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Fixed on Fiction

April discussion - An American Marriage

Our discussion started out with a virtual love-fest for this book. Almost everyone liked the book, and only one person was meh. The discussion lead to many salient points, such as:

  • The book really brings to the forefront that there are 2 different Americas. And 2 different justice systems.
  • An American Marriage  may well be the American dream
  • All relationships require good communication skills
  • Indecision and ambivalence can kill a relationship quickly
  • Is there added pressure on successful African-American men? Do they have to excel just to get by?
  • What a relationship needs to weather a tragedy such as what Roy and Celestial went through

One of the main ideas we discussed was how independent Celestial was, and how she looked after herself and her needs while Roy was gone. She seemed to have totally different ideas on what constituted marriage and commitment. Both her father and Andre recognized that she was not one to be forced into anything that didn’t suit. So, why did she marry Roy? Was it pressure, or maybe a desire to mold her man into someone she could respect? The ending of the book left almost everyone satisfied. The characters seemed to end up with the person they deserved to be with. It was obvious that Roy needed things Celestial couldn’t (or wouldn’t) give him. Both Roy and Celestial seemed to find a place where they were happier. Not deliriously happy, but happy enough to make their lives work. All in all, this was a well-received book.

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