No Man in the House - Hardcover

Foster, Cecil

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0345380673 ISBN 13: 9780345380678

Publisher: Ballantine Books, 1992

Synopsis

"A moving story, rich in detail, told with great sensitivity and affection."
NEW YORK NEWSDAY
It is 1964. Howard lives a hand-to-mouth existence in the small island protectorate of Barbados with his brothers, two aunts, and his grandmother. He is waiting for his parents, who left for England long ago, to send for him. And as the sparks of independence crackle all around them, Howard's life changes forever when Mr. Bradshaw, a black headmaster, is hired for his school. Howard begins to blossom under Bradshaw's guidance, and learns that neither freedom nor knowledge comes without sacrifice, and that even battles won leave victims. In this beautiful, poignant, and ultimately hopeful novel, the fate of one Bajan family rests in the hands of change--change that only liberation and learning can bring.
From the Trade Paperback edition.

About this title

From the Publisher:

When Cecil Foster's NO MAN IN THE HOUSE was published, E. Annie Proulx (THE SHIPPING NEWS) proclaimed, "he shows the brave characters of West Indian women as no one else has." This is a moving and beautifully written coming-of-age story of an impoverished young boy in Barbados during its 1963 bid for independence.

From Kirkus Reviews:

A first novel from Barbadian-born Foster, published first in Canada and now making its US debut: one of those rare books that do indeed celebrate indomitable characters and the resilience of the human spirit. In a momentous year, 1963, while Barbadians begin their bid for independence from Britain, eight-year-old Howard Prescod, the youngest of three brothers left in the care of a grandmother while his parents go to Britain to seek work, embarks upon a different but no less momentous liberation struggle--an escape from poverty. His grandmother stretches the increasingly irregular payments from Howard's father by selling vegetables door to door, but Howard is so poor that he goes to school barefoot and considers a soda a luxury. Unhappy at school, where his poverty dooms him to being regarded as an underachiever, he contemplates a future of low- paying jobs, but new headmaster Mr. Bradshaw, a committed supporter of independence, becomes Howard's mentor. While rival political tensions lead to riots and to squabbles between neighbors, Howard- -with Bradshaw's encouragement--prepares for the entrance exam to the best high school on the island. He is often hungry as he studies, though, because his father has stopped sending money, and his grandmother is struggling even harder to feed her family. Howard takes the exam in less than ideal circumstances--the family situation is grave; Mr. Bradshaw is in political trouble; and the news that Howard is the top student seems just another burden for his grandmother (it means his staying in school rather than working), though there's a suggestion of hope, and Howard is just content ``to enjoy the triumphs of today and to worry about tomorrow another time.'' Poverty in all its wrenching details, but it is Howard and his grandmother who touch the heart with the splendor of their boundless courage. A remarkable debut. -- Copyright ©1992, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved.

About this edition

• Publisher: Ballantine Books
• Publication date: 1992
• ISBN 10: 0345380673
• ISBN 13: 9780345380678
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 280