen Mather