A Taste of Reality

Book Description

On the surface, Anise seems to have it all: a successful career, a solid marriage, and good friends. But when she applies for a promotion at work, she loses out to a white colleague who isn't nearly as qualified for the job. And after being married for four seemingly blissful years, she discovers that her husband is having an affair. To make matters worse, her best friend at work is keeping dangerous secrets.

FROM THE PUBLISHER

On the surface, Anise seems to have it all: a successful career, a solid marriage, and good friends. But when she applies for a promotion at work, she loses out to a white colleague who isn't nearly as qualified for the job. And after being married for four seemingly blissful years, she discovers that her husband is having an affair. To make matters worse, her best friend at work is keeping dangerous secrets.

But Anise is no quitter. As brave as she is determined, she reaches deep inside her soul to find the strength and courage to overcome heartbreak and stay her course. Ultimately she will discover that everything worth having is worth fighting for — in her career and, most importantly, in her heart.

SYNOPSIS

Kimberla Lawson Roby returns with another moving and triumphant novel about a woman who, against all odds, battles the most blatant kind of workplace discrimination while dealing with a crumbling marriage and a trusted friend's betrayal.

FROM THE CRITICS

Library Journal

While this novel about workplace discrimination gets off to a promising start, it is ultimately disappointing. Anise is an African American MBA graduate working in the employee benefits division of a large manufacturing company just outside of Chicago. When a management recruiting position opens up, she applies for the promotion and is clearly the best candidate. However, the patently racist human resource department managers feel that Anise is best suited for a position in which she works more closely with factory workers, many of whom are also African American. When the job is given to a less qualified white woman who is having an affair with the boss, Anise fights back. At the same time she learns that her husband, a successful VP at a pharmaceutical company, is having an affair with a white woman. Despite the intriguing premise, Roby's novel has a tendency to explain characters' thoughts and motivations just after their dialog, which leads to an arduous listening experience. Although narrator Tracey Leigh offers a solid performance, this title is not recommended.-Beth Farrell, Portage Cty. Dist. Lib., OH Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information.

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